008: The Wisdom and Faith of Thomas Alexander

The shadow and light of the church are a part of the same story and integrating the suffering and the healing that the church created is part of our necessary preparation for the next part of our journey.

Acceptance of our past life in church with its blessings is  a wholesome alternative to staying locked in the fight with what has been.  In which case, there's no freedom to move on. 

It’s one thing to know that letting go is possible and even necessary.  But it’s another to stand at the threshold of leaving without feeling fear.  Most of us will carry some fear.  In this episode I discuss the DNA of Mormon fear of leaving the church. 

In this episode:

"Letting go needn't be truly feared.  Letting go can become a friend to us, releasing us into the flow of an abundant and growthful life."

This episode opens up the last chapters of my time as host of A Thoughtful Faith Podcast.  I aim to hang up the mic at the end of the 2022.

The remainder of my time with the podcast will be devoted to faith reconstruction and exploring  how to have a good church ending and an even better spiritual beginning.

Tali joins me to talk about his life journey and how the Netflix series Midnight Mass spoke to his larger  questions about church, God, Jesus, shame and forgiveness.

Painter, now documentary film maker and producer Nathan Florence joins me  to discuss ‘Bright Spark:  The Reconcilation of Trevor Southey’

For eleven years, artist Nathan Florence documented Trevor Southey's life with his heart and with his lens in order to tell an unfolding story that ended in Trevor’s death in 2015. 

It’s an unusual documentary but nonetheless affecting because like a painting it constantly unfolds. The film is a soft place among the polarized voices of LDS folk in and out of the church, because it has no agenda beyond the story of art as an expression of the deepest musings of humanity; How it's made;  at what cost; who it's for, and mostly, how does it change lives?

Utah based life coach, Jana Spangler, reflects on her extensive work with Mormons who are in the thick of deconstruction and reconstruction.  She argues that being in healthy relationship with our bodies will yield precisely the wisdom we need to make critical life decisions.

If you love Christmas, then this episode isn't for you. 

But, if you or someone you know doesn't approach Christmas with merriment and cheer, then this conversation between me and my good friend Nicola Petty might be worth listening to.

Both of us are avowed Grinches and as a concession to those who have to put up with our annual disagreeableness we get together for a chat to identify our points of disagreement with the Silly Season.  And we wonder if we need to cancel it next year?

At Syracuse University, moral injury is defined as,

"… the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when that person perpetrates, witnesses, or fails to prevent acts that transgress one’s own moral beliefs, values, or ethical codes of conduct."

In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Sean Aaron joins me to discuss moral injury. Many coming from the LDS tradition have been taught to spiritually bypass our gut reactions to practices or doctrines, chalking our doubts up to our personal failings and faithlessness.

Sean draws on the concept of moral injury to help us understand what is happening when we do so, and how we can trust and respond to our emotions in healthy ways.

Child sexual abuse in the church is pernicious and confounding. Why anyone purporting to be Christian would sexually abuse a child is beyond the imagination of many. Yet it happens, and far too often to be dismissed.

The Royal Commissions of Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in Ireland and Australia, and currently being conducted in New Zealand, have resulted in powerful evidence-based recommendations for best practices that keep children safe from predatory behaviour in faith-based institutions.

Despite the extent, breadth and thoroughness of these inquiries, the Salt Lake church seems largely disinterested in the wisdom and advice originating from any legal jurisdiction or cultural context other than their own.   

Neville Rochow joins me to discuss how child sexual abuse is managed legally and ecclesiastically in the LDS Church in light of the Royal Commissions of Inquiry.