Latter-day Faith

Dan Wotherspoon
  • 4.7 (129)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Semiweekly

Latter-day Faith is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Wotherspoon, PhD, that explores faith and its realities for this time in human history. Although each discussion maintains awareness of its primarily Latter-day Saint audience, the conversations, sensibilities, and variety of guests featured are drawn from many religious traditions.

  1. 4d ago

    235a: Facing East—A Play by Carol Lynn Pearson

    This is a special episode exploring another of Carol Lynn Pearson's many talents, her playwriting, focusing this time on her advocacy work for LGBT+ persons. This discussion features LDF host Dan Wotherspoon along with three persons involved with a new production of CLP's play, Facing East, which is being staged in Salt Lake City in October, twenty years after it first premiered. Joining Dan are director Jerry Rapier, and actors Jay Perry and Kristy Summerhays who play a grieving father (Alex) and mother (Ruth) whose gay son (Andrew) has recently suicided because of conflicts between who he is and how it clashes with his Mormon beliefs. The play takes place in the cemetery immediately following Andrew's funeral and reveals how two faithful Latter-day Saints deal in different ways with this tragic event. Alex is questioning everything about LDS teachings regarding homosexuality and how they kept him from really knowing their son. Ruth still can't face the reality that her son couldn't change who he is because God would never let church leaders be wrong about something so important, hence she double-downs on that belief even as it contradicts with the son she knew and loved so much. After they talk awhile, Andrew's partner, Marcus, arrives at the burial site to grieve, thinking everyone would have already left. Ruth does, but soon Alex and Marcus have a difficult but searching conversation and then promise to continue to talk over lunch another time. A special treat in the episode is when Jay and Kristy read two excerpts from scenes in the play. You don't want to miss that! And neither do you want to miss the many beautiful experiences they all share about Carol Lynn as well as a great deal about the journey from a much-too-long script to its triumphant 2006 run in Utah, as well as in other stagings off-Broadway and in San Francisco. It's fun to go behind the scenes! Join us!

  2. 5d ago

    235: Facing East--A Play by Carol Lynn Pearson

    This is a special episode exploring another of Carol Lynn Pearson's many talents, her playwriting, focusing this time on her advocacy work for LGBT+ persons. This discussion features LDF host Dan Wotherspoon along with three persons involved with a new production of CLP's play, Facing East, which is being staged in Salt Lake City in October, twenty years after it first premiered. Joining Dan are director Jerry Rapier, and actors Jay Perry and Kristy Summerhays who play a grieving father (Alex) and mother (Ruth) whose gay son (Andrew) has recently suicided because of conflicts between who he is and how it clashes with his Mormon beliefs. The play takes place in the cemetery immediately following Andrew's funeral and reveals how two faithful Latter-day Saints deal in different ways with this tragic event. Alex is questioning everything about LDS teachings regarding homosexuality and how they kept him from really knowing their son. Ruth still can't face the reality that her son couldn't change who he is because God would never let church leaders be wrong about something so important, hence she double-downs on that belief even as it contradicts with the son she knew and loved so much. After they talk awhile, Andrew's partner, Marcus, arrives at the burial site to grieve, thinking everyone would have already left. Ruth does, but soon Alex and Marcus have a difficult but searching conversation and then promise to continue to talk over lunch another time. A special treat in the episode is when Jay and Kristy read two excerpts from scenes in the play. You don't want to miss that! And neither do you want to miss the many beautiful experiences they all share about Carol Lynn as well as a great deal about the journey from a much-too-long script to its triumphant 2006 run in Utah, as well as in other stagings off-Broadway and in San Francisco. It's fun to go behind the scenes! Join us!

  3. Sep 3

    09-Women Outside the Garden: Exploring Our Submerged Beliefs

    In this fascinating "Women Outside the Garden" episode, host Teri Petersen talks with Ashleigh Gentry, who writes the Substack, "Staying and Straying." Ashleigh's story is very interesting because she talks about something that many of us have never heard of: a form of OCD called "Retroactive Jealousy." Together, she and Terri talk about some of the purity messages/culture that dominated her LDS upbringing and how it interacted with her naturally anxious temperament.  They discuss the repercussions it had for her marriage, but also how her explorations of its origins forced her to see and reconfigure beliefs that were submerged: ones didn't know she was carrying with her into her adult years. As she did, she became more confident. She learned to be self-compassionate and trusting of her own  goodness and deep wisdom. Ashleigh then shares how some of her old beliefs have morphed into healthier (and less literal) ways of viewing the world, as well as the gospel and Jesus Christ. This is story of healing, triumph, and meeting the world with confidence. It's a must listen!

  4. Aug 27

    234: (Encore) Healing the World as Only Mother Can

    With the recent passing of Carol Lynn Pearson, we are releasing this encore episode (originally released in March 2021) of a great discussion between Carol Lynn and Kathryn Knight Sonntag about the divine feminine and the need for "Mother." The sound quality isn't great due to a couple of issues we didn't discover until after recording. It is still highly listenable! This episode celebrates Carol Lynn Pearson's recent book, Finding Mother God: Poems to Heal the World, but does so much more. Carol Lynn and Kathryn Sonntag join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about the deep ache that not only we, but also our societies and the world, have to fully reclaim the presence and energies of the Mother (Divine Feminine, Mother Creator, Nature, Wisdom, Mother in Heaven, etc.). Yet, too often, we fail to recognize this pain, as well as all the ways things are out of balance because of her having been sidelined. The podcast episode features Carol Lynn reading several of her poems, Kathryn reading an excerpt from her writings on Mother, the cycles of life and death, and the Tree of Life, as well as extended conversations about reclaiming partnership, healing, chaos and decay, and (just a bit near the end) today's political climate. Plus more! You do not want to miss this chance to listen to these powerful women about their experiences, motivations, and all the things that propel them forward in the creative work they do.

  5. Aug 13

    08-Women Outside the Garden: Quests Begin with Questions

    In this wonderful episode, the eighth in the LDF series, "Women Outside the Garden," host Terri Petersen interviews and converses with Kim Hamblin, the founder of "Seeds of Life" life coaching services, which specializes in Mormon faith transitions as well assisting people of all spiritual backgrounds in figuring out their faith and allowing it to lead them to where they should be. They talk extensively about Kim's spiritual journey and the kinds of work she does with folks seeking to negotiate their Mormon lives (whether they are current or former members). At some point in her own journey she noticed that the word "question" starts with "quest," a term featured in hero/heroine journeys toward wholeness found prominently in books and movies in which the protagonist endures many trials before finding what is really important to them and decide how they should show up in the world in new (or more open-hearted, enlightened) ways. Her substack is called, "Doubting My Way to Faith," which says much about how the difficult processes involved in faith transitions is very much worth it. Kim's journey is one of over-thinker learning to also trust (and more deeply) what her body is telling her. What is going on deep within all of our souls that might be keys to magnificent growth and greater peace? We think you will enjoy this delightful conversation! Tune in, and go to Latterdayfaith.org to find links to Kim's contact info, as well as her substack and coaching website.

  6. Aug 6

    233: A Wonderful and Very Interesting and Spiritual Journey

    In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon chats with William Evans, whose spiritual path is unusual for a Latter-day Saint but one that has led him to an expansive vision of life in general along with greater peace than he has ever had. Born and raised as a grandson of LDS apostle, Richard L. Evans, who is perhaps best known for his multi-decade tenure writing and voicing "Music and the Spoken Word" during the long-running Sunday morning show featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. William was a faithful, very involved Latter-day Saint, serving a mission to Germany, earning a bachelor's degree at BYU, which was followed by both a master's degree and doctorate from Creighton University. During these years, he remained faithful but haunted by the LDS Church's shift from a visionary, expansive one to today's version that eschews both things. Drawn to quiet reflection (but a failure at "meditation"--can some of you relate?) and also suffering from insomnia, he eventually discovered floatation therapy (a form of sensory deprivation), and then for the past five years has also been undertaking psilocybin ("magic mushroom") journeys as a spiritual practice (and overseen by trained and loving facilitators) that have led to deep inner healing that has helped him move past much of his inner turmoil related to his upbringing and membership in a church that fails to deliver what he has long craved. These therapies, along with additional reflective tools he has honed for his own needs (and discussed in the conversation) have allowed his deep, beautiful, expansive, loving soul to come alive. You will enjoy meeting him in this episode! Note: William is also a regular attendee of Latter-day Lunches, our weekly virtual group who gathers through Zoom on Mondays from noon to 1:30 pm Mountain).

  7. Jul 23

    232: Serving the Gods and Monsters We Ourselves Create: Thoughts on Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey

    NOTE: This episode features a discussion between Jody England Hansen and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon about deep themes in Christopher Nolan's newly released film, The Odyssey. It contains a few minor spoilers, so if you haven't yet seen the film, you may not want to listen right now. If you have already seen it, you will likely be delighted to hear new perspectives that will enhance your own processing of your watching experience. Jody and Dan also bring up a few things from Homer's epic poem that were not included or explored deeply in the film. _____  One of Western literature's formative texts is Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, which tells the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and his trials during and following his participation the Trojan War. It is often cited as a quintessential example of what Joseph Campbell has named the "Hero's Journey," in which a protagonist learns to face her or his deepest fears, including the consequences of their actions and how they have affected their families, communities, and the world. They then, with the wisdom they gained through their trials, find their way to heal and bless others. In sharing their thoughts on the film, Jody and Dan often refer to this model, noting places where the hero's journey framing is helpful to us in understanding the nature of Odysseus's trials and why they are so important for him to face. One of these elements is the nature of the gods and monsters we must face in our healing processes—gods and monsters of our own creation that can lead us to do awful, even evil, things. As we descend into the innermost parts of our souls, is it possible we can then create something new and good? The poem and film play with universal archetypes and themes that are familiar to us even as they are presented in settings that are quite foreign to our time and way of seeing the world. By telling the specifics of one person's journey, we can better see how we, too, face similar dynamics and decisions that we, in the midst of our confusing walk through this world, might to be able to see in any other way. Listen in! Tough material but spectacular payouts if we pursue the path it points towards.

  8. Jun 26

    07-Women Outside the Garden: Uncovering Our Golden Selves

    This podcast episode, "Women Outside the Garden" number 7, features Terri Peterson sharing a story about a 13th century golden Buddha statue in Thailand that was covered in clay for 700 years to protect it, illustrating how people can cover their true worth with external layers. Terri explains how these protective layers, whether from well-meaning others or self-imposed doubts, can prevent people from seeing their inherent value and divinity. She discusses how breaking free from these layers requires experiencing and applying learning rather than just reading about it, comparing life to a classroom rather than a test.   Terri emphasizes the importance of trusting one's own experience and inner authority while being mindful not to act impulsively, encouraging listeners to question beliefs that don't align with their direct experience of their true souls and to recognize that flaws are temporary layers rather than permanent parts of their true selves. Listen in! It's wonderful!

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4.7
out of 5
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About

Latter-day Faith is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Wotherspoon, PhD, that explores faith and its realities for this time in human history. Although each discussion maintains awareness of its primarily Latter-day Saint audience, the conversations, sensibilities, and variety of guests featured are drawn from many religious traditions.

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Wotherspoon
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    246
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2019-2022 Faith Journey Foundation and Dan Wotherspoon - All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Latter-day Faith

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