Conversations about the religious and spiritual life on the other side of fundamentalism
 
Category: <span>Christianity, Church & Faith</span>

378: When the Church isn’t Enough: Tali Aitofi

Some years ago, Tali Aitofi found Mormon podcasts and became hooked.  But Tali isn’t Mormon, he’s Pentecostal.  Yet, his own spiritual and religious journey has played out with the hum of Mormon faith crises in the background.

Tali recently came out as gay; he left his family church, and is currently suffering from a life threatening illness.  All of this has caused deep and searching questions.  

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.

373: The LDS Church’s Response to Sexual Abuse: Neville Rochow QC

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 …

370: The LDS Church and its Legal Machinations Part One: Neville Rochow QC

Australian barrister Neville Rochow QC has offered the LDS Church legal advice over the years and has appeared for the church at parliamentary committees on the question of religious freedom.   For two years, he also …

368: The Illegitimacy of Jesus: Mark Crego

Mark Crego and I met around eight years ago, fellow sojourners in the quest to understand our shared faith in the LDS church.  We had a similar curiosity about the spiritual life and consequently we …

367: The Law of Chastity or Sexual Ethics?: Linkhart, Ross & Mangelson

While the Mountain Saints speak of the Law of Chastity being the iron clad rule that anything sexual should happen in marriage, the Praire Saints have a statement of Sexual Ethics. The Statement of Sexual …

366: Breaking Up Well: Dr. Nicola Petty

When I began questioning the LDS Church, I did not expect the Stake Relief Society president to join me. 

Nicola Petty went from orthodox and loyal member guided by the priesthood to a Stake Relief Society President who had been woken up by the Ordain Women movement. It was in this capacity that I watched her press priesthood button after priesthood button advocating intelligently and determinedly for the women in our stake. 

When the church was no longer reconcilable, rather than spit the church out, Nicola planned her exit well, and took up the challenge to build a new life. Nicola’s story is a story of integrity, integration, and extraordinary grace for a church she once loved deeply but no longer sees as essential to her human becoming.   

Photo Credit: Shellie Evans

Link to Dr Nick’s Maths and Stats Youtube Channel

365: Sealed: A Memoir by Katie Langston

Born and raised a devout Mormon in Utah, Katie Langston chronicles her unexpected conversion to orthodox Christianity with candor and theological depth. Her remarkable debut memoir explores themes of religious fundamentalism, mental illness, and family …

Why the RLDS Reformed but the LDS Didn’t: Prof. David Howlett

Some people say that Community of Christ is just LDS lite. This simply isn’t true. Despite their common roots, you would be unlikely to find two more differently wired faith traditions than the Community of …

361: American Excommunication: Spencer Wells & Isaac Barnes May

Religious history scholars, Spencer Wells and Isaac Barnes May, seek to put the recent ex-communication/name removal of Natasha Helfer from the LDS Church into the broader context of church boundary maintenance in America.

359: When a Woman’s Professional Expertise Becomes a Question of LDS Apostasy: Natasha Helfer

Natasha Helfer (LCMFT, CST, CSTS )is a licensed clinician and mental health professional who has been summoned to a LDS Church trial for her public stance on sexual health. Taking offence at the idea that …