A Thoughtful Faith - Mormon / LDS
"I get impatient with dogma and dictum, but somewhere way inside me and way beyond impatience or indifference there is that insistent, infernal, so help me, scared singing -- All is well, All is well. My own church, inhabited by my own people -- I would be cosmically orphaned without it."- Emma Lou Thayne

I first met Emma Lou Thayne at Benihana’s- a Japanese steakhouse. We shared a table, watching the chef stack onions & dice peppers at rapid speeds, swapping stories about our individual travels through Asia. I bumped into her a few months later at a conference, & once more at a film screening. I was deeply impressed with her handle on life & her view on Mormonism- although her stories were her own, she inspired me to create a better story for myself through her sharing. When I was presented the opportunity to interview her- I jumped at the chance. The following podcast is less of an interview than we had planned, and more of a casual conversation held one afternoon in Emma Lou’s home. We cover a range of topics- from her memories of pre-correlation Mormonism, the ERA, & Helen Keller, to her work in raising awareness for mental health.

Emma Lou Thayne is a nationally ranked Senior Women’s Singles & Doubles tennis player, she taught for many years in the University of Utah’s Department of English and Division of Continuing Education, she is an award-winning poet, a well published author, and a leader for the arts, education, and business.

The Thayne Community Service Center at Salt Lake Community College (named for her), had this to say about her: "Emma Lou Thayne is a peacemaker, she cares deeply about people. Whether writing of love or loss, triumph or suffering, Emma Lou sees the extraordinary in the ordinary, she recognizes dignity in daily experience, and she magnifies moments that many would allow to pass without recognition. Emma Lou Thayne is a poet, and her poems celebrate connections."

Her most recent book- “The Place of Knowing- A Spiritual Autobiography", can be found online & at a bookstore near you.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-043-EmmaLouThayne.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:35pm NZDT

Dan McDonald is a husband, father, lawyer, author. His book, Gethsemamnesia: Forgotten Lessons From Gethsemane, Golgotha and Beyond, chronicles the lessons he learned while dealing with a life threatening disease. The evolution of his faith has been shaped by his understanding of a savior who doubted and who experienced real fear. In this interview we talk about his book, but also his faith and his dedication to Christ. Dan has a very refreshing view of the gospel, developed through hardship and trial. I hope that you will listen and enjoy.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-042-DanMcDonald-Part2.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:30pm NZDT

Dan McDonald is a husband, father, lawyer, author. His book, Gethsemamnesia: Forgotten Lessons From Gethsemane, Golgotha and Beyond, chronicles the lessons he learned while dealing with a life threatening disease. The evolution of his faith has been shaped by his understanding of a savior who doubted and who experienced real fear. In this interview we talk about his book, but also his faith and his dedication to Christ. Dan has a very refreshing view of the gospel, developed through hardship and trial. I hope that you will listen and enjoy.

Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-041-DanMcDonald-Part1.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 6:41pm NZDT

While preparing for this interview with Adam Miller, whom Richard Bushman described as "the most original and provocative Latter-day Saint theologian practicing today," I was delighted to have my paradigm yanked out from under me again and again to reveal a world much richer and more colorful than I had imagined. In covering his 'Rube Goldberg Machines,' and 'Letters to a Young Mormon,' we explore a range of topics like how to "care" for our bodies desires, the revelations of science, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, all in the context of something Adam Miller calls "grace" which is not what you think it is. Adam shows us a new way of seeing and living life using scripture and philosophy in a way that is surprisingly and profoundly useful.

Thanks to Adam Miller for being willing to give us this interview.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-040-AdamMiller-Part2.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 7:10pm NZDT

While preparing for this interview with Adam Miller, whom Richard Bushman described as "the most original and provocative Latter-day Saint theologian practicing today," I was delighted to have my paradigm yanked out from under me again and again to reveal a world much richer and more colorful than I had imagined. In covering his 'Rube Goldberg Machines,' and 'Letters to a Young Mormon,' we explore a range of topics like how to "care" for our bodies desires, the revelations of science, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, all in the context of something Adam Miller calls "grace" which is not what you think it is. Adam shows us a new way of seeing and living life using scripture and philosophy in a way that is surprisingly and profoundly useful.

Thanks to Adam Miller for being willing to give us this interview.
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-039-AdamMiller-Part1.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 7:07pm NZDT

We at A Thoughtful Faith are really proud to announce a new ATF project. This Saturday April 6th at 11:00pm MDT, we will launch the all new A Thoughtful Faith Blog. Since the beginning we have been extremely interested in supplementing the podcast with regular blog posts that support our message of thoughtful belief and participation in Mormonism.

Thanks to the efforts of our new blog manager Shan Rees Sullivan we now have an awesome group of contributors that will share their thoughts and perspectives under the Blog tab at AThoughtfulFaith.org.

In this recording, Micah and Sarah officially announce the launching of the blog, and Shan shares a little bit of her story and what her vision is for the blog. Thanks for listening and reading, and please join us for the launching of our blog this weekend!
Direct download: AThoughtfulFaith-Special001-Blog.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 6:06pm NZDT

1