A Thoughtful Faith - Mormon / LDS

Craig Vernon has represented clients in several high profile church and clergy perpetrated sexual abuse cases including cases involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Litigating cases against the LDS Church shows them to be formidable adversaries who are motivated to win at all costs - after all - they are defending the Kingdom of God.

But, what puzzles Craig, like so many other others, is where is the pastoral care for the victims of LDS church and clergy related sexual abuse?  

Why is the defence of the institution more important that care of the abused?

And, why do the LDS Church's public statements about their zero-tolerance for sexual abuse not square with how they handle sexual abuse cases involving their own members?

Direct download: Craig_Vernon_final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:50pm NZDT

We shouldn't be more worried about Faith Crisis than we are about our response to it.  A poor response to faith crisis can cause spiritual havoc and immense emotional damage.

From our LDS cousins (who have had their own institutional journey of deconstruction and reconstruction in the LDS Restoration movement) Community of Christ Spiritual Formation specialist Katie Harmon-McClaughlin discusses the important work of reconstruction and spiritual formation after a faith and belief deconstruction.

Katie discusses  Community of Christ's pastoral approach that supports the process of questioning rather than makes a sin of doubt.  This is essential listening particularly for those in the LDS Tradition who are looking for a pastoral response that doesn't make doubt a reason for exclusion or an issue of worthiness.

 

Direct download: katie_Harmon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:36pm NZDT

David Hayward is popularly known by his cartoons, his blog, and his books as The NakedPastor.

He started his ministry as a seminarian, an ordained minister and a pastor. But when David began to experience his own faith changes, complicating his relationship with the church, he walked away from full-time ministry and began his work as a 'graffiti artist on the walls of religion.'  

And for many years he his drawn his way through his own difficult relationship with the church that he both loves and laments.

Direct download: Naked_Pastor.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:35pm NZDT

When Maxine Hanks returned to the LDS Church after being excommunicated with the September 6 in 1993, she returned to the LDS Church having taken a spiritual formation pathway in the Gnostic tradition.  One of her great passions upon her return to Mormonism has been to surface the LDS Church's own spiritual formation pathway.

In this discussion, we consider the Liturgical Calendar, so important to the sacramental traditions.  We consider what the 'church year' from Advent to Pentecost, can offer us in helping us live more intuitively into the story of Jesus Christ and thus more kindly attend to our personal spiritual journeys.

Direct download: Maxine_Hanks_Epiphany_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:25pm NZDT

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