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Mormon Awakenings: Episode 58: David, Goliath, and Luke Skywalker

Jack discusses the power of thought and belief, and how life might be different if either of those things were to change.

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11 thoughts on “Mormon Awakenings: Episode 58: David, Goliath, and Luke Skywalker”

  1. Yes it is working now –

    Your rant about the mormon name then stating it is a so called sin – what ever that means was numbing. We can recognize and state the Joe and brigham and other prophets made mistakes. We state the prophets are not perfect and are fallible – but we can point to specifics on current prophets. And in the event we might it is spoken like the prophet lost patience for a brief moment. Ridiculous. If the word mormon is so bad why was RN so quiet on it for his whole time in the Q12. Oh he spoke up in ’95 then was quickly shut down by Hinckley. If it is so inspired by god – why didn’t god do like abinidi or alma and send Russell back in to general conference to preach name of church repentance. Where was god or Russell during the I’m a Mormon Campaign? Or is this just a stupid pet peeve of RN and now that he is the owner of the basketball – its his rules – and he gets to be the beneficiary of zero checks and balances in the priesthood leadership of the church.

    1. You’re saying a lot here. Firstly, for the record, I’m not saying using the term “Mormon” or referring to church as “Mormon Church” is a sin–I was just reiterating Pres Nelson to make a point, that Pres Nelson clearly wants us to not use the term by his calling said use a sin. However, I do like being relieved of that label. It’s a label with a lot of baggage. One’s got to clean up and jettison what has a lot of baggage through one’s life, I think. So, getting rid of the term is a good move. Regarding checks and balances, I’m always reminded that the church is a voluntary institution. The greatest check is to stop volunteering.

      1. 1. Mormon. Baggage? I’m reminded of “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – – ” Mormon by any other name still has the same baggage.” What am I missing? Suddenly polygamy, and a hundred other issues jettison like baggage from 35,000 feet. [correction it was in 1990] Hinckley said mormon means more good. Remember he also quoted a poem:
        Father calls me William,
        Sister calls me Will,
        Mother calls me Willie,
        But the fellers call me Bill.
        Point is baggage is baggage and rebranding – via I’m a Mormon or I’m not a mormon anymore – is still an avoidance of that baggage. Its not healthy. Its certainly not healthy in person to person relationships – owning baggage is vulnerability and that is real power. I don’t think you need to change the name of your podcast. I think nelson is over stepping and wrong. I don’t think god is offended by a nickname. If he is that is pretty petty in a big big universe.

        2. I didn’t mean to be all over the map – checks and balances – not on direct topic – however by comparing it to a voluntary institution and the greatest check is to stop volunteering – that is a bit of a slight of hand taking a Macro issue to a micro involvement. D+C lays out the leadership arrangement of the church government as equal to each other. Bill Reel and RFM of this podcast have spoken on the matter in length but the current arrangement is no longer able to openly disagree with the head cheese. So whether or not the top brass are volunteers is not the question and the rank and file stop cleaning the building does nothing to speak to the absence of any checks and balance in mormonism.

        However – to your point of stop volunteering – is that really the greatest? Is that really the healthiest for the institution? Would that work in in a marriage?

  2. Jack – let me add welcome to utah. I hope you like it here. If you ever want to grab lunch and chat – I’m game. I hope I haven’t ruffled feathers too much. Thank you,

  3. Enjoyed your podcast, don’t know much about you…are you a former member trying to convince yourself and others you made the right choice …or an active member with a forum? The fact I have to ask is a complement. We need more thoughtful discussion that isn’t slanted one way or another.

    1. I’ll take it as one. But, very active. Not so sure about any forum. Just blathering away in my office from time to time.

  4. So if we’re going to drop the name, “Book of Mormon” — how about “History of North American peoples” by rigdon, smith and cowdery???

  5. This podcast ought to stay called Mormon Awakenings. I for one like to wrestle with the baggage, I think carrying its load makes us stronger.

    I hate the fact that when I say I’m a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all I get is deer in the headlight blank stares. The point of a name is to be identified as a group of people not remaining anonymous as if we ought to be ashamed of our history. It’s a helluva history, it’s one worth mentioning and talking about openly.

    I wish we had more transparency with our history, and I think knowing the truth about our history is truly liberating as in the truth will make you free. What we do with that freedom then becomes our real choice in life, before that… you really don’t have a choice.

    In an odd type of way, one of our biggest awakenings comes when we realize that one of our Goliath’s is the church. Once we overcome that hurdle the life of David awaits us.

    1. You say a lot here. The name does convey certain things to other people. But it also limits us to those things if we aren’t careful. Are we more than what people in the past using the same name have done. I hope so.

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