Dan Wotherspoon
FRIDAY | MAY 17, 2019 | 7:30-9:30 pm
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is experiencing a huge paradigm shift, whether it fully wants to or not. We have a pivotal role to play in helping ease the path into the new understandings and approaches it must embrace.
GATHERING AT:
Home of Ed and Kristen Iversen
3582 Oak Rim Way Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Please don’t arrive more than 20 minutes early. Thank you.
If there is no parking to be found near the home you can also park in the “park & ride” lot on the NW corner of 3900 South and Wasatch Blvd. Oak Rim Way is just east of the intersection on the north side.
You’re invited to bring some finger food to share.
THE DISCUSSION:
Most of us are very likely familiar with the term “paradigm” as referring to a way of thinking about the world in general or within various disciplines, such as science, psychology, nutrition and physical health, education, child rearing, and much more. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, well know that paradigms are also alive and influential within religions (determining a group’s theology, practices, authoritative structures, communal norms, etc.). During our evening together, Dan will present evidences and reasoning that he believes show that we in Mormonism are hearing the last gasps of a dying paradigm. One that includes (1) over-reliance on “what we already know”; (2) definitions of faith and testimony that primarily focus on “certainty” about particular beliefs regarding God, the Restoration, and this particular church; and (3) following church leaders and programs as sure guides for “qualifying” to have access to the Atonement and its “effects,” and being “safely and securely” on the path to the celestial kingdom.
Even as we as a church very much still hear, and most Latter-day Saints in our local communities espouse, the paradigm above, Dan believes we are also witnessing hints of a new one trying to emerge. We notice it in some of the new church programs and the stated reasoning behind them. We see it in broader gospel and outward-looking emphases in certain talks by general leaders. And in settings such as Faith Again and all the Facebook groups, blogs, and organizations that raise awareness and interest in groups like it, we see and also hear experiences of success and feelings of renewed connection within our wards and other Mormon circles as we and others are sharing more authentically about our individual faith journeys—including struggles with teachings or particular counsel, church rituals, practices, “Do this, receive that” formulas, and more, as well as about fresh, exciting, and healthy perspectives someone has gained by approaching God and other things in new ways.
Dan will present for about thirty minutes his basic thesis and arguments about this time of shifting, and then we will have a wonderful discussion about not only the framing he shared, but also the role we all can play in helping establish this new, more open, authentic, and spirituality focused paradigm. Come ready with your hopes, dreams, and ideas!
As with all of our gatherings, there is no pressure to share in the large group or if and when we break into small groups. But what makes Faith Again and Think Again work so well is not just who presents but who is present, prepared, and willing to share. For guidance in having productive conversations please read the intentions page.
ABOUT DAN WOTHERSPOON:
Dan Wotherspoon has for a long time been a public voice in the Mormon community through his leadership of Sunstone from 2001 to 2008 and his podcasting as the host of Mormon Matters for eight years, and now his new show and blog, Latter-day Faith. His strong background in religion and theology, as well as his long-time in faith journeys and individual and communal spirituality, have coalesced in such a way within his own life that he remains committed to remaining actively engaged within the church and optimistic about its future as it (leaders and us members) negotiates how to preserve and honor its past while seeking to meet the needs of this evolving new world.
