Michael Austin

THUR, MAR 3, 2022   |  7:30-9:00 pm MST

Explore why some choose to remain involved in a Church, even when it conflicts at times with their own moral compass. This will be framed within the philosophical concept of eudaimonia, or “the good life.”

GATHERING VIA ZOOM

Thanks to Jana Spangler for continuing to host us via Zoom. Below is some helpful info for being part of a Zoom convo. Also below is the Zoom link. This is an open group. You are welcome to invite and share with others. If you are not on my email list then either join at the bottom of this site’s home page or text or call me at 801-695-5036.

THE CONVERSATION:

Thoughtful religious belief is hard, and it can become much harder when religious organizations emphasize obedience and loyalty over free expression, inclusion, and acceptance. Over the past few years, many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have left the Church as its positions on women’s and LGBTQ have become more at odds with their own understanding of inclusion and compassion. Past and current racism within the church also causes angst. Others struggle with the strong support of church leaders for COVID vaccinations. Many who remain wonder how much longer we can remain in an organization whose pronouncements on moral issues sometimes seem so at odds with our own moral lights.

In this session, we will discuss the reasons that one might want to remain part of a religious organization in spite of serious disagreements on important issues. A key to this discussion will be an examination of the role of religion in the phenomenon that Aristotle called eudaimonia, which has been translated variously as “happiness,” “flourishing,” “living well,” or “the good life.” Research suggests that religion can contribute to human flourishing in unique ways. Humans seem hardwired to believe in transcendence, or in forces larger than themselves that give structure and meaning to the universe. And human communities can only develop into complex societies when people understand the imperative of altruistic behavior and reciprocity. These two principles—transcendence and reciprocity—are found in nearly every human religion. In Christianity, they take the form of the two great commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind . . . [and] thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

ABOUT MICHAEL

Michael Austin received his BA and MA in English from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. in English from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has taught English and World Literature and composition at several different universities, and he is currently the Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. He has written and published widely on Mormon literature and Mormon scriptures, including Rereading Job (Kofford, 2014) and Buried Treasures: Reading the Book of Mormon Again for the First Time (BCC Press, 2020), both of which won the Association for Mormon Letters Award for Religious Nonfiction. Much of the research presented in this discussion comes from his first book, Useful Fictions: Evolution, Anxiety, and the Origins of Literature (University of Nebraska Press, 2010), which argues that imaginative literature developed in all human societies because the utility of narratives does not depend on their accuracy or truth value.

Photo taken under the apple tree at Isaac Newton’s house near Grantham, England

EXPLORE BEFORE WE MEET:

• The Mormon Church and the Language of My Faith, Michael Austin, Dialogue
  Austin-Language of My Faith

From Jay:

• What is Eudaimonia? Aristotle and Eudaimonic Well-Being, Positive Psychology
• Why the Church is as True as the Gospel

LISTEN TO THE RECORDED ZOOM CONVERSATION

• Click on the Zoom link above.
• When you are connected you will either be waiting in a lobby and will let be in shortly or you will immediately be able to see other participants. Please make sure that you muted and that your video is on if you choose to have it on. (Love to see and hear you live, but we’ll take curious lurkers also.)
• If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. Also, make sure you have your volume up.

ZOOM ETIQUETTE: 

• Please mute your microphone before entering and when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else.
• Rather than have the whole group watch you try to get your camera or screen positioned, or play with funky green screen backgrounds, feel free to get that figured out prior to when we meet.
• Resist the urge to multitask—be with us fully if at all possible. But we’ll be grateful for whatever presence you are able to offer. Just knowing you are there is nice.
• If you are going to multitask, or wander around a lot, please turn off your video and make sure you are muted. No one wants to be distracted by you eating or using the loo.
• If you are having difficulty with the technology, don’t hold up the meeting by distracting other participants for solutions. Try Googling your problem. I do that with most of life’s problems.
• Speaking of distractions—just as when we used to meet in person in the good old days, let’s be cautious about using the chat for side conversations that may distract others. You can always ask for people’s contact info and continue your conversation—I’d love that to happen. Or, let me know, and I’ll do my darndest to give you a chance to share to the group.
• Please share air time and follow the guidelines under “Intentions” on this website.