Mar 10, 2020
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recently
released policies (and made policy reversals) regarding LGBTQ+
persons that have brought on protests, with activists staging
events on the Brigham Young University campus, near the Church
Office Building in downtown Salt Lake City, as well as across from
the LDS temple in New York City. And there are no signs that these
gatherings and expressions of grief and disagreement will die down
anytime soon. In the midst of these troubled times, we at
Latter-day Faith have decided to add to the mix some thoughts on
activism, its role and place within the ongoing Restoration, in
spiritual journeying writ large, as well as about the spirituality
that is inherent in and available to those who find themselves
called to make their voice heard in the public arena.
In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan
Wotherspoon discusses with his friend, a well-known and
powerful activist on LGBTQ+ issues, Jody England
Hansen, about her journey to arrive at a point in her life
and spiritual development that she can sustain a life of active
involvement in social issues that are in service of those who are
being harmed by various societal and cultural practices being able
to make themselves and their pain more visible in ways that might
lead to positive changes. In all of this, Jody recognizes how her
choosing to engage in these ways is sustained by her understanding
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, many teachings of the Restoration,
and especially through her inner work with herself and the Divine.
What perspectives assist her the most? How have they come to be
part of the very fiber of her being and to be understood as vital
spiritual practices? What cautions does she have for activists that
might help keep them from demonizing those persons and situations
against which they are fighting? How might we all draw from her
many decades of practice and hard-fought wisdom keys to allowing
ourselves to hear the Divine call to grow, expand, and be God’s
hands and mouthpieces when we are prompted?
Jody is powerful, articulate, and clearly grounded in Spirit when sharing about these things. Please listen in on this conversation. This is one of the most powerful LDF episodes to date!