Apr 14, 2020
It is easy to say we “belong” to a group, even a church or a
religious tradition, but what does that really mean? How many times
have we said or thought to ourselves, “Sure, I belong,” but yet
we’ve still kept one foot pointing toward the door in case this
belonging thing starts getting really difficult? In this
Latter-day Faith podcast episode, host Dan
Wotherspoon welcomes his longtime friend Jana
Riess whose wonderful writing and voice of reason has led
her to become an insightful and impactful Mormon author, editor,
and blogger, to talk with him about what it can mean to “belong” to
a community of faith. And especially when we are disappointed in
important aspects of it.
Jana and Dan take as their jumping off point the reaction they and
many others within LDS online conversation circles had to the most
recent LDS General Conference, which was a sense of feeling let
down. Though very little that happened at conference was acutely
painful for sensitive listeners, the fact that it came and went
without really addressing (with very few exceptions) what is
happening in the world today vis a vis the novel coronavirus and
Covid-19 led many to feel greatly disappointed. Many who watched
and listened carefully experienced sadness over opportunities
missed and frustration about organizational and correlation
processes that, even if it wanted to, likely hindered the church’s
ability to pivot from such a heavy emphasis on the First Vision
anniversary so as to make room for announcements and at least
several addresses focused more on the specific physical, mental,
and spiritual needs of today.
It is within this context of sadness, disappointment, and
frustration that Jana and Dan jump into the importance of
“belonging,” even when it’s not easy. They share their own
experiences along the way that led them each to firmly decide to
“belong” to this church—as a community, and even an organization
whose leadership and fellow-member stances at times leaves them
feeling alienated. How do they face situations that require them as
“full belongers” to welcome the difficult along with the wonderful?
What kind of spiritual gifts can flow from this kind of stance?
In the final section of the conversation (that is actually more
monologue--sorry!), Dan takes the conversation about belonging into
more esoteric territory, at times confusing Jana (and, we’re sure,
some listeners!). His reasons for doing this was driven by his
reactions to conference, his meditations during Holy Week and
Easter, as well as about Passover and how stories shape individuals
into a “people.” His week had been dominated by insights and
working with the difficult spiritual notion of accepting
"accountability" for not only our personal, but also our
community’s sins and failures.
As a guide for his reflections, he took a Speaking of
Faith podcast he’d long held in high esteem that features
Krista Tippett’s interviewing Rabbi Sharon Brous about Judaism’s
High Holy Days, and especially Yom Kippur, the “Day of
Atonement,” which follows ten “Days of Awe” kicked off by Rosh
Hashanah. In sharing about his experiences, he tries to
describe a kind of ownership of all of Mormonism he experienced
that deepened his sense of belonging to this tradition, its
history, its journey full of high- and low-points, and the mix of
such things playing out in full force today. Finally, he shares how
in these experiences he gained a possible glimpse of something that
helped begin to make sense for him what Jesus might have been
experiencing as he took upon him the sins of all.
There is much to chew on in this episode! If you can’t fully follow
it’s move into spiritual and still-being-worked out sensibilities,
you won’t be alone, and for that we also apologize! Perhaps even
just a glimmer of what comes at the end will mean something for
you.