At Last She Said It

What Do You Say? That's what Susan and Cynthia ask Pat, Melinda, and Jere In Episode 279. It's a conversation about everything, inspired by 3 Latter-day Saint women's answers to a handful of randomly picked questions exploring their memories, insights, and beliefs.

What about heaven? It's a broad word with which everyone has personal associations. Ask people what 'heaven' is to them, and you might hear about anything from walking on a beach to time spent with family to a rainy day with a good book. But The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has specific doctrine detailing what happens after earth life. Many—but not all—members find comfort and answers to their questions in Church teachings about how heaven is organized, how and by whom we are judged, who we'll spend eternity with, and how we can qualify for exaltation by keeping covenants now. In Episode 278, Cynthia and Susan discuss voicemails from ALSSI listeners sharing personal questions, ideas, hopes and beliefs about what comes next.

Is there a link between "being good" and "being happy?" Author Natalie Brown writes that for Latter-day Saints, "Again and again, happiness is scripted as the result of making the right choices, keeping the commandments, or following the proper path." In Episode 277, Natalie joins Susan and Cynthia for a conversation about happiness: what that word might mean (or not), what we're taught about where and how to find it, and trusting ourselves to pursue happiness in our own ways and places. Natalie asks, "How do we find the courage to make visible our own desires and claim our spiritual authority in a culture that has so many techniques for discouraging yearnings that fall outside the sanctioned formulas for happiness?"

If faith is a moving thing, that implies change. To say you're on a journey means you're actively engaged in going somewhere. In the ALSSI community, the word faith often gets paired with the word journey, but also with deconstruction, shift, or transition. None of us are standing still, but it can feel frustrating or even lonely when we're each moving at our own pace. Fueled by recent conversations with listeners, Episode 276 is a check-in with Cynthia and Susan: an honest look at where we've been, where we are, how we've gotten here, and where we want to go.

What feels safe to say? It's a question many Latter-day Saint women weigh before speaking up. Some don't feel at liberty to say what they really think in certain settings or relationships. Some may speak up confidently for other people but struggle to champion their own needs, values, or convictions. Some self-edit to avoid being seen as difficult, selfish, contentious, negative, ungrateful, or just "too much." In Episode 275, Susan and Cynthia are joined by coach Sara Fisk to talk about how women can develop the skills to say what they need to say and help create change: at church, at home, and in personal relationships.

It's a commonly stated idea that politics and religion don't mix, but for many Latter-day Saints it seems there's no separating the two. And this fuzzy boundary extends beyond the opinions and practices of individual members: While claiming neutrality regarding political parties and candidates, Church leadership sometimes officially "addresses issues it believes to have significant moral consequences." In Episode 274, Cynthia and Susan dip a conversational toe in this charged topic—at last!—with political junkie (and ALSSI team member) Sarah Morse. Grab your popcorn and your ballot ... but also your curiosity, imagination, and personal authority. Let's talk politics!

In Episode 273, Susan and Cynthia ask Mary, Laura, and Evann, What Do You Say? It's Season 12's first installment of ALSSI's series of conversations with Latter-day Saint women inspired by their answers to questions in 3 categories: memories, insights, and beliefs.

Dr. Jana Riess of Religion News Service published an article recently asking, "Why are young women leaving Mormonism?" It's a great question, and one we could ask about every age group of Latter-day Saint women. Some answers seem very obvious; some may be harder to pin down. So how many women are actually leaving, and might institutional and/or cultural changes reverse the trend? In Episode 272, Jana joins Cynthia and Susan for a conversation about women and church, touching on 3 potential "P" (problem) areas: politics, purity culture, and powerlessness.

Do Latter-day Saints believe our own stuff about faith? How does it differ from all the other words we sometimes get it tangled up with? What role is it meant to play in our lives and discipleship? Where and how might it intersect with love? In Episode 271, Susan and Cynthia are back for ALSSI Season 12 with a conversation exploring one of the biggest ideas in Christianity: Faith.

What do women do with Christianity? While some experiences may be specific to Latter-day Saints, when we talk to women in other churches we find a surprisingly big overlap: our sisters from other denominations describe so many common themes and similar challenges in their institutional religious experiences and personal spiritual lives. In Episode 270, Cynthia and Susan welcome Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher, Dean of Core Faculty at the Center for Action and Contemplation, for a conversation about women and Christianity. Don't let the "bonus" in the title fool you—this one's a don't miss!