Episode 121: From Cynicism, Through Grief, Towards Radical Growth

Join Val as she breaks down a thought provoking idea about the pull of cynicism as a natural emotional component of Christian faith evolution. She explores a beautiful and thought provoking quote by the late Rachel Held Evans from her book Searching for Sundays.

Highlights of this episode:

Cynicism is a protective emotion often experienced to manage legitimate emotions such as betrayed trust, grief, anger, and disorientation.

Grief and disorientation in LDS (and other Christian) faith crisis/expansion experiences are often directly correlated to one’s former “all in” status and [over] commitment to the promises made by the institution

Recovering from cynicism and moving into a psychological space of faith expansion and spiritual peace cannot be forced

Psychological and spiritual growth embodies an eventual paradigm shift in relationship to the institution, complete with a realization that no institution could (nor should) do for us what it claimed it could (and should) do to bring us truly into contact with our most whole selves and our creators.

As we grieve the former paradigm (and any harm done by it)and embrace our life’s experiences as platforms for deepening discernment, wrestle, and the opportunity to seize personal authority for ourselves, we can see these institutions as paradoxically instrumental in our processes of truly growing up and deciding what to accept, reject, and reconcile for ourselves.

Book referenced in this episode: 

Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church, by Rachel Held Evans

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