As we seek truth, we are asked to harmonize seeming paradoxes: balance the mind and the heart; learn by study and faith; be in the world but not of the world. How do we do this? In this episode, Dr. Casey Griffiths introduces us to the fascinating life of a scientist, educator, and apostle who exemplified this approach—Joseph F. Merrill—and why his work continues to influence Church members today.  

Episode 71: Joseph Merrill, Truth Seeker (Casey Griffiths)

Each year, religion professors at Brigham Young University (BYU) produce hundreds of publications on subjects related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This podcast brings this research into one place to enlighten the everyday seeker of truth. Interviewing the author, we discuss why the study was done, why it matters, and why the professor chooses to be both a scholar, and a disciple.  This is Y Religion.

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According to a 2023 U.S. News & World Report, Utah’s economy continuously ranks first across all 50 states. Experts have even deemed the state’s noteworthy economic growth, strong business climates, and high rates of economic mobility a miracle. But what are the major contributing factors for this “Utah economic miracle”? In this episode Dr. Jenet Erickson, associate professor in the Department of Church History and Doctrine, and Dr. Jason Carroll, family initiative director of the Wheatly Institute and a professor in the School of Family Life, discuss one of the strongest predictors of state economic success: strong families. In examining the “Utah family miracle,” they detail the foundation of strong, resilient relationships and highlight which factors make relationships more fragile. They emphasize how the blessings of religion help us develop the characteristics and virtues to strengthen relationships and marriages.    Click here to learn more about Jenet Erickson and  here to learn more about Jason Carroll   Jenet Erickson Publications:  ·      “The Utah Family Miracle: Five Policy Ideas to Keep Utah Families Strong and Stable” (Sutherland Institute & Institute for Family Studies Policy Publication, 2023)  ·      “The Complementary Nature of Mothers and Fathers” (Y Religion, episode 48, year)  ·      “Motherhood: Restoring Clarity and Vision in a World of Confusing Messages” (in By Divine Design, Religious Studies Center, 2014)  ·      “Homeward Bound: The Work-Family Resent in Post-Covid America” (Institute for Family Studies, 2021)   Jason Carroll Publications  ·       “The Soulmate Trap: Why Embracing Agency-Based Love is the Surest Path to Creating a Flourishing Marriage” (Wheatley Institute, 2024)  ·       “A Not-So-Good Faith Estimate: Why Many Studies Underestimate the Full Benefits of Religion” (Wheatley Institute, 2022)  ·       “A True Temple Marriage” (BYU-Idaho Devotional, BYU-Idaho Speeches, 19 March 2024)  ·       The Marriage Compass (BYU Academic Publishing, 2018)

Episode 102: Strengthening Marriage (Jenet Erickson and Jason Carroll)

The word anxiety (or anxious) is used nine times in the Book of Mormon, and it appears in both positive and negative forms. In the positive form it refers to something more akin to “eagerness” (see Mosiah 29:38 and 3 Nephi 3:3), whereas the negative refers more to “uncertainty” or “troubling fear” (see 2 Nephi 1:16 and Mosiah 28:12). Of the seven negative references, four are penned by the prophet Jacob, including one in which he couples “great anxiety” with the counterbalancing attribute of “faith” (see Jacob 1:5). In this episode Dr. Jared Halverson, associate professor of ancient scripture, discusses the mental, emotional, and spiritual issues related to anxiety as explained in the life and teachings of Jacob. Professor Halverson closely examines Jacob’s writings on the anxiety born of adversity (trauma), anxiety due to responsibility (pastoral perfectionism), and anxiety over one’s standing before God (scrupulosity). In analyzing Jacob’s words, we can find counsel and compassion, whether we struggle with anxiety or are anxious to support those who do.   Click  here to learn more about Jared Halverson   Publications:  ·      “‘Because of Faith and Great Anxiety’: Jacob and the Challenges of Mental Health” (in Jacob: Faith and Great Anxiety, Religious Studies Center, 2024)  ·      “Protecting Our Strengths: Alma’s Counsel to Shiblon” (in Book of Mormon Insights: Letting God Prevail in Your Life, Religious Studies Center, 2024)  ·      “The Way, the Truth, and the Way to Truth: Harmony in Pursuit of Orthodoxy” (in I Glory in My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon, Religious Studies Center, 2024)  ·      “Swine’s Blood and Broken Serpents: The Rejection and Rehabilitation of Worship in the Old Testament” (in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2013)  ·      “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision as Apocalyptic Literature” (in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision, Religious Studies Center, 2011)  ·      “Of Soils and Souls: The Parable of the Sower” (in Religious Educator, 9.3, 2008)

Episode 101: Jacob and Mental Health (Jared Halverson)

As we prepare for the Easter season and celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we often sing the hymn “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.” But what if we temporarily shift our focus from rejoicing that the Redeemer lives to rejoicing in how he lived for us? In this episode Professor Tyler J. Griffin, associate dean of Religious Education, discusses his article “I Know That My Redeemer Lived” from The Power of Christ’s Deliverance. He emphasizes how everything the Savior did and said in his day-to-day life was focused on helping others and doing God’s will. In recounting Christ’s service and miracles, trials and tribulations, and Crucifixion and Resurrection, Professor Griffin illustrates how the Savior chose to live each day for us. Ultimately, knowing how Christ lived for us can empower us to emulate his example and become more like him.   Click  here to learn more about Tyler J. Griffin   Publications:  ·      “I Know That My Redeemer Lived” (in The Power of Christ’s Deliverance, Religious Studies Center, 2022)  ·      “Matthew’s Portrayal of Jesus: Son of David, a New Moses, and Son of God” (in The Person and Work of Jesus in the New Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2018)  ·      “The Great Plan of Happiness: A Christ-Centered Visual Approach” (Religious Educator, 18.1, 2017)  ·      “Nephi: An Ideal Teacher of Less-Than-Ideal Students” (Religious Educator, 13.2, 2012)  ·      “Jerusalem, the Holy City: A Virtual Tour of the City in the New Testament Period” (in New Testament History, Culture, and Society: A Background to the Texts of the New Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2019)  ·      “Visualizing the People, Places, and Plates of the Book of Mormon” (BYU Religious Education Review, Fall 2019)  ·      “The Jaredite Journey: A Symbolic Reflection of Our Own Journey along the Covenant Path” (in Illuminating the Jaredite Records, Religious Studies Center, 2020)

Episode 100: I Know That My Redeemer Lived (Tyler J. Griffin)

In John 11:35 we learn that “Jesus wept” with Mary and Martha as they mourned the loss of their brother Lazarus. Like the Savior, we too might experience “the sting of death” (Mosiah 16:7-8) as we bereave our loved ones. In this episode, Professor Hank R. Smith, associate teaching professor of ancient scripture, discusses his article “Mourning with Hope” from the anthology Learn of Me: History and Teachings of the New Testament. He examines how we can mourn with hope as we navigate the sorrows of death and exercise faith and hope in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.   Click  here to learn more about Hank R. Smith   Publications:  ·      “Mourning with Hope” (in Learn of Me: History and Teachings of the New Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2022)  ·      followHIM Podcast  ·      “The Role of Trust in Religious Education” (Religious Educator, 14.2, 2013)  ·      “Cache Cave: Utah’s First Register” (in Far Away in the West: Reflections on the Mormon Pioneer Trail, Religious Studies Center, 2015)

Episode 99: Mourning with Hope (Hank R. Smith)

 Some 150 voices unite in the Book of Mormon to provide a clear witness of the Savior Jesus Christ. What insights might we gain from examining their distinctive voices? And what meaning can studying unique voices of the past lend to our lives today? In this episode BYU professor of Ancient Scripture John Hilton III answers such questions in discussing his recent book Voices in the Book of Mormon—Discovering Distinctive Witnesses of Jesus Christ. Dr. Hilton details some of the linguistic characteristics of major speakers, from Nephi and Mormon to Jacob and Jesus Christ. He also explains how voices speak in harmony, especially as later prophets use teachings from their predecessors. Finally, Dr. Hilton asks us to consider applying Elder Boyd K. Packer’s question, “therefore, what?” as we examine who is speaking, to whom, and for what purpose, and how such unique voices might teach principles relevant to our lives.    Publications:  Voices in the Book of Mormon—Discovering Distinctive Witnesses of Jesus Christ (Religious Studies Center, 2024) “Textual Similarities in the World of Abinadi and Alma’s Counsel to Corianton” (BYU Studies Quarterly, 51.2, 2012) “Samuel and His Nephite Sources” (BYU Studies Quarterly, 56.3, 2017) “Remembering Christ’s Blood Which Was Shed” (Religious Educator, 23.3, 2022) “The Isaiah Map: An Approach to Teaching Isaiah” (Religious Educator, 21.1, 2020) “Abinadi’s Legacy: Tracing His Influence through the Book of Mormon” (in Abinadi, Religious Studies Center, 2018)    Click here to learn more about John Hilton III

Episode 71: Joseph Merrill, Truth Seeker (Casey Griffiths)

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