481: Mental and Spiritual Gymnastics: Might Something Else Be Going On?, Part 1

We all have different temperaments, and there are many combinations of elements that affect our spiritual journeys—including how recently we’ve entered into a time of questioning our original assumptions about life, church, and our souls. Because of this, a fairly common theme that arises in Mormon discussions is how it seems to some as if those who are making peace with Mormon life and its teachings and various elements of LDS culture that want to limit spiritual exploration must be doing everything possible to force new ideas into old containers, to redefine words and concepts in a way that almost completely changes their meaning. In short, the critique is that those who claim there is roominess in Mormonism for active, engaged, and fulfilling spiritual lives must be doing mental and spiritual gymnastics, must be contorting themselves and jamming their ideas into very small spaces. And this is often coupled with a suggestion (most often implied but sometimes explicit) that they are deceiving themselves or are spending the energy they do in this way because of fear or some other motive that is less than fully transparent. But is this accurate? In some cases, sure. And in many, this may be a fairly accurate description of an early stage in their journey. For most who have God- and Mormon-wrestled and emerged from the efforts expended in that kind of soul work, however, it has felt like anything but spiritual gymnastics/contortionism. It has felt like natural growth, very much akin to the other aspects of life in which they have moved from one place of understanding to another. In order to illustrate this (and as an attempt to go in depth in order to illustrate this more complete reordering that has felt to them like very worthy efforts), this episode features two wonderful and insightful panelists, Ian Thomson and Chris Kimball, in conversation with Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon about these claims of forcing a fit into a strict gospel message and culture or nuancing “truth” and certain concepts so completely that they now actually don’t mean much of anything. All three share elements of their own journey toward peace within the religion that nurtured them, even as it certainly still tests their patience and forces them to learn things about love and relationships and goodness and compassion that aren’t always enjoyable in the short-term. The challenge this episode presents is for listeners to hear for themselves and decide if, indeed, these discussants are deceived about the reasons for their continued engagement and stand on very insubstantial ground in their thought and practices, or if they represent an attractive, a-bit-down-the-pathway position that has its own integrity and ability to create a fulfilled life and peace of soul.