A Faith that Feeds—on My Terms
My Mormon faith was a check-list, an external prescription. No one ever said I could construct my own faith that fed me—a self-prescription.
This is the fifth in a series of critical reflections on LDS theology as I navigate my shifting faith.
I offer my thoughts not as an act of retaliation, rebellion or disparagement, but as contributions to the growing community of Mormon thinkers who want the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the best version of itself.
Previous: Suspending the Need for Truth
A Podcast Epiphany
A few months ago — right in the thick of my messy Mormon faith deconstruction—I came across Gina Colvin’s brilliant A Thoughtful Faith podcast (which I eagerly recommend (Apple, Stitcher)). I’d gone back a year or so into the archives and was listening to Colvin’s discussion (episode 266a) with social worker Sara Hughes-Zabawa about Stage 4 of James Fowler’s Stages of Faith.
Stage 4 (which Fowler terms the ‘individuative-reflective stage’) is a normal period of psychological development at which people start to question and critically reflect on their faith. In orthodox faith traditions, this is often experienced negatively as a faith…
