Exploring Mormon Thought

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Exploring Mormon Thought is a weekly podcast that features discussions about Mormon Doctrine and Theology that correlate with topics in the books series of the same name written by scholar and theologian Blake Ostler

Exploring Mormon Thought

  • Nov 5, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
  • monthly NEW EPISODES
  • 54m AVG DURATION
  • 101 EPISODES


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Latest episodes from Exploring Mormon Thought

098-Interview with Blake Ostler on God's Plan to Heal Evil

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2020 63:26


Interview with Blake Ostler about Vol. 4 of Exploring Mormon Thought AVAILABLE NOW—Exploring Mormon Thought, Vol 4: God's Plan to Heal Evil Now available for order from Greg Kofford Books: https://gregkofford.com/products/emt4

097-Questions & Answers for God Can't with Thomas Jay Oord

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2020 126:44


I am pleased to welcome back Thomas Jay Oord to the podcast. His new book 'Questions & Answers for God Can't' answers many questions that naturally follow from the ideas he presented in his previous work 'God Can't' In his best-selling book, God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love After Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils, Thomas Jay Oord solves the problem of suffering. Oord offers five aspects of a real answer to why a loving God doesn't prevent pointless pain. The most helpful: God can't stop evil singlehandedly. In this follow-up, Oord answers questions God Can't readers asked about his ground-breaking proposals. The answers are in this book, and they solve age-old conundrums. https://www.amazon.com/Questions-Answers-Cant-Thomas-Oord-ebook/dp/B087CBY4NW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Previous episodes on this topic: http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2019/01/069-god-cant-thomas-jay-oord.html http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2019/03/ep74-conspiring-prayer-with-mark-karris.html Show Notes: http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2020/08/ep97-questions-answers-for-god-cant.html

096-The Mind Body Problem and Mormonism

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2020 60:29


Links: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02536/full https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmTFdCYALgY http://mormonpuzzlepieces.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-mind-body-problem-consciousness-and.html https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/benefit-of-mormon-solution-to-the-mind-body-problem-over-the-concept-of-dualism-epiphenomenology-behaviorism-and-identity/

095-Heavenly Mother (Part 3)

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2019 39:54


095-Heavenly Mother (Part 3) by Exploring Mormon Thought

094-Heavenly Mother (Part 2)

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2019 63:24


094-Heavenly Mother (Part 2) by Exploring Mormon Thought

093-Heavenly Mother (Part 1)

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2019 27:35


093-Heavenly Mother (Part 1) by Exploring Mormon Thought

092-Did Joseph Smith Teach Spirit Birth?-Intelligence, Spirit & Heavenly Mother

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2019 57:14


Did Joseph Smith teach spirit birth? He says no: http://signaturebookslibrary.org/line-upon-line-11/ He says yes (well, he really says 'maybe'): Go down to the article ‘A CONTINUATION OF THE SEEDS”: JOSEPH SMITH AND SPIRIT BIRTH Brian C. Hales* https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=mormonhistory The Idea of Pre-existence in the Development of Mormon Thought: (audio and a link to the paper): http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/11/the-idea-of-pre-existence-in.html

Ep91-Sacramental Re-member-ing as At-one-ment-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 17

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2019 19:52


Ep91-Sacramental Re-member-ing as At-one-ment-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 17 by Exploring Mormon Thought

090-The Atonement Heals the Broken Heart-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 16

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2019 25:28


090-The Atonement Heals the Broken Heart-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 16 by Exploring Mormon Thought

089-The Poison of Sin and Atonement-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 15

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2019 16:19


089-The Poison of Sin and Atonement-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 15 by Exploring Mormon Thought

088-The Mirror of Judgement-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 14

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2019 24:01


088-The Mirror of Judgement-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 14 by Exploring Mormon Thought

087-Original Sin and the Human Condition-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 13

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2019 31:02


087-Original Sin and the Human Condition-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 13 by Exploring Mormon Thought

086-The Nature of Being in the World-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 12

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2019 33:56


086-The Nature of Being in the World-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 12 by Exploring Mormon Thought

085-Ways of Being in the World-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 11

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2019 30:05


085-Ways of Being in the World-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 11 by Exploring Mormon Thought

084-The Fruit of Our Mortal Lives-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 10

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2019 13:33


084-The Fruit of Our Mortal Lives-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 10 by Exploring Mormon Thought

083-The Cherubim's Sword-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 9

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2019 22:47


083-The Cherubim's Sword-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 9 by Exploring Mormon Thought

082-We Are All Adam & Eve-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 8

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2019 35:53


082-We Are All Adam & Eve-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 8 by Exploring Mormon Thought

081-Human Sacrifice, Plural Marriage and the I-Thou Relation-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 7

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2019 36:10


081-Human Sacrifice, Plural Marriage and the I-Thou Relation-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 7 by Exploring Mormon Thought

080-Zion as the Sacred Society Reflecting Divine Love-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 6

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2019 26:40


080-Zion as the Sacred Society Reflecting Divine Love-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 6 by Exploring Mormon Thought

Ep79-The Peer Relationship as Christology-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 5

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2019 27:29


Ep79-The Peer Relationship as Christology-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 5 by Exploring Mormon Thought

078-The Divine Risk of Love-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 4

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2019 22:58


078-The Divine Risk of Love-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 4 by Exploring Mormon Thought

077-The Language of Ritual Viewed From Within-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 3

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2019 26:07


077-The Language of Ritual Viewed From Within-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 3 by Exploring Mormon Thought

076-An Ethic of Religious Discourse-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 2

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2019 18:07


076-An Ethic of Religious Discourse-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 2 by Exploring Mormon Thought

075-The Invitation That Calls to Us-Fire on the Horizon-Ch 1

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2019 25:39


In this short volume, Blake Ostler departs from the more analytically rigorous approach that defined his groundbreaking Exploring Mormon Thought series and instead offers a meditation and reflection on the deeper and more important aspects of Mormon theology. Ostler explores two of the most important and central aspects of Mormon theology and practice: the Atonement and the temple endowment. Utilizing observations from Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, and others, Ostler offers further insights on what it means to become alienated from God and to once again have at-one-ment with Him.

074-Conspiring Prayer with Mark Karris - Divine Echoes

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2019 58:00


Conspiring Prayer with Mark Karris: Divine Echoes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078WFV3NT/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Conspiring prayer website: http://conspiringprayer.com/ Marks website: http://markgregorykarris.com/

073-Mormonism and Other Faiths - Vol 5

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2019 65:48


Topics Discussed: • Self Deception and the Corruption of Human Intellect • The Relation of Experience and Interpretation to Spiritual Knowledge • The Objection from Conflicting Religious Experiences • The Relativity of Degrees of Light Theory of Religious Diversity • The Argument from Arrogance

072-Knowledge is Being (Pt 2) - Vol 5

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2019 61:10


Topics Discussed: 1. How Are We Aware of Noumenal Experience? 2. How Could Post-conceptual Language Expressed in a Publicly Available Dialogue Be Known to be True Subjectively? 3. Kierkegaardian Subjectivity. 4. Interpersonal Encounter with a Thou that Precedes and Exceeds Me: A Levinasian Addendum to Buber. http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2019/02/ep72-knowledge-is-being-pt-2-vol-5.html

071-Knowledge is Being (Pt 1) - Vol 5

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2019 64:38


Topics Discussed: A. The Veridicality Objection. 1. The Certainty of Knowledge. 2. The Kantian Assumption. 3. The Dis-appearance of the Noumenal/Phenomenal Distinction in Mormon Epistemic Experiences.

070-Faith, Reason, & Spiritual Experience - Vol 5

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2019 61:02


Topics Discussed: • Epistemology of Religious Experience • The Distinctive Mormon Epistemic Practices • Faith, Evidence and Reason

069-God Can't - Thomas Jay Oord

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2019 65:47


Purchase the books: God Can't: https://www.amazon.com/God-Cant-Believe-after-Tragedy-ebook/dp/B07MP93F1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547100495&sr=8-1&keywords=god+can%27t+oord The Uncontrolling Love of God: https://www.amazon.com/Uncontrolling-Love-God-Relational-Providence-ebook/dp/B01959VKI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547100540&sr=8-1&keywords=the+uncontrolling+love+of+god Show Notes: http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2019/01/069-god-cant-thomas-jay-oord.html

068-Jesus Christ the Savior of the World-The Plan of Atonement Theodicy (pt 5) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2018 36:29


We discuss how Jesus' life and atonement help solve the problem of evil. https://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1122&index=11

067-Natural Evils-The Plan of Atonement Theodicy (pt 4) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2018 72:40


Natural Evils

066-Radical Evils and Pre-mortal Consent-The Plan of Atonement Theodicy (pt 3) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2018 109:26


Topics Discussed: • Can Radical Evils Benefit the Victims as an Essential Feature of God’s Plan of Atonement? • Is It Justifiable to Permit Consent to Personality-Destroying Evils? • Are Radical Evils Essential to the Plan of Atonement? Refer to the outline here...specifically #9 for this episode: http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/10/ep65-plan-of-atonement-theodicy-pt-2.html

The Idea of Pre-existence in the Development of Mormon Thought

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2018 54:11


https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V15N01_61.pdf

King Follett Discourse Reading

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2018 30:46


My father has been out of town for two weeks and we ran out of buffer episodes so for this week I thought I would perform a reading of the King Follett Discourse. This discourse is very important to LDS Doctrine and is referred to a lot on this podcast so I thought it was relevant. http://mldb.byu.edu/follett.htm https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/accounts-of-the-king-follett-sermon

065-The Plan of Atonement Theodicy (pt 2) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2018 57:14


Topics Discussed: • Plan of Atonement Theodicy Outline http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/10/ep65-plan-of-atonement-theodicy-pt-2.html

064-The Plan of Atonement Theodicy (pt 1) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2018 60:57


Topics Discussed: • The Nature of God's Providence • The Nature of Intelligences • The Ontological Status of Natural Laws • God's Power • God's Providential Knowledge • The Nature of the Challenge of Learning to Love

063-A Mormon Process Theodicy - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2018 76:13


Topics Discussed: • Precedents in Mormon Thought for a Process Theodicy • Basic Commitments of A Mormon Process Theodicy • Criticisms of Process Theodicy

062-God and the Natural Universe: Mormon Finitism and Transhumanism (Pt 1) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2018 65:29


Topics Discussed: • God’s Relation to Natural Regularities in the Tradition. • Prospects of a Natural Law Theodicy in the Tradition of Ex Nihilo Creation. • Mormon Finitism/Transhumanism

061-What We Learn From The Problem of Evil (Pt 2) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2018 39:42


Topics Discussed: • Gods Options and the Free Will Defense • The Less Evil Options Argument from Evil

060-What We Learn From The Problem of Evil (Pt 1) - Vol 4

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2018 55:18


Topics Discussed: • The Problem of Evil: The Argument • Human Cognitive Limitations • The Problem of Moral Quietude for Skeptical Theism • The Problem of Moral Quietude and Meticulous Providence • The No Minimum Evil Defense Show Notes: http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/09/ep60-what-we-learn-from-problem-of-evil.html

059-The Scriptural Basis for the Doctrine of Deification - Of God and Gods Ch 12

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2018 53:32


Topics Discussed: • Partaking of the Divine Nature: 2 Peter 1:4 • Ye Are Gods: Psalm 82/John 10:34–36 • Divine Sons Who Are like Christ: 1 John 3:1–3 • One Just as Father and Son Are One: John 17 http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/09/ep59-scriptural-basis-for-doctrine-of.html

058-We Shall Be as He Is: The Mormon Doctrine of Deification (pt 2) - Of God and Gods Ch 11

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2018 68:18


Topics Discussed: Arguments That Essential Divine Properties Cannot Be Shared with Humans - Can a Fulness of Divine Power Be Shared? - Can Divine Sovereignty Be Shared By Humans? - Are Deified Humans Worthy of Divine Worship?

057-We Shall Be as He Is: The Mormon Doctrine of Deification (Pt 1) - Of God and Gods Ch 11

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2018 75:42


Show Notes: http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/09/ep57-we-shall-be-as-he-is-mormon.html

056-Logical Problems of Deification - Of God and Gods Ch 10

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2018 53:51


Topics Discussed: • What Is the Divine Nature in Which We Share? • The Logic of Deification: The Exchange Formula • Deification and Justification by Faith Alone • Failure of the Distinction between Communicable and Incommunicable Properties • Monotheism, Simplicity, and Deification Show Notes: http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/08/topics-discussed-is-divine-nature-in.html

055-Challenges to Mormon Social Trinitarianism - Of God and Gods Ch 9

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2018 71:36


Topics Discussed: • The Problem of the Godhead and Monotheism • Divine Embodiment and Monotheism • The Problem of Diminished Divinity • The Competing Omnipotents Problem • The Problem of Divine Deception

054-The Godhead in Mormon Thought (pt 2) - Of God and Gods Ch 8

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2018 78:37


Topics Discussed: • The Divine Kind • Indwelling Love • The Ontological Nature of Personal Existence • The Scriptural Argument for Yahweh’s Kind Uniqueness http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/07/ep54-godhead-in-mormon-thought-pt-2-of.html

053-The Godhead in Mormon Thought (pt 1) - Of God and Gods Ch 8

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2018 50:52


Topics Discussed: • Mormon Social Trinitarianism • The Logical Problem of the Trinity and Mormon Thought http://www.exploringmormonthought.com/2018/07/ep53-godhead-in-mormon-thought-pt-1-of.html

052 - Social Trinitarianism - Of God and Gods Ch 7

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2018 46:31


Topics Discussed: • Richard Swinburne’s Theory of Social Trinitarianism • Trinity Monotheism • Perichoretic Monotheism • Reveling in Mystery

051-The Latin Trinity, Logic, and Scripture - Of God and Gods Ch 6

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2018 43:56


Topics Discussed: • The Creedal Formulation and Its Problems • Latin Trinitarianism • Distinct Persons in the “Unique Identity” of God?

050-Monotheism and Divine Agency in John - Of God and Gods Ch 5

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2018 58:53


Topics Discussed: • The Logos in Philo and the Gospel of John • The Logos Made Flesh and the Manifestation of God’s Glory • Jesus as God’s Agent in the Writings of John • Divine Agency and Angelic Mediation in the Book of Revelation • Jesus’s Relation to the Father

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