Think On Your Faith

what makes us humans so special?  Are we that different from the rest of the animal kingdom? let's find out.

I tackle the much spirited debate across the country about the transgender movement.

I finally get a chance to challenge wokism, and wokism challenged back.  I learned a lot about the progressive movement and liberal ideology through the lens of the Satanic Temple and I couldn't have learned it from a better person than Frankie Nicoletti.  This is what exchanging ideas in the market of free expression sounds like.

Good businesses come from good people who know how to build a good family and the Results Martial Arts Gym is no different.

Today I decided to venture off the beaten path and try something different.  today you get to hear me rant about my thoughts on free will.

Jessa and her husband are divided in thought about religion but not in thoughts about their future.  Jessa Bangerter was born and raised into the mormon faith.  Like many in similar circumstances, she grew in her faith and served in many capacities in her local ward which further reinforced her testimony.  However, she had reached a critical point in her life where she needed help and so she did what every member was taught to do - talk to the bishop.  She quickly realized that her supposed "judge in israel" (bishop) was just a mere mortal - flawed and susceptible to human emotion and error.

I had the great pleasure of visiting with Carly Gardner.  She is the president for the center of science and wonder in Las Vegas and has been instrumental in the efforts to build a community for those pursuing life outside of religion.  The resources are scarce and often absent.  We discuss the importance of building a secular community and how such a community is helpful in a changing and fluid society.  We even explore what an atheist funeral looks like!

I learned a lot of new things about the jewish faith in my conversation with my friend Jimmie.  In particular, I learned that one should not ask questions about things that don't make sense.  This of course would a require an answer to things that are not very well understood.

In the final moments with my oldest son before he left for the United States Airforce, I sat down with him to create a memory that we can both share.  It was my Mufasa to Zimba moment and it was both heartfelt and satisfying all at once.  Listen to what a young man will take with him as he embarks on his journey through manhood while experiencing the greatest honor that any man can have - selfless service.

I had a wonderful conversation with Mr. Scott Shay.  We explored his belief in the divine providence of god. He talks about why having faith is rational and how faith played a huge role in his father surviving the holocaust.  I challenged that idea and made things a bit uncomfortable.  fortunately Scott is a genteel and was able to handle the tough questions with class.

Rob Eastman shares his incredibly powerful story of bullying, mental health, religion, suicide, and addiction.  He tells us the role religion played in his life and how he was able to gain perspective about belief through his travels.  Does religion have a line that can be crossed before it becomes harmful?  find out in this powerful episode.

I had a great conversation with Daryl White who has a list of heresies within the mormon faith.  We discuss foundational doctrinal points such as the adam and eve story and why he believes it would have been better for adam and eve to just obey.  He believes the prophet nephi (a character in the book of mormon) was mistaken when he heard the voice of the lord instructing him to kill laban.  He believes he heard the voice of satan.  We explore many of his other heresies and dive deeper into why he believes the book of mormon is a real document and why it is foundational in his belief in god.

Listen to my fun and engaging conversation with Tua Kealoha, a passionate influencer in his community who is a seeker of truth. We challenge main stream religion and discuss how one arrives at their current status in life.  we also discuss whether or not free will is illusory.  we take a stab at what the spirit is and what it means to have a spiritual experience.

I sit down with Jonelle and discuss why she thinks culture is important.  We also dive into the murky realm of morality and tolerance.  Should we be more tolerant as a society?

Ryan Wittman shares his story and talks about how his parents' open mindedness allowed him to explore truth from a secular position.  We discuss his belief on the afterlife and how we should approach our lives in the here and now.  Where does morality come from and is there a line to be drawn between morality and human well being?

In this final part of my conversation with Travis, we were able to find common ground and let cooler minds prevail.  We discuss the danger in taking biblical text literally and why Travis feels strongly about the doctrine of the Mormon faith.  He talks about the necessity of modern day prophets and how they help adherents of their faith sift through confusing doctrine in scripture. I challenge that idea at length.

Listen as Travis continues to summer sault his way through his logic for the Christian/Mormon Faith.

Kicking off our new season with a no holds barred conversation with one of my biggest critics.  If you can stomach it, you'll hear exactly why religion drives wedges between families and friends...because it's a free for all open season of interpretation and mental gymnastics to try and understand archaic text written in the bronze age. It was not my intention to critique scripture but that is where the conversation took us and that is where the game was played.  Fasten your seatbelts.

My impassioned conversation with Glenn takes an interesting turn as we explore what fiction means and how it plays into our perspective on reality.  Is there such a thing called truth.  If so what does it look like?  Take a listen and find out.

I had a fun time chatting with my youngest sun Va'a about his experience during our transition from religion to free thinking. Listen to how he received the news when I announced to my family that I was leaving religion and god altogether. It became clear really fast who knew more about the secrets of life.  We can learn a lot from a 12 year old boy!

Take a peak into Glenn's mind and see what nuggets you'll find.  Not only is he an excellent podcaster, he is an author and screenwriter as well.  With his new book out "Bathing with god", I thought it would be fun to chat with him and QUAD to see what moral truths I can discover. Quad is...well I don't know what or who quad is.  But he is super insightful and seems to know what you are thinking before you do.  check him out and see for yourself.

Jake Fitisemanu and I take a dive into many interesting subjects ranging from the Covid-19 Crisis, Cultural traditions and practices, The role of women in society (particularly in the samoan culture), Why cultural practices can be a detriment to growth and progress, Homosexuality in religion and whether or not faith is more important than evidence.  Get ready for a fun and engaging conversation about things we're not supposed to talk about.

Listen to how one man discovers a better version of himself outside of religion.  By taking an objective look at the doctrine being taught in his church, he was able to critically think through the tough questions that had always been evaded when brought to the table. Listen to how his decision to leave the church resulted in increased love for his family and improved his relationship with his children when the judgement hat was taken off. If you are a current member of the Mormon Church and have a guarded love affair with your faith, this is the type of episode your church leaders warn about listening to.  However, If you have been looking for answers to some of the toughest questions you've dared not ask in sunday school or family home evening, grab your favorite pillow and blanket, connect to your headphones and get comfortable.  Living a good life is absolutely possible absent of religion.

Get ready to smile and laugh as you experience what it's like to be in Tama's world - where there is never a dull moment.  Listen to how he approaches life without inhibition and chooses to be happy despite knowing the grim consequences spelled out in religious doctrine for homosexuality.  Why does he still choose to subscribe to a religion that promises damnation for him because of his sexual orientation?  I can't wrap my mind around it, but maybe you can.

It's always interesting to learn what goes on in the back of your children's minds when you are experiencing a major paradigm shift.  How are they affected by the choices their parents make, especially when those choices involve leaving a major part of their lives growing up? How do they process these experiences?  How much do our children really depend on god or religion for guidance? Do they experience despair, confusion, anger or betrayal once they've learned that what their parents taught them all their lives was no longer valid?  What you'll hear might surprise you.  Take a behind the scene look at how my decision to discard religion impacted my daughter Teuila.

Hear this riveting story about a woman's search for justice.  Will she ever find it? Kristy Johnson and her siblings endured years and years of sexual abuse at the hands of her father who served in leadership capacities in their church.  Despite her many attempts to call attention to her father's secret behavior, her efforts were quelled by her mother and the bishop of her church.  Years into her adult life, Kristy and her siblings finally take matters into their own hands and confront their aging father.  Will she finally get the justice she is seeking? Find out here.

Short introduction to my show.