Dan Wotherspoon, host of Mormon Matters and Kristy Money, host of Mormon Transitions join me to discuss, in a non-partisan way, the importance of intellectual clarity, healthy emotional inwardness and consciousness, and embodied action in dealing with this drastically altered state of political affairs. However you voted there is wisdom here in abundance.
While I enjoyed this podcast, it could have benefited from a more politically diverse panel, as the discussion was anything but non-partisan. Clearly, none of the three panelists aligned in any significant way with the right wing of American politics. Also, there was a comment made by one of the panelists that social media does little to change minds on political issues. I believe there is good evidence that social media can have a significant impact. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/07/social-media-causes-some-users-to-rethink-their-views-on-an-issue/
I find policy positions on both the American left and right that align with mainstream Mormon and Christian values. Conversely, I find positions from both the left and the right that are very much counter to Mormon and Christian values. It would be interesting to have a follow up podcast exploring these issues — with Mormon panelist from across the political spectrum.
I see a parallel here with the church’s now-infamous policy change from last year. In both cases, institutions (church and state) that I thought were making slow but steady progress seem to have suddenly taken a significant step backward. I see here a story about faith and works. Many of us have faith in the possibility of a better world, but perhaps it was a passive faith in institutions to make that happen. If we still have that faith, now is the time, as you suggested in your discussion, for us to manifest it in individual works, whether by becoming involved in politics or activism, or above all reaching by out to the vulnerable who might be negatively affected by the missteps of our institutions. If we believe, as I do, that our institutions will eventually resume their forward progress, it is ultimately up to us to help make that happen.
Great point Quentin! We actually talked about that parallel before we started recording