{"id":69340,"date":"2019-01-18T12:10:24","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T19:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=69340"},"modified":"2019-01-18T14:16:33","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T21:16:33","slug":"barriers-to-belief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/barriers-to-belief.html","title":{"rendered":"“Barriers to Belief”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"WC<\/a>
Darkness attempting to cover the source of light \u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

New, in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBarriers to Belief:\u00a0Mental Distress and Disaffection from the Church\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0People leave the Church for a\u00a0variety of reasons. Of all the reasons why people leave, one that has attracted little or no attention is the influence of mental distress. People who experience anxiety or depression see things differently than those who do not. Recognizing that people with mental distress have a\u00a0different experience with church than others may help us to make adjustments that can prevent some amount of disaffection from the Church. This article takes a\u00a0first step in identifying ways that mental distress can affect church activity and in presenting some of the things that individuals, friends, family members and Church leaders can do to help make being a\u00a0member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter\u00a0day Saints a\u00a0little easier for those who experience mental distress.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a nice little piece from a while ago about someone who has contributed significantly to our understanding of historical setting of the Book of Mormon:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.studioetquoquefide.com\/2015\/11\/there-are-opportunities-for-almost.html#more<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I agree that plenty of non-specialists \u2014 including many people altogether outside of\u00a0the academy \u2014 are capable of making\u00a0valuable contributions to Book of Mormon studies. \u00a0(Sadly, certain ideologies that are regnant in academia today actually work powerfully against the possibility of faithful scholarship that will benefit the Latter-day Saint<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In fact, I would say that the old Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies was founded on a recognition of the fact that non-specialists and non-academics have a role to play in the study of the scriptures and of Restoration history and that they are an important audience for the results of such study, and that today\u2019s Interpreter Foundation continues to operate in the light of that fact.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

May such people feel entirely welcome to contribute, and may they continue to do so. \u00a0And may Interpreter\u2019s work be of use and benefit to them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cApostle leads Catholic delegation on tour of Rome Temple\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMemphis Mormon temple to reopen, be rededicated in May\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This seems to come out of the Midwest, specifically out of the Red River Valley (which runs through the area of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba). \u00a0I haven\u2019t otherwise heard of the Tabernacle Choir\u2019s Martin Luther King Day program, but will keep my eyes open for information about it. \u00a0I hope (and expect) that it will also be broadcast elsewhere, including Utah:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMormon Tabernacle Choir: The Power Of Dreams & Messenger of Peace\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I like this thoughtful piece in Meridian Magazine<\/em> by Maureen Proctor. \u00a0I too was hit by President Nelson\u2019s loss, and by the fact that, just two days after his daughter\u2019s passing, he was on the road in northern California, ministering to people there whose homes and community were wiped out by the enormous recent fire there:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cReflections on the Death of President Russell M. Nelson\u2019s Daughter\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Incidentally, I knew the Proctors\u2019 daughter Melissa. \u00a0She was a (very bright) student in my introductory class on Islamic civilization. \u00a0Her much too early passing was deeply saddening to me and to many others.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 New, in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: \u00a0 \u201cBarriers to Belief:\u00a0Mental Distress and Disaffection from the Church\u201d \u00a0 Abstract:\u00a0People leave the Church for a\u00a0variety of reasons. Of all the reasons why people leave, one that has attracted little or no attention is the influence of mental distress. People who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[701,1809,2683,975,114,2689,55,2686,2692],"class_list":["post-69340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-apostasy","tag-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints","tag-disaffection","tag-interpreter","tag-interpreter-foundation","tag-leaving-the-church","tag-mormonism","tag-psychology","tag-rome-italy-temple"],"yoast_head":"\n"Barriers to Belief"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    New, in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship:   "Barriers to Belief:\u00a0Mental Distress and Disaffection from\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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