May 1, 2019

May 1, 2019 By

Lesley Butterfield has been a guest poster on this blog before. I appreciated her thoughts shared by the Salt Lake Tribune in regards to the talk President Nelson gave where he spoke about eternal families. Commentary: LDS Church officials are practicing spiritual extortion   Natasha Helfer Parker, LCMFT, CST can be reached at natashaparker.org and runs an online practice, Symmetry Solutions, which focuses on helping families and individuals with faith concerns, sexuality and mental health. She hosts the Mormon Mental Health and Mormon Sex Info Podcasts, is the... Read more

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019 By

I need not say much… I already wrote a letter myself. All I’ll say is our mixed-faith/belief families (which we are all a part of at one level or another) need healing balms… not spiritual abuse.  “Amen” Sister Harris. Amen. * Due to the personal nature of this story and how I know “comments” tend to go… I will not allow any comments that attack or dismiss the pain of this family through uninformed comments about mental health, mixed-faith families,... Read more

April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019 By

The Mama Dragon organization has been a wealthy resource that many, even from other congregations and in other nations, draw from. Please be aware of this as a family, community and ward/stake. Today’s guest post  was written by Wendy Williams Montgomery.  Opinions shared on guest posts may not completely reflect the positions of the blog’s author. Wendy Montgomery lives in Chandler, AZ. She and her husband have 5 children, the oldest of which is fabulously gay. She is one of... Read more

April 23, 2019

April 23, 2019 By

I was moved by the thoughts of Beth Wallace this past Sunday morning as I watched the news and saw in horror, again, the capacity we have as a human race to hurt each other. I appreciate her call for all of us to look inward at ways we “other” each other. I have work to do in this area for sure. I hope you find her words inspiring when things can seem divisive. Today’s guest post is written by... Read more

April 23, 2019

April 23, 2019 By

At first I was uncomfortable that my piece would be published on Easter morning. But then I thought about how much Easter symbolizes the epitome of doing hard things for the benefit of others. And how often scriptural Christ invites us to do similarly. Even when it means standing up to powers beyond one’s capacity to reach. Or when it frightens you as to the consequences. Or when the bully is in a perfect position to pummel you too. In... Read more

April 22, 2019

April 22, 2019 By

I appreciate Stephanie’s words and how she points to appropriate boundaries. It’s not appropriate to go on somebody’s facebook page and disagree with their personal experience… especially when they are being vulnerable about pain they are feeling. If you have a different experience… you have your own social media pages to state your opinions. And if you want to offer a different point of view… you can do so with empathy. For example… It is sad for me to realize... Read more

April 19, 2019

April 19, 2019 By

I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary on social media feeds responding to Nelson’s talk where he chose to reiterate a fairly rigid take on what we know about the afterlife in regards to forever families. The phrase I’m seeing coined fairly often is that Mormon Heaven = Sad Heaven. Goodness… As a member I had always been taught the doctrine and had interpreted the doctrine in much more flexible, loving ways with infinite possibilities of how things will “work... Read more

April 17, 2019

April 17, 2019 By

Today’s guest post  was written by Nathan R. Kitchen.  Opinions shared on guest posts may not completely reflect the positions of the blog’s author. Elected as Affirmation President in 2018, Nathan Kitchen (he/him/his) grew up in Orem, Utah. He served a two-year mission in Alabama, where on a lonely Tuscaloosa country road, he had a tooth knocked out during a head-on collision. The dentist who saved his tooth was so cool that Nathan decided right then and there to become... Read more

April 15, 2019

April 15, 2019 By

Here is a list of links to several  articles and news coverage regarding the recent policy change.   Church leaders ask Latter-day Saints to love those who have left Mormon Church Drops Anti-LGBTQ Rule, But It Feels Like ‘Gaslighting’ To Some ‘Trauma is a slow burn’: Mormons seek healing as church eases anti-LGBT policy Reversal of the November 2015 Policy on Gay Families LGBTQ Mormons in Portland area react to new policy from LDS Church The Mormon church’s new ‘don’t ask,... Read more

April 12, 2019

April 12, 2019 By

I have long been outspoken about how the way we use the honor code system in our church universities damages spiritual growth for students and puts educational landmarks at risk in completely inappropriate ways. If you’ve been hurt by these policies please consider adding your story to this Instagram page where they are collecting voices like yours. An Instagram account sharing anonymous stories has renewed conversation about BYU’s Honor Code Natasha Helfer Parker, LCMFT, CST can be reached at natashaparker.org and runs an online... Read more

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