John Dehlin


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John Dehlin?  

27 members have voted

  1. 1. John Dehlin?

    • I have never heard of him.
      18
    • I regularly listen to his podcasts and love him!
      7
    • I regularly listen to his podcasts and sometimes disagree with him but respect him.
      1
    • I think he is an apostate/bordering on antimormon.
      2
    • Just show me the results.
      0


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Hes responsible for a lot of blogs and podcasts based on the church. He takes a somewhat impartial view of the church. Good and fair generally. He is very academic, went to byu, had a faith crisis and now disbelieves in the church as "the church" but believes in it as a great institution which he wishes to continue with.

He has done a lot in bringing the LDS church onto the internet.

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John Dehlin's video podcast #26 with Darius Grey and Margaret Anderson has to be my favorite. It is the best way to fully understand the Priesthood ban. I really liked the one with that South American Mission President as well.

On the audio side only, I know they are available through the Mormon Stories website and through i-Tunes.

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I am a fan of JD and his podcasts. He does have his critics though, ironically his loudest critics are those who have left the church and don't understand why he stays in.

Through his podcasts and other ventures he has helped literally thousands of people who have faced a crisis of faith. He has given people outlets and resources that they would not have had otherwise. He is very genuine and sincere and has dedicated his life to helping people navigate their trials. I have corresponded with him and spoken to him on the phone brieftly, I hope to meet him one day and personally thank him for helping a very dear friend of mine.

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I love mormon stories, and credit it in-part to my decision to join the church. Being the type of person who is constantly seeking out information, it was enormously helpful to hear some of his guests put some of the 'issues' regarding the church into a faith-promoting context. I've also enjoyed hearing some of the personal stories like "Finding our way back home", and a more recent one "What to do when your husband loses his LDS testimony"

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John Dehlin is not someone any faithful person should be going to for advice on how to overcome a crisis of faith. He failed to overcome his, and is in no position to tell others how to do so. He's made a reputation on being an authority on how to be a faithless, cultural Mormon, and I feel for his wife and children.

I don't think he's an outright apostate, but his goal is most definitely not to faithfully follow Christ and His servants. I know a lot of people like him, but I have to warn you all that his views are not to be trusted. Wolfs in sheep's clothing, and all that.

I apologize to anyone that offends.

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John Dehlin is not someone any faithful person should be going to for advice on how to overcome a crisis of faith. He failed to overcome his, and is in no position to tell others how to do so.

You see the paradox there? By definition a 'faithful' person would not be having a crisis of 'faith' (they are no longer 'full' of 'faith'). I'm also not sure what you mean by he failed to overcome his- he's an active member in the church, teaches EQ, etc. Most people who fail to resolve a crisis of faith wouldn't be showing up on Sunday at all.

One last nit to pick- most people who find John's site aren't necessarily searching for green jello recipes- they're searching for answers to very specific questions they may have, and probably end up at sites like exmormon. For them, the phrase "read the scriptures and pray about it" hasn't worked. Encountering John's site (and StayLDS which he also helps with) could literally be seen as light in an otherwise very dark place, and quite possibly help resolve whatever problem the searcher may have. If you've ever gone through the forum at StayLDS, you'll see a whole community of people helping each other through a difficult challenge, and returning to activity... I fail to see how this is a bad thing.

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You see the paradox there? By definition a 'faithful' person would not be having a crisis of 'faith' (they are no longer 'full' of 'faith').

Yes, my wording was unfortunate. It still stands to reason, however, that someone attempting to overcome a crisis of faith shouldn't be going to someone who failed to do so for advice- unless the desired outcome is to eventually fail.

I'm also not sure what you mean by he failed to overcome his- he's an active member in the church, teaches EQ, etc. Most people who fail to resolve a crisis of faith wouldn't be showing up on Sunday at all.

He very openly, publicly declares that he no longer believes in the truth of the Church. One of the core doctrines of Christ is that if we accept Him, we will accept His servants. Because Dehlin does not accept Christ's servants, Dehlin does not actually accept Christ. What he's doing is taking the true nature of godliness out of the Church- and teaching other people to do so as well.

One last nit to pick- most people who find John's site aren't necessarily searching for green jello recipes- they're searching for answers to very specific questions they may have, and probably end up at sites like exmormon.

This is a fair point. The flip side is that faithful members will also find his site and may drink the poison he is offering. There are also many other sites run by faithful Latter-day Saints that do the same thing- offer help to those with crises of faith. The only people who will be helped by Dehlin's work are those who are content to believe that the Church and the Priesthood aren't authoritative.

If you've ever gone through the forum at StayLDS, you'll see a whole community of people helping each other through a difficult challenge, and returning to activity... I fail to see how this is a bad thing.

I have perused that forum once- I was very nonplussed. If by "returning to activity" you mean doing what Dehlin is doing, then that's dead works without the faith. Much of it seemed to have the same spirit as the Peace and Justice churches mentioned in other threads- take Christ out of the Christian message.
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I have perused that forum once- I was very nonplussed. If by "returning to activity" you mean doing what Dehlin is doing, then that's dead works without the faith. Much of it seemed to have the same spirit as the Peace and Justice churches mentioned in other threads- take Christ out of the Christian message.

First, although I have heard John say he believes the church is 'good' rather than 'true', I haven't heard him say that he no longer believes in Christ. Since he has a temple-recommend, I can have a hard time believing this to be the case.

As for returning to activity, despite them possessing something less than a perfect testimony of the church, can you think of a better place for them to be to possibly regain that lost testimony? I can't. When a patient breaks a leg, they're given a cast and crutches, allowing them to get around. In a sense, what John's podcast guests offer is a crutch for an otherwise broken faith, allowing a person to spiritually get around- in time, the wound may heal and the crutches may no longer be needed.

For me personally, I go through periods where my faith waxes and wanes- on the downside, my 'logical' brain likes to whisper sweet nothings into my ear and constantly finds fault with the church. Listening to a well reasoned discussion about the life of Joseph Smith Jr (or any of the other issues) often helps to silence that voice until the faith rebounds.

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I support John's efforts to help people who have been disillusioned by the differences in correlated church history and 'real' church history. I think my fav. Mormon Stories interview is the 3 part Ted Lyon interview.

In John's story, part 3 he speaks of not knowing if Christ is everything that Christians believe He is. I think that's fair enough. We are asked if we believe in Him, and if we have a testimony of Him. The second one is the issue, I think.

But if John says he has a testimony, that's good enough. Same thing with tithing. The standard is that each member is allowed to state their answers according to their own self-judgement.

HiJolly

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John Dehlin is not someone any faithful person should be going to for advice on how to overcome a crisis of faith. He failed to overcome his, and is in no position to tell others how to do so. He's made a reputation on being an authority on how to be a faithless, cultural Mormon, and I feel for his wife and children.

I don't think he's an outright apostate, but his goal is most definitely not to faithfully follow Christ and His servants. I know a lot of people like him, but I have to warn you all that his views are not to be trusted. Wolfs in sheep's clothing, and all that.

I apologize to anyone that offends.

I disagree. Just because his crisis of faith did not lead to the church's prescribed path does not mean he did not overcome his crisis of faith, and it does not mean he does not have faith because when it comes down to it we all walk by faith. It is very popular in the church to say "I know" but we don't actually "know". We believe.

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Hey... This thread was initated because of me! :P

But because of my discussions on this and other like threads I am launching a New academic blog The Sign Of Jonas and looking for co-authors who could post once a month, or for those who would be willing to be guest authors... I posted a brief description on another thread http://www.lds.net/forums/lds-gospel-discussion/32188-new-academic-blog.html#post503685 so if you interested I would love to hear from you!

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First, although I have heard John say he believes the church is 'good' rather than 'true', I haven't heard him say that he no longer believes in Christ. Since he has a temple-recommend, I can have a hard time believing this to be the case..

Ok so I don't adhere to JD, but I don't really object too much to him either. I think he is honest and sincere, whether it helps people retain their testimonies or helps them lose it is more then I can say, though I can venture to say he has probably done both.

back in 2007 I was listening to his podcast and he was telling about when he came to the realization that the church wasn't true and threw away his garments. I don't believe he has a temple recommend... Furthermore I don't see how he could answer the temple recommend questions. Maybe he has since, do you have a source?

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Sorry to intrude. John Dehlin here.

Some quick answers:

1) I am active in the church. My wife and I teach primary together.

2) I do currently hold a temple recommend

3) I consider myself to be a believer in God, and in Jesus. I also view the church and the Book of Mormon as inspired -- although I struggle sometimes with how literal vs. symbolic/metaphorical these beliefs are.

In the end....I choose to follow/believe....I continually have doubts/concerns...but I plan to remain an active, committed member until the day I die.

I can't say that I know anything (church related), but I hope for most of the typical gospel related things (purpose in life, life after death, that the "truth" can be found, that I'll be with my family in heaven) -- and I consider my active membership in the church to be an act of faith in and of itself...accompanied by many, many doubts.

All in all, I love the church, I love its members, and I love being Mormon.

Edited by johndehlin
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:)

If I were a rock star, I'd be James Taylor.

Wow if James Taylor is considered a rock star, then Styx must be considered very heavy metal. :P

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Sorry to intrude. John Dehlin here.

Some quick answers:

1) I am active in the church. My wife and I teach primary together.

2) I do currently hold a temple recommend

3) I consider myself to be a believer in God, and in Jesus. I also view the church and the Book of Mormon as inspired -- although I struggle sometimes with how literal vs. symbolic/metaphorical these beliefs are.

In the end....I choose to follow/believe....I continually have doubts/concerns...but I plan to remain an active, committed member until the day I die.

I can't say that I know anything (church related), but I hope for most of the typical gospel related things (purpose in life, life after death, that the "truth" can be found, that I'll be with my family in heaven) -- and I consider my active membership in the church to be an act of faith in and of itself...accompanied by many, many doubts.

All in all, I love the church, I love its members, and I love being Mormon.

Welcome John!

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