Latter Day Struggles

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Series Title:  What does the Family Proclamation Mean to You? [Episode I of II]

Welcome to this two-part series where Valerie welcomes returned guest scholar Taylor Petrey to discuss the LDS Church's Family Proclamation to the World as it reaches its 30th anniversary.
The heart of the episode centers on Taylor's controversial Salt Lake Tribune opinion piece in September 2025 (linked below) arguing that The Family Proclamation should be understood as commentary rather than revelation or unchanging doctrine. This characterization sparked significant pushback from conservative church members who insisted the document represents eternal, unchanging truth. 
Taylor and Valerie explore the complex and often inconsistent ways that the LDS Church uses terms like doctrine, revelation, policy, and commentary, noting how these categories shift depending on context and speaker. They discuss how the proclamation itself has been reinterpreted over time and set you up for the second part of their conversation where they dive deeply into the changing interpretations themselves. 

The Family Proclamation
Op Ed by Taylor Petrey

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:11 Discussing the Family Proclamation
01:48 Cultural and Political Context
04:20 Historical Background of Family Proclamations
07:04 The 1995 Proclamation and Its Impact
13:21 Opinion Piece and Public Reaction
24:43 Controversy and Clarifications
27:57 Historical Changes in Church Teachings
28:33 Modern Reinterpretations of Doctrine
30:42 Balancing Eternal Truths and Continuing Revelation
32:58 The Controversy of Words and Authority
36:15 Revelation vs. Policy: A Case Study
38:10 The Fluidity of Revelation
43:45 The Role of Commentary in Church Doctrine
48:20 Setting Up for the Next Episode
51:36 Final Thoughts and Conclusion
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Have you ever listened to a Latter Day Struggles episode and wanted nothing more than to talk about it but no one is around or would understand?  Have you noticed that while your heart is growing faster than ever, your relationships are changing just as fast?  
Val has noticed that this podcast community has served not only to help you make sense of your LDS faith journey but also has created friendship networks that are life enriching in ways no one could have imagined.   
So why not expand our reach and create more places to connect and find healing + community?  

Listen in today for all of the details on the new biweekly LIVE FELLOWSHIP: a place where you go to join live discussions on current podcast topics with Valerie & then make new friends on a healthy LDS faith journey in your own region.  
What could be better?  A few details:  
Join Val for 24 Live Fellowship gatherings a year + recordings if you miss out!
Jump into the FREE Inaugural LIVE Fellowship on 2/18 at 9:30a PST!
All who enroll by 2/28/26 get an extra month tacked onto their annual enrollment, compliments of Val :).  
Already in the Friday Fellowship as an annual member?  Your tuition will be applied towards the upgrade (plus an extra discount!) 
New to all Fellowship Opportunities? Friday Fellowship content is INCLUDED with your annual tuition! 
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
01:12 Announcement of Live Fellowship
01:36 Understanding the Faith Crisis
04:12 Overview of Learning Tiers
04:42 Monday Episodes Explained
06:20 Reframing LDS Doctrine & Theology
08:34 Friday Fellowship Deep Dive
12:30 Transcending & Including Mormonism
14:01 Introduction to Live Fellowship
17:12 Growth and Processing Groups
19:27 Individual Consulting Services
20:30 Why Create the Live Fellowship?
23:50 The Importance of Community
26:10 Forming Side Communities
28:30 Regional Breakout Groups
32:10 Differences: Live Fellowship vs. Depth Groups
34:00 Patriarchy Healing Curriculum
36:08 Logistics and Launch Details
37:00 First Session: Proclamation to the Family
38:30 Second Session: Transcendence & Inclusion
40:00 Recordings & Accessibility
41:00 Scholarships & Faith Journey Foundation
41:37 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
45:10 Ken Wilber Quote on Consciousness
47:30 Individual Transformation & Cultural Change
49:00 Closing Remarks
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In this  episode Nathan & I pause to honor the impact that Ken Glenn had on us at this time of his early and tragic passing.  
In this episode we share many examples that prove that the traditionally believing [Ken] and the… shall we say...less traditionally believing…[us!] LDS can co-exist, when vulnerability, love, and curiosity are chosen over judgment.    We love you Ken.  Thank you for showing us Christ-like love even if you did not fully understand our work.  
Timestamps: 
00:00 Welcome and New Beginnings 
00:53 Transition to YouTube 
02:52 Memorializing a Mentor 
06:17 Ken Glynn's Impact 
09:54 Personal Stories of Ken 
13:16 Ken's Humility and Kindness 
14:14 Early Leadership Challenges 
19:29 Parenting and Church Dynamics 
20:10 Parental Decisions and Church Conflicts 
22:53 Podcast Beginnings and Community Reactions 
24:04 A Touching Tennis Meet Encounter 
29:32 Mission Preparation and Temple Challenges 
40:31 A Heartfelt Tribute to Bishop Ken
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Friday Episodes Annual Access $89
Friday Episodes Monthly Access $10
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In this episode I respond to your requests to explore President Dallin Oaks' desire that LDS girls get married younger.  As a bonus, I propose a counter-solution to. the current LDS mixed-faith marriage crisis that does not involve pressuring younger marriage (and its well-documented risk factors) on LDS young adults.  
Please share this episode if it resonates!  

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Overview
00:18 Valerie's Analysis of Early Marriage
02:00 President Oaks' Comments and Valerie's Response
09:10 Exploring the Motivations Behind Encouraging Early Marriage
13:50 Risks and Drawbacks of Early Marriage
25:04 Correlation Between Temple Marriage and Divorce Rates
28:40 Concerns of Church Leadership
31:34 The Marriage Crisis in the Church
32:22 Challenges of Mixed Faith Marriages
33:30 Theological Strain and Parenting in Mixed Faith Marriages
34:44 Historical Context and Faith Crises
36:42 The Push for Early Marriage
39:24 Differentiation of Self and Its Importance
45:06 The Impact of Early Marriage on Development
57:43 Proposing a New Approach to Faith Journeys
01:01:15 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
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Friday Episodes Annual Access $89
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With well over a million downloads since its first drop in March of 2022, the Latter Day Struggles podcast has established itself the place to find peace, healing, community, and words to describe your Latter-day Saint faith and trust crisis.  
It is where thousands have come to realize that deep within themselves is a True Self capable of mapping out their own spiritual journey and integrating their Latter-day Saint background into this journey on their own terms.  
In this "Best of Latter Day Struggles" episode, Valerie establishes herself as a Latter-day Saint mental health professional with a unique capacity to love her LDS faith enough talk about the beliefs and practices that are causing harm to members of the church worldwide.    
The bottom line?   Healthy spiritual wellbeing is correlated with healthy mental health.  If my church beliefs and practices are making me sick in any way--these beliefs need to be courageously examined.    
To those of you who have been on this journey since Valerie started the podcast (the "OGs") and to those who just learned about it last week and do not know where to start--pleasea enjoy this classic episode that got Latter Day Struggles on the map and has led to the healing of thousands of people in LDS faith crisis in the past 3 years. 

Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction and Overview
02:06 – Four Stages of Faith Development
04:28 – Moving Beyond Stage 1
08:06 – Limitations of Stage 2
12:02 – Moving Toward Stage 4
14:43 – Contextualizing Faith Traditions
15:28 – Stages in World Religions
16:01 – Institutional Roles in Faith Development
16:32 – Supporting Complexity and Skepticism
18:00 – Therapist’s Perspective
19:02 – Healthy Family Systems and Faith Development
20:48 – The Role of Adolescence
22:01 – Ownership of Belief
24:43 – The Dangers of Over-Resistance
26:37 – Richard Rohr's Perspective on Faith Development
28:34 – Transitioning to Complexity
31:49 – Hope Beyond Skepticism
34:07 – Institutional Challenges
36:58 – Misconceptions About Atonement
38:44 – Institutional Self-Reflection
40:09 – Marginalization and Fear-Based Narratives
43:00 – Letters from Listeners: Shock and Isolation
46:59 – Ambivalence and Hope in Skepticism
50:03 – Understanding Faith Development Stages
53:45 – Creating True Community
56:00 – Transitioning Through Chaos
57:30 – The Emptiness Stage
59:00 – Achieving True Community
01:01:00 – Maintaining True Community
01:03:00 – Conclusion and Call to Action
Support the show
Support the show
Listen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES
Friday Episodes Annual Access $89
Friday Episodes Monthly Access $10
Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups
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Download Free Resources
Visit our Website