Shiloh and Ben discuss topics of truth, grace, light, intelligence, God's nature, knowledge, agency, glory, the spirit, Satan's nature, the true/false self, obedience, and family obligations. There is a lot to unpack in Section 93's few pages. In our religious observances, it is common to ponder over the question of God's existence. It would seem that the most powerful experience we could have in this life would be to actually see and physically converse with God face-to-face. But is this really so? Consider the many theophanies documented in the scriptures. The rapturous and celestial event fades away and the person is left again to its own devices, weaknesses, and reality.…

Ben and Shiloh talk about the Word of Wisdom and in how we create our modes of worship. The Word of Wisdom is a fascinating conversation, but it is often criticized because of its seeming inconsistencies. The Word of Wisdom has evolved and has been through various revisions, interpretations, and levels of enforcement, and this has sometimes caused a lack of belief in its importance or its power. However, when we understand the Word of Wisdom by means of creating religious modality, we can also create space for historical changes and nuance while also strengthening our choice to adhere to the Word of Wisdom. Any seeming incongruity or inconsistency in…

Shiloh and Ben talk about the law and light of Christ. We often think of "law" as a list of rules and standards, but does D&C 88 offer us a new insight into the nature of God's law that isn't commonly addressed? In what possible ways does understanding that the "light of Christ"—which is in and through all things"—is the law by which all things are governed" change the way that we view the law? Here in D&C 88 we also have a rather rare short description on the nature of God that describes God's omniscience, omnipresence, and a type of panentheism that we don't commonly equate to an embodied…

Ben and Shiloh discuss the parable of the wheat and the tares as found in Matthew 13 and D&C 86. A common interpretation of this parable is that the "wheat" and the "tares" are people, and in this interpretation, we typically include ourselves as wheat and those who we disagree with or who are not living our standards as tares. However, is this really the point of the parable? How often do our interpretations and assumptions of scripture serve to unnecessarily "otherize" us from our brothers and sisters? What if the point of this parable was not to "otherize" but to show how God leads, guides, and builds each of…

Shiloh and Ben talk about the many ascension themes on priesthood found in Section 84 and compare these themes to Section 76. Whether discussing priesthood, the kingdoms of glory, the Beatitudes, or temple ordinances, the theme of ascension plays a prominent and central role in scripture and in our religious experiences. But what is this "ascension" talking about? Is it only or mostly metaphysical? That certainly seems to be the way that we discuss these themes when they appear. However, what could be gained and seen if we look at these themes in terms of epistemology? What if, metaphysically speaking, we were always already worthy and that repentance and our…

Ben and Shiloh talk about the love, mercy, and compassion of God in our weakness. How often do we find ourselves believing that disappointment, pain, struggle, or sadness are because of our sin and wickedness and that if we were just more righteous then we would be happy, joyful, and always feel like rejoicing? How often in our weakness, self-accusation, and trauma do we imagine a God that is various shades of disappointed in us or that is disinterested in our pain and struggles because we deserve the consequences for our actions? What if pain, struggling, sadness, etc., were not merely the consequences of sin and wickedness, and what if…

Shiloh and Ben discuss revelation. What is it? How did Joseph report receiving it? What is it like in our own lives? How we view revelation also influences how we view and experience the scriptures. It has been said that the scriptures are always true, and sometimes the scriptures are even historical. What does this mean? Is the truthfulness of scripture primarily held in their historical literalness, or is there a way to view scripture that makes them even more true for reasons beyond whether the stories literally happened as they are told? How scripture is made is a history in itself as we learn discussing the history of the…

Ben and Christopher undertake a discussion of section 76, known as "The Vision". The content and implications of this section can be intimidating. D&C 76 delves into the narrative of life after death and the concept of the degrees of glory. They discuss various ways we can understand and contextualize this doctrine. Is this a strictly metaphysical reality that we will experience after death? Or is there something to be said for an eternal-now epistemic experience as it relates to varying degrees of glory? What does this vision tell us about the nature of salvation and our destiny as children of a supremely loving God?

Shiloh and Ben open up a discussion about scriptural-based idea of "shame" and what it means to "speak our trauma." The Lord commands the early Saints to "confound your enemies" privately and publicly, and through our faithfulness our enemies' shame will be demonstrated and "made manifest" (D&C 71:7). There are many things to unpack from this verse alone in how the Lord posits "enemies" and "shame," but is this verse as simple as it sounds? There are many assumptions that we make in our interpretations that are unwittingly culturally informed. Through modern scholarship, we can see another way that we do this in how we approach the Joseph Smith Translation…

Ben and Shiloh discuss how God pours through the pages of modern revelation even while sometimes awkwardly through the voice of those who receive and dictate the revelation. During this time in Church history, Joseph Smith and others had been compiling the revelations together to print them in the Book of Commandments. As the time approached to write the preface for the Book of Commandments, there was some disagreement among the early leaders of the Church as to who should write it. A few brethren did not like the language Joseph used. These brethren were then challenged to write a preface and revelation of their own that they thought surpassed…