Living Our Beliefs: Exploring Faith & Religion in Daily Life
Religion and faith are important for millions of people worldwide. While ancient traditions can provide important beliefs and values for life, it can be hard to apply them to our lives today. And yet, weaving them into our days can bring benefits––greater meaning in life, more alignment between our beliefs and our actions, and deeper personal connection to our faith and each other.
In Living Our Beliefs, we delve into where and how Jews, Christians, and Muslims express their faith each day––at work, at home, and in public––so that we can see the familiar and unfamiliar in new ways. Learning from other religions and denominations invites us to notice similarities and differences. Comparing beliefs and practices prompts us to be more curious and open to other people, reducing the natural challenge of encountering the Other. Every person’s life and religious practice is unique. Join us on this journey of discovery and reflection.
Starter episodes with Jews:
Mikveh: Reclaiming an Ancient Jewish Ritual – Haviva Ner-David
Honoring and Challenging Jewish Orthodoxy – Dr. Lindsay Simmonds
The Interfaith Green Sabbath Project – Jonathan Schorsch
Starter episodes with Christians:
Is a Loving God in the Brokenness and Darkness? – Will Berry
Queering Contemplation and Finding a Home in Christianity – Cassidy Hall
Embodying the Christian Faith: Tattoos and Pilgrimage – Mookie Manalili
Starter episodes with Muslims:
Religious Pluralism v. White Supremacy in America Today – Wajahat Ali
How to be Visibly Muslim in the US Government – Fatima Pashaei
Bonus. Understanding the American Muslim Experience (Dr. Amir Hussain)
Living Our Beliefs: Exploring Faith & Religion in Daily Life
Forging a more Resilient Faith After Doubt – Aubrey Chaves
Episode 93.
Did you grow up in a highly observant home and religious community where surety of belief was the norm? Aubrey Chaves did, and much as she felt embraced by the family’s deep engagement within their Mormon congregation, or ward, when she encountered differing lifestyles that were loving and not harmful to anyone, the rightness she had always believed about the church fathers and doctrine shifted from a solid foundation to something brittle. In short, it prompted a crisis of faith. Over the many years since then, she’s spent a lot time learning and struggling with her faith, emerging with a stronger and more forgiving approach to living her beliefs. These days, her spiritual views are more complex and open, for which she is grateful.
Highlights:
- Pioneer stock of Mormons on both sides of the family.
- Church provided an anchor and cadence for life.
- Crisis of faith and realizing the church had flaws and ugly history.
- The role of LGBTQ issues in faith reassessment.
- James Fowler's Stages of Faith.
- Missionary service as a transformative journey.
- Orthodoxy v. Orthodoxy.
- Faith redefined as love and trust.
Bio:
As a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Aubrey Chaves finds deep meaning in faith, community, and the continual pursuit of spiritual growth. She serves on the executive board of the Faith Matters Foundation and co-hosts its weekly podcast with her husband, Tim. Together, they explore big questions and hope to foster expansive, thoughtful conversations that inspire curiosity, connection, and deeper engagement with faith. They live in Midway, Utah, where they are raising their four children under the beautiful snowy peaks of the Wasatch Mountains.
References:
Social Media links for Aubrey:
- Website – https://faithmatters.org/
- Instagram – @faithmattersfoundation
Transcript on Buzzsprout
Social Media links for Méli:
- Website – the Talking with God Project
- Meli’s email
- LinkedIn – Meli Solomon
- Facebook – Meli Solomon
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The Living Our Beliefs podcast is part of the Talking with God Project.