Episode Description
Series Title: What does the Family Proclamation Mean to You? [Episode II of II]
This episode of Latter Day Struggles continues a two-part conversation about the LDS Church's Proclamation on the Family, examining the tension between claims of unchanging doctrine and the historical reality of doctrinal evolution.
Petrey demonstrates through historical analysis that LDS teachings on gender, sexuality, marriage, and family have repeatedly changed over time—from positions on interracial marriage and the priesthood ban, to birth control prohibitions, plural marriage, conversion therapy for LGBTQ individuals, and women wearing pants.
The conversation highlights how church leaders have consistently taught that their current positions were "unchanging doctrine" until those positions eventually changed, creating a pattern that contradicts claims of doctrinal fixity. Petrey offers a constructive framework for understanding doctrine as historically contingent and evolving—consistent with the LDS concept of continuing revelation—rather than eternally fixed.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction and Welcome
00:19 - Overview of the Proclamation to the Family
01:19 - Recap: Last Week's Discussion
01:31 - Defining Doctrine and Authority
02:08 - What Does 'Doctrine' Mean to Members?
03:48 - The Salvational Weight of Doctrine
05:31 - Elder Rasband's Talk and Proclamation Analysis
09:40 - Historical Changes in LDS Doctrine
11:41 - Race, Interracial Marriage, and Doctrinal Change
13:14 - Birth Control and Plural Marriage
15:11 - History vs. Faith-Promoting Narratives
17:34 - Redefining Doctrine: Making Space for Change
20:06 - Conversion Therapy and Evolving LGBTQ Positions
22:31 - Holding Contradictory Positions Simultaneously
25:31 - Challenges of Authoritarianism in the Church
28:09 - Religious Authority Across Denominations
32:33 - Who Defines History vs. Who Defines Doctrine?
34:22 - Doctrine as Continuing Revelation
35:15 - Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions
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