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The Cause for Christ Episode 2: Scrupulosity (moral and religious OCD) with Dr. Debra McClendon

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In this episode, Ryan sits down with Debra McClendon to discuss religious OCD, also known as Scrupulosity. Debra shares valuable advice for those navigating Scrupulosity while striving to stay faithful within the church. They explore what approaches tend to be effective, what often falls short, and dive into topics like consecration, burnout, and finding balance. If you or someone you know struggles with Scrupulosity, anxiety, or toxic perfectionism, we hope this conversation offers insight and support.

Debra Theobald McClendon, PhD is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and has interjurisdictional authorization to work with clients in most U.S. states. She specializes in treating those with scrupulosity, a religious and moral subtype of OCD. She is the owner of The OCD & Scrupulosity Clinic (ocdscrupulosityclinic.com) and is a member of the International OCD Foundation. She has been interviewed on podcasts, published articles, and published the book: “Freedom from Scrupulosity: Reclaiming Your Religious Experience from Anxiety and OCD.”

Ryan Sorensen is a native of Cache Valley, Utah. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at BYU-Idaho and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Abilene Christian University, with plans to become a chaplain after graduation. Ryan previously hosted a podcast called The Whom Shall We Go? Podcast. In his spare time, he enjoys being involved in interfaith work, reading about Latter-day Saint theology and history, training for triathlons, and spending time with friends and family.

The Credibility of Modern Critics

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by Ron C. Rhodes

Critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aggressively publish negative information about the Church in large volumes.  This article explores the facts to determine if the critics of our faith are coming from a place of honesty and integrity, without disparaging individuals.  The goal of the paper is to help members become better inoculated against misinformation, and to use faithful resources such as those found on FAIR to answer their questions about the Church.

Modern LDS Critics – Credibility or Contempt?

In a court of law, witnesses matter.  A witness’s testimony can hold the power to either convict or exonerate an individual.  There are instances, however, when a witness’s testimony is not credible.  Perhaps they have lied under oath previously, or perhaps they have an ax to grind against the defendant.  In such cases, a skilled attorney will seek to expose these vulnerabilities, helping the jury or the court disregard unreliable testimony. [Read more…] about The Credibility of Modern Critics

Brand-New Family History Database Now Available

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Recently, a brand-new database called Relative Finder was released by the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation in partnership with FamilySearch. 

This new feature, available at wilfordwoodruffpapers.org, enables users to locate and read firsthand accounts of their relatives mentioned by Wilford Woodruff in his journals, letters, discourses, and correspondence.

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Asking Big Questions: How Can I Find Answers to Tough Topics in Church History?

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by Kamryn Maughan

The “Asking Big Questions” series is made in cooperation with the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project.

Have you ever had a question about a topic in Church history? Because we were not there, some Church history events and topics can be hard for us to understand. For example, plural marriage, also known as polygamy, is a difficult topic for many members of the Church. So how do we approach questions about topics like plural marriage? Here are three ideas:

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Aufgewärmte Fragen, bereitstehende Antworten: Sich mit Radzik und seinen 13 Thesen auseinandersetzen

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[English]

Diese Liste von verfügbaren Ressourcen wurde erstellt, um die Fehlinformationen in der kürzlich veröffentlichten Abhandlung von Francois Radzik mit dem Titel „13 Thesen: Die Irreführung durch die Kirche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der Letzten Tage, die Mormonen“ besser einordnen und klarstellen zu können. Leser, die mit den von der Kirche bereits veröffentlichten korrekten Informationen sowie mit den üblichen Taktiken der Fehlinformation vertraut sind, werden die Verzerrungen in dieser Abhandlung erkennen. Wie bei den meisten Angriffen auf die Kirche heutzutage ist das einzig Neue die Verpackung.

Nützliche Informationsquellen

von Keith Erekson

1) Wissen über Gott wird Zeile um Zeile offenbart

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Rehashed Questions, Ready Answers: Addressing Radzik and His 13 Theses

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[Deutsch]

This list of existing resources was compiled to provide a more complete and accurate context for the misinformation in a paper recently published in German by Francois Radzik called “13 Theses: The deception of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.” Readers who are familiar with correct information already published by the Church, as well as with common tactics of misinformation, will discern the distortions in this paper. As with most attacks on the Church today, the only thing new is the packaging.

Helpful Sources of Information

by Keith Erekson

1) Knowledge of God Revealed Line Upon Line

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Mission Journals from Early “Lady Missionaries” Now Available from Church Historian’s Press

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Last week, the Church History Department published online the missionary journals from two of the very first single sister missionaries ever to be called. The two women, Eliza Chipman and Josephine Booth, served in Scotland as companions 125 years ago. Being able to contrast the two journals gives a fuller picture of the lives they led and the struggles they endured. It adds an interesting layer of insight into their service that we would not receive from two unconnected sisters.

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Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 26: DNA

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I know I literally just said I was going to be better at making these posts a weekly feature again and then missed a few weeks, so I apologize for that. My dad was back in the hospital for a bit and there was holiday business. I also filmed an episode of the Come Back podcast, which should be out this coming weekend. And I was actually doing a lot of work a few weeks ago on another project for FAIR that I am very excited about. I am starting a new, investigative podcast series with two other FAIR faces you may be familiar with, Jennifer Roach and Zachary Wright. It’s going to be a podcast composed of multiple miniseries on different controversial topics in Church history and culture.

I admire and adore both of my co-hosts, and we’re already having such a great time working together. We met up before Christmas and laughed and planned and ate and filmed a few trailers, which should be out soon. We’re doing a bunch of filming this weekend, in fact. Our first miniseries should launch in early-to-mid February, and will consist of six episodes. I’ll have more to say on this soon, but we’re all very excited. The entire crew working on this project is amazing, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with.

[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 26: DNA

Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 25: Prophecies

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Okay, guys, the topic this week is on failed prophecies from the latter-day prophets, but only one of these four quotes he gives is actually a prophecy, and it didn’t fail.

The author, Thomas Faulk, also uses an incorrect word as the title, so I corrected it. I won’t correct his usage going forward in the portions I quote from him, but I will be using the correct word myself. So, just to clear up any confusion this flipping between spellings may cause for those who don’t know the difference, “prophecy” and “prophesy” are two completely different words. A “prophecy” is a prediction from an oracle of God that has already been given, such as those given by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. To “prophesy” is to give that prediction in the present tense. It’s an action, something somebody is currently doing. There’s only one letter’s difference between them, but they have different meanings and different pronunciations. I’m not trying to beat up on him for the error, because Heaven knows I’ve made my fair share of typos in this series. But in this case, I think the distinction is important. Also, I really don’t want to confuse anybody by constantly flipping back and forth between the two words.

[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 25: Prophecies