I invited Dr. Patrick Mason on to discuss reframing faith in the complex history of faith. He is a historian and theologian at Utah State University, and discusses the evolution of his career from academic research to pastoral writing aimed at those navigating faith crises. He reflects on the limitations of a transactional approach to religion, suggesting instead that individuals must take personal accountability for their spiritual lives while remaining part of a community. Mason addresses difficult historical and moral issues, such as biblical slavery and the priesthood ban, by arguing that past leaders were fallible and that modern believers should engage with the moral complexity of their heritage. He also shares his profound emotional experience studying the Rwandan genocide, using it as a lens to explore the problem of evil and the role of God in a suffering world. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the importance of creating safe spaces for honest questioning and wrestling with doubt. Ultimately, Mason advocates for a broad and inclusive religious tent where the focus remains on a faithful God rather than the perfection of human messengers.
Don’t miss our previous conversation with Patrick: https://gospeltangents.com/people/patrick-mason/
Reframing Faith: Navigating the Moral Complexity of History and Belief
We explored the difficult terrain of faith crises, historical trauma, and the transition from a transactional to an authentic spiritual life. Mason, known for his pastoral works like Planted and Restoration, argues that we must move beyond a “vending machine” approach to God to find a more durable and honest faith.
The Trap of the Transactional God
Many believers grow up with an “illusion of contract,” believing that specific acts of obedience—like paying tithing or accepting every calling—guarantee divine protection from calamity. Mason points out that when life fails to follow this script, individuals often fall into a “bottomless pit” of self-blame, thinking they simply weren’t “perfect enough.” Drawing on the teachings of the Apostle Paul, Mason emphasizes that we cannot reach God purely through the law; instead, we must take individual authority over our spiritual lives while remaining anchored in a community that “decenters the ego.”
Confronting the “Moral Complexity” of History
One of the most challenging aspects of a faith journey involves reconciling modern morality with the actions of past leaders, particularly regarding issues like slavery and the priesthood ban. Mason addresses the “trap of presentism”—the idea that we shouldn’t judge the past by modern standards—by noting that even in the 19th century, there were voices like Orson Pratt who critiqued slavery as an offense to our theology using the scriptures available at the time. Furthermore, Rick challenges the historical justification that the priesthood ban was necessary for the Church’s survival, noting that other restoration branches never implemented such bans.
Patrick invites us to imagine a history where Brigham Young chose “radical racial inclusion” based on the Book of Mormon’s teaching that “all are alike unto God,” suggesting the Church might have been generations ahead in its global mission.
Facing Evil and Prophetic Fallibility
Mason’s reflections on the 1994 Rwanda genocide serve as a sobering lens for the “problem of evil.” After visiting massacre sites in Rwandan churches, he described the experience as a confrontation with “satanic” evil that defies easy theological answers and forces us to ask, “Where was God?” This recognition of human darkness extends to his view of prophetic fallibility. Mason asserts that while prophets are “reliable guides,” they are not infallible and do not claim to be. He believes it is a mistake to treat the scriptures or prophetic statements as inerrant, noting that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, not through the perfection of his messengers.
Creating Spaces to Wrestle with Faith
To help others navigate these complexities, Mason and his wife hosted a student group in their home for years, providing a space for open gospel conversations without “guard rails.” He found that when people are given the space to wrestle with difficult questions—ranging from LGBTQ+ issues to church history—they often discover their own spiritual authority and wisdom. Ultimately, Mason suggests that the most foundational Christian covenant is not a litmus test of witnessing, but the commitment to “mourn with those that mourn” and “bear one another’s burdens.” By creating spaces where people feel heard and validated, the community can move toward a more authentic and loving practice of the gospel.
Chapters
0:00 Meet Patrick Mason
7:42 Reframing Faith: Moving from Transaction Belief to Mature Faith
16:59 Presentism & Slavery
30:50 Problem of Evil/Rwandan Genocide
38:31 Prophetic Infallibility
52:07 Rwandan Genocide Books
52:56 Safe Spaces for Wrestling with Faith
1:00:43 Is Polygamy for eternal marriage or dynastic sealings?
1:04:26 Thankful for LDS Faith Journey Communities
1:07:02 Role of Sunday Meetings
How do you handle these complex theological problems over slavery, the priesthood ban, polygamy, or other controversial practices?
Wheat & Tares 
I appreciate the discussion of the “trap of presentism.” I always bristle when people defend BY as a “man of his time.” Yes, he was a man of his time but he was a BAD man of his time. Good men of his time included Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, people fighting to abolish slavery. Meanwhile Brigham Young was endorsing and protecting it with his full chest over the pulpit. (Footnote 9 in the gospel topic essay on race and the priesthood outs him as a “firm believer in slavery.” Prophet of which god, exactly?)
Think of all the heat Abraham Lincoln takes in modern discourse because his views on slavery were often politically pragmatic and didn’t call for complete abolition and enfranchisement from day one. And he signed the Emancipation Proclamation! Brother Brigham somehow gets held to a lower standard than his contemporaries and that’s before you even get to his harem full of minors or his various massacres of Native Americans.
The predominantly LDS legislature has made it so DEI or CRT is not allowed in K-12 schools and has been taken out of Universities. The LDS Church has the Come Follow Me manual for Sunday School, Relief Society, Primary, Priesthood, and Family Home Evening. There is no discussion of history, an incomplete discussion of some scriptures, and a lot of quotes from “modern” prophets. Why would we think there would be any navigating the moral complexity of history and belief in the church? Besides, those who question have been told they are lazy, and they should just have faith and believe.