Episode 101: BYU Faculty Challenges, Partisan Optimism/Pessimism in 2025, A Felon in the White House

The Latter Day Lens

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The Salt Lake Tribune has a story about why a sizable number of faculty members at BYU are afraid. In the article and on the podcast the Tribune discusses this topic with former faculty members and only cites anonymous current faculty member sources. Should faithful latter-day saints be concerned about BYU faculty members' possible fear about policies that require them to agree with church policies?

Gallup conducted a survey of US adults asking them to make predictions about their expectations for 2025. Republicans are overwhelmingly positive in their expectations for 2025. They think that everything will be better except for political cooperation. Conversely, Democrats are overwhelmingly pessimistic in their expectations about everything for 2025. How should members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feel about 2025. On issues about which we know so little (economy, crime rates, international affairs), how should we determine our level of optimism about the future?

When he is sworn in next week, Trump will officially be the first president in the United States to enter office as a convicted felon. This means that in many states he will not have the right to vote, the right to own a gun, the right to travel abroad, or to serve on a jury. In many states, felons are not eligible to work for law enforcement, as a childcare professional, a teacher, or in the armed forces. Felons are not eligible for public housing, food stamps, SSI, or other federal and state grants. According to federal law, the person who is now commander in chief of the armed forces would not be eligible to serve in the armed forces. A majority of Americans decided in this last election that felony convictions should not stop a person from being president of the United States. In this case, many voters decided to not hold Trump's felony convictions against him. Shouldn't every felon have the same right in other areas of their lives? Is it morally wrong to deny felons their constitutionally protected rights? Shouldn't everybody have the chance to have their case looked at on an individual basis and not just have rights denied based on a felony conviction?
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Farewell to Sam
02:57 The Purpose of the Podcast
06:00 Marc's Journey to Faith
08:57 Concerns About BYU Faculty
12:02 Faith and Doubt in Academia
14:53 The Role of Social Media in Faith
18:10 Hiring Practices at BYU
20:57 Balancing Faith and Academic Freedom
23:47 The Impact of Social Issues on Faculty and Students
25:50 Impact of Education on Faith
28:47 Optimism and Political Perspectives
36:11 Felons and Their Rights
46:02 Finding Common Ground