Podcasts

I may have mentioned that for Mother's Day Richard gave me an iPod. I think I knew that an iPod involved more than just music, but all I really intended to do with it was listen to music. But one day as I was looking for something to listen to while I went jogging I recalled hearing a woman on Dr. Laura say that she listened to Dr. Laura's show via "podcast" while she exercised. So I clicked on the "Podcast" link in the iTunes store and a whole world was opened up to me.

I have enjoyed programs on NPR before so I started there. For those who haven't used this technology yet, the way it works is by "subscribing" to your favorite programs and then they are automatically uploaded to your iPod each time you connect it to your computer. This could be radio programs, sports programs, talk shows, you name it there's a podcast. I have barely just dipped my toe in the water and I'm already overwhelmed. But after subscribing to my favorite NPR programs I was somehow led to other programs including "This American Life" and "Best of YouTube".

It sounds very time-consuming. When do I listen to all these programs? Some are very short, but some are long and I enjoy listening to them while I clean bathrooms, jog, fold laundry, do dishes, dig weeds, etc. I have to exercise some restraint lest I completely alienate myself from my family by walking around with headphones in my ears. But it makes all those boring tasks tolerable, even enjoyable.

Well I heard about a show from American Public Media called "Speaking of Faith". I was looking over past episodes and naturally decided to listen to the one about Mormonism first. I figured that if the show accurately represented the way I feel about my religion then that would be a good start to developing a trust that the show accurately represents other faiths. (An important criteria for me when it comes to learning about religion.)

So I listened to the show, titled "Inside Mormon Faith". It was an interview with a member of the church and professor from BYU named Robert Millet and it aired in January around the time people were interested in Mitt Romney and asking questions about the church. Krista Tippets, who conducts the show/interview didn't get into the especially "difficult" issues surrounding the church because she felt they had been covered by mainstream media. She was fair and non-agressive but still asked uncomfortable questions. But Millet articulated things wonderfly. I was very impressed. Over the past few months I've heard various interviews about the LDS church on the news and references to the church by Glenn Beck and other tv/radio personalities especially with David Archuleta and Brooke White in the spotlight. But this was my favorite. It was almost an hour and there was plenty of time for Millet to really respond and share. I recommend it to all and if you have questions about how you can listen to it, just let me know.

One last thing- to anyone out there who listens to podcasts and has any good recommendations let me know! Not that I am in short supply... if nothing else there are conference sessions from years gone by to keep me occupied for awhile.