Mormon Stories Podcast

Latest Episodes:

1667: Coming Out as the Gay Son of a Mormon Bishop, Serving a Mission - Evan and Weston Smith Pt.2 Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

Trigger Warning: Suicidal Ideation

Evan Smith rose through the ranks of Mormon leadership ultimately becoming a Stake Presidency member. While serving as an LDS Bishop, Evan struggled with the Church’s positions on LGBTQ+ issues and later found out that his son Weston was gay. Even after coming out, Weston decided to serve an LDS Mission as an openly gay man, leading him to high levels of depression and heartbreaking experiences during and after coming back early from his mission. Evan became an advocate for LGBTQ people in the Church. His position as a Stake Presidency Counselor led him to a few confrontations/discussions with General Authorities and a later meeting at Church Headquarters where they discussed Evan’s progressive beliefs on LGBTQ matters. In Part 2 of 3, we start off where we left with Weston’s story growing up as a gay Mormon kid, discovering his sexuality, his suicidal ideation, and his decision to serve a mission as an “out” gay Mormon. Upon experiencing suicidality again on his mission Weston has a “spiritual experience” which leads to his resolve to leave the church and live a happy life. Meanwhile, Evan gets a call to become a 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency.

Episode Show Notes

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1666: Becoming a Progressive Mormon Bishop, Son Comes Out as Gay - Evan and Wes Smith Pt. 1 Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

Evan became an advocate for LGBTQ people in the Church. His position as a Stake Presidency Counselor led him to a few confrontations/discussions with General Authorities and a later meeting at Church Headquarters where they discussed Evan’s progressive beliefs on LGBTQ matters. Join John and Gerardo as they interview Evan and his son Weston about their fascinating Mormon Story.
In Part 1 of 3, we learn of Evan’s relatively normal LDS (Mormon) upbringing in Utah, early testimony-building experiences, and troubling issues on his mission regarding difficult Church topics including the Church’s racism & homophobia. Evan attends BYU and meets his wife, Cheryl, and works through law school with three children. He becomes a Branch President (leader of a local congregation-similar to a Bishop, but over a smaller congregation) and begins learning Gospel teachings and experiences weren’t as simple as they initially seemed, culminating in his son, Weston, coming out to him as gay.

Episode Show Notes

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1665: Race & Mormon Scripture Pt 2 w/ LDS Discussions - 22 Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

Join us for Part 2 of our discussion on Race and the Book of Mormon. Today Mike and John go over the various apologetics for the apparent racism in the Book of Mormon and early Church leaders, from denying those particular scriptures are literal, to saying “everyone was racist back then” and of course, breaking down the various problems each creates for a Church said to be built on the basis of revelation to modern prophets.

1663: Race and Mormon Scripture Pt 1 w/ LDS Discussions - 21

LDSdiscussions.com Essay on Race

Episode Show Notes

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1664: Boy Scouts Bankruptcy and the Mormon Church - An Update w/ Tim Kosnoff Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of Sexual Assault, Rape, Child Abuse

Tim Kosnoff is back to share an update about the Boy Scouts of America Bankruptcy Filing and urgent deadline at the end of 2022 for anyone in California who was abused by a Boy Scout Leader outside of official BSA activities to be able to join a class-action lawsuit before the window is closed forever.

Anyone with questions or think this might apply to themselves or someone they love are encouraged to contact an attorney (ideally one with experience with child abuse claims) to learn more. Tim Kosnoff is a US attorney who has spent the last two decades representing victims of abuse and has graciously volunteered to talk with anyone who may have questions about this case. Contact info provided below.

Free BSA Consult Hotline: 206-785-7326
Tim Kosnoff: https://kosnoff.com
https://twitter.com/SexAbuseAttys
Abused In Scouting Website

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1663: Race and Mormon Scripture Pt 1 w/ LDS Discussions - 21 Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Join Mike from LDSdiscussions.com and John as they discuss race and Mormon scripture. This is part 1 of a 2-part series. We are also grateful to have a few call-in guests for this episode.

Today’s episode covers:

Personal stories from black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) of the racist things said to them and ways they were treated, and how psychologically harmful the racist doctrines have been for them
The most problematic verses and teaching of past prophets from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that specifically highlight dark or black skin as a curse directly from God
Context and proof showing the belief literally meant dark skin and was not an idiom or euphemism for anything else
The early belief that the skin color of Indigenous North Americans could/did actually change to become lighter when converting to Mormonism and living more “righteously”
The Book of Abraham as evidence of Joseph Smith’s racism, codifying racism into scripture for ALL black people, not just as a curse specific to North American Indigenous people as stated in the Book of Mormon.
The doctrinal basis for the early Mormon ban against black people worshiping and marrying in the Temple, as well as the ban against black Mormon men from receiving the Priesthood, the authority needed to hold any leadership position in the Church as well as perform essential saving ordinances such as baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost etc.
The real reasons the Church was pressured to lift the ban and the measures taken to make it happen despite continued vehement opposition among some Church leaders.

1665: Race & Mormon Scripture Pt 2 w/ LDS Discussions – 22

LDS Discussions Essay on Race

Episode Show Notes

_________________________

LDS Discussions is made possible by generous donors!
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1662: Losing Faith as the Grandson of an LDS Apostle (Joseph B. Wirthlin) - Greg Gerritsen Pt. 2 Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

Join us for Part 2 of our 2-part interview with pilot Greg Gerritsen

Join us for Part 2 of our 2-part interview with pilot Greg Gerritsen - grandson of the late and much believed Mormon or LDS Church apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin. In this series, Greg shares with us more of his own journey in the Church including:

Greg's mission experiences, many made more difficult by knowledge of his relationship with Elder Wirthlin
What Greg learned at Weber that began affecting his testimony
How often General Authorities miss out on family activities and events in service to the Church
How the Church deals with aging apostles once they begin to lose lucidity
How Greg lost his LDS testimony in spite of descending from the Mormon "elite," and what led him to want to tell his story.

Also, Greg shares his opinion on whether his grandfather actually "saw" Jesus Christ as an LDS apostle. We hope you enjoy!!!

Episode Show Notes

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1661: Growing Up As a Grandson of a Mormon Apostle (Joseph B Wirthlin) - Greg Gerritsen Pt 1 Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

Join us for Part 1 of our 2-part interview with pilot Greg Gerritsen - grandson of the late and much believed Mormon or LDS Church apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin. In this series, Greg shares with us many fascinating stories about his experiences with his grandfather including:

The tendency of LDS church members to overly worship General Authorities, along with the unhealthy obsession some Mormons have with "access" to General Authorities.
The undying love Elder Wirthlin had for his wife (Elisa), his family, and for football.
The extent to which nepotism, cronyism, and patronage play a part in the selection of LDS church General Authorities.
The downsides/sacrifices of being an LDS church Apostle/General Authority.
The existence of divisions and "cliques" in the LDS church quorum of the 12 Apostles.
The unhealthy pressures and expectations put on the children and grandchildren of LDS General Authorities, that often lead to a familial emphasis on "public appearance" over healthy relationships.
The "code" that exists within families of LDS General Authorities to never do or say anything to bring dishonor to the family name or church, including speaking out about a loss of faith, which leads many descendants of LDS apostles to lie about and/or hide their loss of faith.

Episode Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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Mormon Stories Podcast

PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

Insta: @mormstories

Tiktok: @mormstories

Join the Discord

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox

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Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App

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MormonStories@gmail.com

Mormon Stories Podcast

PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

Insta: @mormstories

Tiktok: @mormstories

Join the Discord

1660: Why do Ex-Mormons Appear So Angry? w/ John Larsen & Carah Burrell Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

[TW] Abuse, suicide

Carah B, John L, and John D go over the tropes and stereotypes of "hateful" ex-Mormons.

Episode Show Notes

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Donate to support John/Carah Show for Mormon Expressions

Mormon Expressions Podcast on Spotify

Nuancehoe/Carah Burrell’s Channel

John Larsen’s Channel

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox

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Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App

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Mormon Stories Podcast

PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

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1659: Word of Wisdom w/ LDS Discussions - 20 Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

John and Mike discuss the origins and influences around Joseph Smith and the Creation of the Word of Wisdom.

Episode Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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Mormon Stories Podcast

PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

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Tiktok: @mormstories

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1658: Tough Questions for John Dehlin - Patrick Mason Pt 3 Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

Patrick Mason returns to flip the script and put John under scrutiny!

Patrick Q. Mason holds the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at USU. He has written or edited several books, including Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict (Maxwell Institute and Deseret Book, 2021); Mormonism and Violence: The Battles of Zion (Cambridge University Press, 2019); What Is Mormonism? A Student's Introduction (Routledge, 2017); Out of Obscurity: Mormonism since 1945, co-edited with John Turner (Oxford University Press, 2016); Directions for Mormon Studies in the Twenty-First Century (University of Utah Press, 2016); and The Mormon Menace: Violence and Anti-Mormonism in the Postbellum South (Oxford University Press, 2011). He was a Fulbright Scholar in Romania in 2015 and is a past president of the Mormon History Association. Professor Mason is frequently consulted by the national and international media on stories related to Mormon culture and history. He teaches courses on Mormonism, American religious history, and religion, violence, and peacebuilding.

1656-1658: A Scholarly Defense of Mormonism - Patrick Mason

Patrick Mason

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