Mormon Stories Podcast

Today Mormon Stories is honored to talk with Anthony Magnabosco about his Catholic background, development of the Street Epistemology interviewing technique, and a discussion about the atheist community at large. We hope you enjoy this first-of-its-kind interview to get to know Anthony better and continue to join us all week long as we dive into the world of Street Epistemology!

Show Notes:

• Street Epistemology links
• Anthony Magnabosco links
• Street Epistemology YouTube channel
• Anthony Magnabosco's YouTube channel
• The Complete Street Epistemology Guide
• Donate to Street Epistemology
• Anthony Magnabosco's interview with Marriage on a Tightrope
• Street Epistemology Facebook Study Group
• Street Epistemology Discord
• Street Epistemology Reddit
• Recovering From Religion
• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
• A Manual for Creating Atheists by Peter Boghossian
• The "Friendly Atheist" blog by Hemant Mehta
• Richard Dawkins' debate with Brandon Flowers
• Street Epistemology International
• Mormon Stories interview with Shawn McCraney
• Another Mormon Stories interview with Shawn McCraney
• Heart of Matter podcast with Shawn McCraney
• Shawn McCraney's YouTube channel
• Anthony interviewing Mormon missionaries
• RFM vs. Midnight Mormons Debate, moderated by Shawn McCraney
• How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay
• Street Epistemology Facebook
• Street Epistemology Twitter
• How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion by David McRaney
• "You Are Not So Smart" podcast, with David McRaney

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Show Notes:

• Street Epistemology links
• Anthony Magnabosco links

Mormon Stories is excited to be joined in studio each day this week by Anthony Magnabosco for an exciting introduction into the world of Street Epistemology! 

In part 1, airing live, Carah and John play clips from Anthony's well-known YouTube channel where he practices Street Epistemology to give Mormon Stories listeners a feel for the technique Anthony, and others like him with "Street Epistemology International", use in conversations with various random people on the street to find out if they have good reasons to believe their claims.

Join us Monday at 11am mountain time for this introductory episode and don't miss our week of Anthony Magnabosco interviews!

Show Notes:

• Street Epistemology links
• Anthony Magnabosco links
• Street Epistemology YouTube channel
• Anthony Magnabosco's YouTube channel
• The Complete Street Epistemology Guide
• Donate to Street Epistemology
• Anthony Magnabosco's interview with Marriage on a Tightrope
• Street Epistemology Facebook Study Group
• Street Epistemology Discord
• Street Epistemology Reddit
• Recovering From Religion
• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
• A Manual for Creating Atheists by Peter Boghossian
• The "Friendly Atheist" blog by Hemant Mehta
• Richard Dawkins' debate with Brandon Flowers
• Street Epistemology International
• Mormon Stories interview with Shawn McCraney
• Another Mormon Stories interview with Shawn McCraney
• Heart of Matter podcast with Shawn McCraney
• Shawn McCraney's YouTube channel
• Anthony interviewing Mormon missionaries
• RFM vs. Midnight Mormons Debate, moderated by Shawn McCraney
• How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay
• Street Epistemology Facebook
• Street Epistemology Twitter
• How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion by David McRaney
• "You Are Not So Smart" podcast, with David McRaney

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We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

Click here to donate monthly: $10 $25 $50

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Show Notes:

• Street Epistemology links
• Anthony Magnabosco links

A strong trigger warning for the following episode for discussions around conversion therapy, descriptions of torture, anorexia, and suicide. Mormon Stories is honored to have conversion therapy survivor, suicide survivor, and LGBT+ advocate Nate Winterton on to tell their harrowing story. If you thought the days of Mormon electroshock torture were relics of the past, Nate recounts what they endured at the hands of an LDS “therapist” as recently as 2016. Growing up with enormous health challenges, Nate recognized feelings of same-sex attraction early on in their childhood.

We discuss Nate’s staunch commitment to the Mormon faith, anorexia while serving a mission, and Nate’s decision to confide in a bishop about their feelings for men, leading Nate to a house and a therapist that would change the course of their life.

Please practice self-care as you listen to this episode as we highlight the unfortunate reality that the practice of conversion therapy and torture to change the sexual orientation of gay Mormons continues still today.

**Trigger warning on this episode***

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As part of our longstanding and undying commitment to organizational transparency, please join me for a spontaneous Q&A about Mormon Stories Podcast, the Open Stories Foundation, the THRIVE Foundation, and any other topic you want us to discuss!  Please post your questions in the comments below!!!

This video was made primarily as a response to what we believe was an unprofessional and unbalanced inquiry into the THRIVE Foundation by Peggy Fletcher Stack and Tony Semerad of the Salt Lake Tribune.

This is my second attempt at a response.  My first response was a little angrier than I wanted it to be (I'm calling that the "caffeinated version"), and so I am rerecording to invoke my wiser self ("decaffeinated version"). The substance will remain the same, although the slides are slightly improved.

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The holidays are among us! But if you're feeling like relationships with family and friends have fractured since your faith crisis and need help navigating sensitive topics, we invite you to join this important Mormon Stories episode with Margi, John and Carah.

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Show Notes:

• Facebook discussion of topic
• Instagram discussion of topic
• Youtube community discussion of topic
• Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis

Friends! 🎁 Do you value Mormon Stories Podcast? 🎄 Please help us beat last year’s fundraising goal! Or if you’d prefer, Facebook may even match your donation!  https://www.facebook.com/donate/321279426221728/

2021 has been an incredible year for Mormon Stories Podcast. Improvements include:

• We made significant investments in camera and lighting equipment (thanks Gerardo!).
• We brought on Carah Burrell as co-host and producer for the podcast.
• We launched a highly successful TikTok channel, and have increased our Instagram efforts to help reach new audiences.
• We have significantly grown our YouTube audience, and
• We’ve made strides in providing time codes and show notes/links on every episode as well as shorter clips available on our Understanding Mormonism YouTube channel to better disseminate our content and information.

We have major plans for 2022 and beyond! Help us beat last year's campaign, and thank you for all of your support!!!!  And again, if you're not on Facebook, you can always donate here.

A strong trigger warning leads off this special Mormon Stories episode with our guest who prefers to be referred to as “Rachel '' for this interview. We discuss Rachel’s father being called as a mission president, the abuse she endured, and the subsequent cover-up from those in positions of power in the LDS church.

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Show notes:

• The LDS church's Gospel Topics Essays
• Mormon Stories episode with Matt Long

Is there space in the Mormon church for non-literal believers? Mormon Stories is joined today by Jon Westover, professor and former church apologist with FAIR Mormon to help us discover if the non-orthodox  “middle way” is still a tenable path. We hope you enjoy hearing Jon’s story! 

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Show notes:

• Ed Decker Mormon Stories interview
• Jon’s “Human Capital Innovations Podcast”
• Elder Packer General Conference remarks about same-sex attraction 
• Why People Leave the Church Mormon Stories video
• Laurie Lee Hall Mormon Story
• John Dehlin vs Scott Gordon debate at UVU
• John Lynch MS interview
• Queer Mormon Theology Blair Osler

Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames are our guests for this epic Mormon Stories interview where we discuss their escape from the NXIVM cult. We discuss the similarities between NXIVM leader Keith Raniere and Joseph Smith, including secret societies existing within the larger group, and the similar tactics used to control so many people.

Sarah and Nippy share which vulnerabilities led them to become involved in NXIVM and once they were in, what tactics were used to get them to ignore red flags and their own instincts, even as far as Sarah allowing herself to be “branded” with Keith Raniere’s initials on her skin. How does one “wake up” after being willing to go so far?

Sarah and Nippy share their paths to regaining control of their own minds and bodies to face the hard truth about what they used to believe–and how they turn that devastation into a united determination to expose Keith for what he really is to the world. We hope you’ll resonate with Sarah and Nippy’s fascinating and gripping story!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

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MormonStories@gmail.com 

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 

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• Join the Discord

Show notes and links:

• A Little Bit Culty podcast
• The Vow on HBO
• Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life
• Don't Call it a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM
• Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
• Holy Hell film
• Wild Wild Country
• Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control

Mormon Stories is honored to sit down with Cody Alan, host and producer of CMT Radio in Nashville, TN. In this fun and heartfelt interview, we discuss Cody's conversion to the LDS church as well as his suppression and acceptance of his gay identity. Cody shares so much wisdom with us and we hear some fun stories about his life in country radio and the musical artists who have supported him through this long and hard journey to come out. We hope you enjoy our interview with Cody and support him by purchasing a copy of his new book, "Hear's the Thing: Lessons on Listening, Life, and Love".

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Recently in a speech given at the University of Virginia, Mormon apostle Elder Dallin H. Oaks denied that Electroshock Therapy as a form of gay conversion therapy was used/studied during his tenure as president of Brigham Young University in the 1970s.

Join us on 11/18/2021 at 3pm (mountain) where we will discuss the history of Electroshock Therapy at BYU - and determine whether or not Dallin H. Oaks was being truthful when he denied that gay Electroshock therapy was used/studied at BYU during his time as BYU President. We will be joined by historian Connell O'Donovan and Kyle Ashworth.

Show Notes:

• Part 1 of Mormon Stories discussion about Oaks' visit to UVA 
• "Going Forward with Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination," address by Elder Dallin H. Oaks at the University of Virginia on November 12, 2021
• Q&A session (and partial transcript) with Dallin Oaks before the UVA address Latter Gay Stories podcast, hosted by Kyle Ashworth 
• Mormon historian Connell O'Donovan 
• "On The Record: A Chronology of LGBTQ+ Messaging," by Latter Gay Stories Affirmation LGBTQ Mormons, Family, and Friends 
• Dallin H. Oaks’ bio
• "A Message to Young Men," Boyd K. Packer's "little factory" talk from 1976 General Conference, in which he compared sperm production to a factory as a way to discourage boys from masturbating 
• A side-by-side comparison of the original vs. the Church-edited version of Hartman Rector's 1981 General Conference talk "Turning the Hearts"
• "Effect of Visual Stimuli in Electric Aversion Therapy," by Max Ford McBride, Psychology dissertation, Brigham Young University, 1976 
• FAIR's response to electroshock and vomit aversion at BYU 
• Legacies, BYU Electroshock Documentary, Gentile Pictures, 1996
  Goodbye, I Love You by Carol Lynn Pearson 
• The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball 
• "The Abominable and Detestable Crime Against Nature: A Revised History of Homosexuality & Mormonism, 1840-1980," by Connell O'Donovan 
• Dr. Allen Bergin apologizes for his role in carrying out electroshock aversion at BYU in the 1970s
• "Dallin Oaks says shock therapy of gays didn't happen at BYU while he was president. Records show otherwise," by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune, November 16, 2021

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We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

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Recently in a speech given at the University of Virginia, Mormon apostle Elder Dallin H. Oaks denied that Electroshock Therapy as a form of gay conversion therapy was used/studied during his tenure as president of Brigham Young University in the 1970s.

Join us on 11/18/2021 at 3pm (mountain) where we will discuss the history of Electroshock Therapy at BYU - and determine whether or not Dallin H. Oaks was being truthful when he denied that gay Electroshock therapy was used/studied at BYU during his time as BYU President. We will be joined by historian Connell O'Donovan and Kyle Ashworth.

Show Notes:

• "Going Forward with Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination," address by Dallin Oaks at the University of Virginia on November 12, 2021
• Q&A session with Dallin Oaks prior to the UVA address
• Latter Gay Stories podcast, hosted by Kyle Ashworth
• Mormon Stories interview with Hannah Comeau
• Hunter et. al. v. the United States Department of Education
• The Religious Exemption Accountability Project
• "School of Law event with Dallin Oaks draws protest from Lambda Law Alliance," by Merrill Hart, The Cavalier Daily, November 16, 2021
• "On The Record: A Chronology of LGBTQ+ Messaging," by Latter Gay Stories
• Mormon Stories interviews with Greg Prince
• "Principles to Govern Possible Public Statement on Legislation Affecting Rights of Homosexuals," Statement by Dallin Oaks on August 7, 1984
• "Dallin Oaks says shock therapy of gays didn't happen at BYU while he was president. Records show otherwise," by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune, November 16, 2021
• Church statement denouncing conversion therapy---insofar as it involves "abusive practices" and allowing a "religious exemption" to the ban
• A screenshot of the 2012 Church website "Mormon and Gay"
• Another screenshot of the 2012 Church website "Mormon and Gay"
• In 2016, the name, tone, and content of the “Mormon and Gay” website were changed.
• "The Popular Myth of the Victimless Crime," by Dallin H. Oaks, Brigham Young University Press, 1974

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*MormonStories@gmail.com

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

What happens when two closeted lesbian Mormon women marry men, have children, then cross paths and fall in love? In this very special Mormon Stories 2 part episode, we are honored to share one of the most important interviews in the history of the podcast. This is the story of Lena Schwen and Sal Osborne. In part 1, Sal describes dating in high school, feeling as though part of her died as she married a man in the LDS temple, and struggling with her ex-husband and band mate as they toured in the group “Love You Long Time”. Lena, a teenage convert from a divorced Catholtic Italian home, takes us through the heartbreaking events that led to her conversion into the LDS church. Lena has a truly unique story and fascinating perspectives from the eyes of a convert! We end part one with Lena realizing that raising children with the values taught by the LDS church made her feel like her time being a dedicated Mormon wife was running out. We hope you’ll tune in to part 2 to hear how these two amazing women overcame enormous hurdles to become the couple they are today!

Show Notes:

• Wipeout, Season 2 Episode 8, Sal and her former husband were the winners 
• Sal and her husband's band, Love You Long Time 
• Sal's Instagram for coaching LGBTQ people who are coming out 
• Peace Out podcast hosted by Sal Osborne 
• Lena's holistic nutrition business 
• Mormon Stories interview with Tyler Glenn 
• Mormon Stories interview with Wayne and Alex Sermon 
• Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber 
• The Principles of Healthy Sexuality, with Natasha Helfer, on Mormon Stories 
• Mormon Stories interview with Tom Phillips 
• Letter for My Wife 
• Jennifer Finlayson-Fife's "Art of Desire" workshops 
• The Family: A Proclamation to the World 
• Testimonies and Spiritual Experiences Across Religions - Emotions are Not Reliable to Discern Truth

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We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

Click here to donate monthly: $10 $25 $50

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—————

We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

Click here to donate monthly: $10 $25 $50

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MSP on Spotify

MSP on Apple Podcasts

MSP Blog

Instagram

Patreon

TikTok

Discord

Contact Us!

*MormonStories@gmail.com

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

What happens when two closeted lesbian Mormon women marry men, have children, then cross paths and fall in love? In this very special Mormon Stories 2 part episode, we are honored to share one of the most important interviews in the history of the podcast. This is the story of Lena Schwen and Sal Osborne. In part 1, Sal describes dating in high school, feeling as though part of her died as she married a man in the LDS temple, and struggling with her ex-husband and band mate as they toured in the group “Love You Long Time”. Lena, a teenage convert from a divorced Catholtic Italian home, takes us through the heartbreaking events that led to her conversion into the LDS church. Lena has a truly unique story and fascinating perspectives from the eyes of a convert! We end part one with Lena realizing that raising children with the values taught by the LDS church made her feel like her time being a dedicated Mormon wife was running out. We hope you’ll tune in to part 2 to hear how these two amazing women overcame enormous hurdles to become the couple they are today!

Show Notes:

• Wipeout, Season 2 Episode 8, Sal and her former husband were the winners 
• Sal and her husband's band, Love You Long Time 
• Sal's Instagram for coaching LGBTQ people who are coming out 
• Peace Out podcast hosted by Sal Osborne 
• Lena's holistic nutrition business 
• Mormon Stories interview with Tyler Glenn 
• Mormon Stories interview with Wayne and Alex Sermon 
• Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber 
• The Principles of Healthy Sexuality, with Natasha Helfer, on Mormon Stories 
• Mormon Stories interview with Tom Phillips 
• Letter for My Wife 
• Jennifer Finlayson-Fife's "Art of Desire" workshops 
• The Family: A Proclamation to the World 
• Testimonies and Spiritual Experiences Across Religions - Emotions are Not Reliable to Discern Truth

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We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

Click here to donate monthly: $10 $25 $50

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MSP on Spotify

MSP on Apple Podcasts

MSP Blog

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Contact Us!

*MormonStories@gmail.com

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Join us this Wednesday at noon as Luna Corbden, Marc Oslund, Gerardo, and John discuss the Mormon Church's efforts to use the psychological theory of inoculation to pre-expose the youth to weakened versions of the troubling history through an updated CES and Sunday School curriculum. 

"... Please, before you send them into the world, inoculate your students by providing faithful, thoughtful, and accurate interpretation of gospel doctrine, the scriptures, our history, and those topics that are sometimes misunderstood.

The effort for gospel transparency and spiritual inoculation through a thoughtful study of doctrine and history, coupled with a burning testimony, is the best antidote we have to help students avoid and/or deal with questions, doubt, or faith crises they may face in this information age."

M. Russell Ballard, February 26, 2016

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/article/evening-with-a-general-authority/2016/02/the-opportunities-and-responsibilities-of-ces-teachers-in-the-21st-century?lang=eng

Show Notes:

• Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control by Luna Lindsey Corbden
• "Examining Mormon Mind Control" with Luna Lindsey Corbden on Mormon Stories 
• Mormon Stories interview with Marc Oslund 
• M. Russell Ballard's February 2016 CES Employees Devotional encouraging "inoculation" 
• "Sister to Sister," 2019 BYU Women's Conference 
• "Youth Need 'Inoculation' Against the World," by Melissa Merrill, Ensign, 2004 
• "Will You Engage in the Wrestle?" a 2016 devotional by Sheri Dew at BYU-Idaho 
• "Doctrinal Mastery," a 2016 Seminary training by Chad H. Webb
• Mormon Stories' interview with Sandra Tanner 
• "Boys Need Heroes Close By," by President Spencer W. Kimball at General Conference 1976
• Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft "Freedom or Captivity," by Matthew Flitton, Ensign, 2018
• "Dispelling the Illusion of Invulnerability: The Motivations and Mechanisms of Resistance to Persuasion," by BJ Sagarin, et. al., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002 
• Marc Oslund's Instagram 
• Luna Cordben's Twitter 
• Luna Corbden's website

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*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

James Jesse Strang (March 21, 1813 – July 9, 1856) was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch. In 1844 he claimed to have been appointed to be the successor of Joseph Smith as leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite),[a] a faction of the Latter Day Saint movement. Strang testified that he had possession of a letter from Smith naming him as his successor, and furthermore reported that he had been ordained to the prophetic office by an angel. His organization is claimed by his followers to be the sole legitimate continuation of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith fourteen years before. (Source: Wikipedia)

Show notes:

• Mormon Expression with John Larsen
• "Worst Regional Conference Ever," with John Larsen on Mormon Stories
• King of Beaver Island: The Life and Assassination of James Jesse Strang by Roger Van Noord
• Joseph Smith's "Letter of Appointment" to James Strang
• Images of the Voree Plates
• The Book of the Law of the Lord, Strang's translation of the Vorhee Plates
• The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power by D. Michael Quinn
• The Manipulated Mind: Brainwashing, Conditioning, and Indoctrination by Denise Winn
• By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion by Terryl L. Givens
• Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control by Luna Lindsey Corbden
• Mormon Stories' interview with Luna Lindsey Corbden

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We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

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MSP on Apple Podcasts

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*MormonStories@gmail.com

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

THRIVEDAY is 11 days away!  The speaker lineup and music are epic. 

Also, we have added a reception/open bar/karaoke night on 11/13 at 7pm.  I'd love to party with you all!

Our only goals are to: 1) Inspire and give Ex-Mormons hope and healing, and 2) Help Ex-Mormons find friends and community.  

Please come if you are seeking any of this.  Would love to see you there!

Registration is here! 

https://www.thrivebeyondreligion.com/event/thrive-day-2021

John Dehlin has never been so lucky!

He’s joined today by the folks who have been dubbed “The Britvengers”, a collection of progressive and post Mormons who all have one thing in common, they’re British! 

They will be discussing what is being called “The British Rescue”. On Halloween Weekend 3 Senior Apostles are coming and addressing the UK membership. Is this a rescue?

The Britvengers are:

• Nemo the Mormon https://www.youtube.com/c/NEMOTHEMORMON
• Peter Bleakley https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNYIeulcLs85NLINDyxzHQQ
• 21st Century Saints https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLESyNtVAdYF52HVt5Cu-Ew
• Laura & Julian Heath https://www.facebook.com/groups/143828186747679
• Priesthood Dispatches https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx5yNRufseSR_JxYC8GJ2iA

Show Notes:

• 21st Century Saints Podcast
• 21st Century Saints' interview with John Dehlin
• Mormon Civil War Podcast
• Sunstone UK
• Priesthood Dispatches blog and podcast
• Nemo the Mormon Podcast
• Zelph on the Shelf
• "Remembering the Swedish Rescue" on Mormon Stories
• Mormon Stories' interview with Douglas Stilgoe
• Mormon Stories' interview with Tom Phillips about the Second Anointing
• "Leaders and Managers," Address by Hugh Nibley at BYU in 1983

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*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Mormon Stories is honored to welcome American historian and author Newell Bringhurt on the podcast to discuss the life of Fawn Brodie, author of “No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith”. We discuss Newell’s biography of Fawn Brodie, her life as niece of LDS prophet David O. McKay, her faith, her influences to write one of the most influential books in Mormon history, and its reception by the church.

Show notes:

• Fawn Brodie: A Biographer's Life by Newell Bringhurst
• No Man Knows My History by Fawn M. Brodie
• "Appraisal of the So-Called Brodie Book," Anonymous, Deseret News, May 11, 1946
• "A Lesson from Dandy," by David O. McKay, 1968 General Conference
• No, Ma'am, That's Not History: A Brief Review of Mrs. Brodie's Reluctant Vindication of a Prophet She Seeks to Expose by Hugh Nibley
• "Can We Manipulate the Past?" Address by Fawn Brodie at the University of Utah in 1967
• "The Manipulation of History," by Marvin S. Hill, Dialogue:A Journal of Mormon Thought, Fall 1970
• Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman
• Newell Bringhurst's review of Rough Stone Rolling
• "My 'Affair' with Fawn Brodie: Motives, Pain, and Pleasure," by Newell G. Bringhurst, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Fall 2002
• Other books by Newell Bringhurst
• Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History by Fawn M. Brodie
• Mormonism Unveiled: The Life and Confession of John D. Lee and Brigham Young by John D. Lee
• The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Juanita Brooks
• David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory A. Prince
• "The Private vs. The Public David O. McKay: Profile of a Complex Personality," by Newell G. Bringhurst, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Fall 1998
• Thaddeus Stevens: Scourge of the South by Fawn M. Brodie
• The Devil Drives: A Life of Sir Richard Burton by Fawn M. Brodie
• Brigham Young and the Expanding American Frontier by Newell G. Bringhurst
• Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet by Dan Vogel
• Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard J. Arrington
• In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith by Todd M. Compton
• Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery
• Early Mormonism and the Magic Worldview by D. Michael Quinn
• Mormon Stories' interview with Richard Bushman
• The American Religion by Harold Bloom
• An Insider's View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer
• Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People within Mormonism by Newell G. Bringhurst

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*PO Box 171085

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Join us with Australian geneticist Simon Southerton as we break down with Australian geneticist Simon Southerton the Heartland model of Book of Mormon geography which proposes that the events described in the Book of Mormon took place, primarily, in the heartland of North America. The main proponent of this model, Rodney Meldrum, and his followers have been described as a "movement" that could transform the LDS Church.

Simon will explain how one of the main pieces of "evidence" that the FIRM enterprise promotes is built on a single questionable claim which Meldrum has been making for over 15 years even after being corrected by several non-Mormon scientists, Simon himself, FairMormon, and LDS scholars at BYU, including Ugo Perego.

Show Notes:

• "The fight over Book of Mormon Geography," by Michael DeGroote, Deseret News, May 27, 2010
• “An Outsider’s View of Mormon Archaeology with Dr. Michael Coe” on Mormon Stories
• “LIDAR, Response to John Sorenson, and the Book of Mormon with MesoAmerican Archaeologist Dr. Michael Coe” on Mormon Stories
• Dean Sessions' Universal Model
• Rod Meldrum's FIRM Foundation (Foundation for Indigenous Research and Mormonism)
• "How Heartland Began and Continues," by Rod Meldrum with input from Rian Nelson
• "Civilizations Lost and Found: Fabricating History," by Deborah A. Bolnick, et. al., Book of Mormon Archeological Foundation, 2012
  Part 1
  Part 2
  Part 3
• Kennewick Man: The Scientific Investigation of an Ancient American Skeleton by Douglas W. Owsley
• Face of a Nephite: DNA Studies and the Book of Mormon by David Read
• Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church by Simon G. Southerton

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Join us today for an important discussion! In this special Mormon Stories live stream, Carah Burrell is honored to talk with excommunicated Mormon sex therapist Natasha Helfer to discuss the criticism of her found in Cwic Media’s video about her disciplinary council. Natasha and Carah plan to go point by point to address various accusations about her intentions and hopefully foster a better understanding of what constitutes healthy sexuality for people in and out of the LDS church.

Show Notes:

• GetMormonHelp.com/Symmetry Solutions
• Mormon Sex Info podcast, hosted by Natasha Helfer 
• Six Principles of Sexual Health
• Greg Matsen's YouTube video, "Natasha Helfer Disciplinary Council Explained"
• Natasha Helfer's writings on masturbation:
  "My Official Stance on Masturbation," Patheos, August 6, 2012 
  "Neither a Sin nor a Transgression," Sunstone Magazine, November 28, 2015 
• "A Parent's Guide," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Anti-pornography campaign “Fight the New Drug”
• The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists
• The Mormon Mental Health Association (secular, but LDS culturally competent)
• The Association of Latter-day Saint Counselors and Psychotherapists (practitioners must agree to follow the Church's teachings)

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Join Margi, John, and Carah as Margi discusses the Conscious Parenting model, and how it can help with parenting “when all else fails.”

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Show notes and links:

• The Conscious Parent book
• The Awakened Family: How to Raise Empowered, Resilient, and Conscious Children book
• Out of Control book
• Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis – Conscious Parenting After a Religious Faith Transition
• Staying Grounded Mormon Stories episode with Margi
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr
• Eckhart Tolle podcast series with Oprah

Please join us as John and Gerardo respond to a recent interview on the Mayim Bialik's Breakdown podcast where David Archuleta shared his experience being Mormon and gay.

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Show notes:

• David's interview with Mayim Bialik
• A Little Book of Ace by Clara Dehlin
• Let’s learn about asexuality and aromanticism with Clara Dehlin
• David Talks about Elder Holland’s comments
• Tabernacles of Clay
• Matt Easton MS Interview
• Centennial Commons Petition
• "On The Record" from Latter Gay Stories
• THRIVEDAY

McKay ‘Spartacus’ Johnson is our guest today for this fantastic two-part Mormon Stories interview. Carah Burrell takes the reins again as lead interviewer as we talk to McKay about battling a “Nephi complex” growing up, early exposure to pornography, and his mission to Brasil where he describes being groomed by his mission companion and sexually assaulted. It’s an intense and undercover topic and we thank McKay for coming on the podcast to share his experience being a male sexual assault survivor.

In part two, McKay tells us about what it was like to heal from his mission and deconstruct the homophobic ideas he carried with him after his assault. Eventually getting married and divorced, we discuss with McKay what happened the night he confessed to his wife he had been occasionally viewing pornography and what can be done in Mormon culture to shift the unhelpful and counterproductive labeling of men like McKay. McKay is also a talented TikToker and musician, so we are happy he could find time to take a break from playing rock god to join us on Mormon Stories and we hope you’ll support him wherever his talents take him! 

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault.

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Show notes: 

• @Spartacus_Unchained on TikTok
• Healthier approaches to porn and masturbation
• @ExMoLex on TikTok
• @ExMormonMindy on TikTok
• @NuanceHoe on TikTok
• SuitUpSoldier.com

McKay ‘Spartacus’ Johnson is our guest today for this fantastic two-part Mormon Stories interview. Carah Burrell takes the reins again as lead interviewer as we talk to McKay about battling a “Nephi complex” growing up, early exposure to pornography, and his mission to Brasil where he describes being groomed by his mission companion and sexually assaulted. It’s an intense and undercover topic and we thank McKay for coming on the podcast to share his experience being a male sexual assault survivor.

In part two, McKay tells us about what it was like to heal from his mission and deconstruct the homophobic ideas he carried with him after his assault. Eventually getting married and divorced, we discuss with McKay what happened the night he confessed to his wife he had been occasionally viewing pornography and what can be done in Mormon culture to shift the unhelpful and counterproductive labeling of men like McKay. McKay is also a talented TikToker and musician, so we are happy he could find time to take a break from playing rock god to join us on Mormon Stories and we hope you’ll support him wherever his talents take him! 

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault.

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Show notes: 

• @Spartacus_Unchained on TikTok
• Healthier approaches to porn and masturbation
• @ExMoLex on TikTok
• @ExMormonMindy on TikTok
• @NuanceHoe on TikTok
• SuitUpSoldier.com

Today we discuss Mormon Temples, the prosperity gospel, and the Mormon church's use of social media influencers to promote its temple work. Feel free to post your comments, experiences, and questions below!

Show Notes:

• Graph showing temple growth under Russell M. Nelson
• Racially insensitive murals inside the Mesa, Arizona, temple
• Mormon Stories' interview with Laura Schnell
• Jenny Komenda's Instagram

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What questions are on your mind this week? Do you have something you've been wanting to ask? What queries have you, our dear Mormon Stories listeners? Tell us! Join John and Carah for a live stream as we chat, answer your questions, and hit the hot topics of the week in the Mormon/post-Mormon realm.

Show notes:

• Register for upcoming Thrive events
• Mormon Stories' interview with Marc Oslund
• Mormon Stories' interview with Paul Toscano
• Mormon Stories' interview with Margaret Toscano
• Mormon Stories' interview with Steven Hassan
• Mormon Stories' interview with Luna Corbden
• New York Post article about "soaking"
• Allan Mount's TikTok
• Mormonism Live

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On September 12 Franklin Richards, a member of the 12 and his travel companions caught up with the Willie handcart company. They held a conference in which they insulted and ridiculed the company for their lack of faith. The GAs then said they wanted fresh meat. They made the company slaughter their "fattest calf" which they did and the GAs took the meat with them.

A member of the 12 literally took provisions from the Willie handcart company.

In the podcast we will give the basic background of the handcart trek, how the Lord's anointed were absolutely trash, and then discuss how the worst failure of Mormon History is celebrated widely every year.

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Show notes:

• "Devil's Gate: Brigham Young and the Great Mormon Handcart Tragedy" by David Roberts
• John Larsen's Reddit Thread

As Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow face indictments and/or allegations for multiple murders (e.g., Chad's wife Tammy, Lori's husband Charles, Lori's brother Alex, Lori's children JJ and Tylee) - many believing LDS church members (i.e. "Mormons") have taken issue with the suggestion that Mormon beliefs played any role in these murders.  

Today we conclude our 2-part series exploring the Mormon influences on Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow.  Our guests for today are Lauren and John Matthias - co-hosts of the Hidden True Crime podcast.  I am also super happy to be joined today by my dear, brilliant friend Mindy Caldwell, who has followed the Daybell/Vallow case very closely over the past few years.  

Please join us with your questions and comments.

Hidden: A True Crime Podcast explores the hidden motives behind unimaginable crimes, while examining our deepest fears along the way. Join us on a journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind and the unconscious motivations that drive human behaviors, both good and bad, in order to understand the world and ourselves. Pull up a chair at our dinner table as the husband and wife team of Dr. John Matthias, a forensic psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, a journalist, delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes. What are you hiding? What are you hiding from? What remains hidden?

• Hidden True Crime YouTube channel 
• Hidden True Crime's Patreon
• Tips, clues, or other contact

Show Notes:

• The Second Comforter: Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil by Denver Snuffer 
• A Greater Tomorrow: My Journey Beyond the Veil by Julie Rowe 
• Lauren's full interview with "Girl on Fire" 
• Visions of Glory: One Man's Astonishing Account of the Last Days by John Pontius
• Mormon Stories' interview with Matt Harris about the rise of the Mormon right-wing
• Early Mormonism and the Magic World View by D. Michael Quinn

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As Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow face indictments and/or allegations for multiple murders (e.g., Chad's wife Tammy, Lori's husband Charles, Lori's brother Alex, Lori's children JJ and Tylee) - many believing LDS church members (i.e. "Mormons") have taken issue with the suggestion that Mormon beliefs played any role in these murders.

Today we begin Part 1 in a series exploring the Mormon influences on Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow.  Our guests for today are Lauren and John Matthias - co-hosts of the Hidden True Crime podcast.  I am also super happy to be joined today by my dear, brilliant friend Mindy Caldwell, who has followed the Daybell/Vallow case very closely over the past few years.

Please join us with your questions and comments.

Hidden: A True Crime Podcast explores the hidden motives behind unimaginable crimes, while examining our deepest fears along the way. Join us on a journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind and the unconscious motivations that drive human behaviors, both good and bad, in order to understand the world and ourselves. Pull up a chair at our dinner table as the husband and wife team of Dr. John Matthias, a forensic psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, a journalist, delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes. What are you hiding? What are you hiding from? What remains hidden?

• Hidden True Crime YouTube channel 
• Hidden True Crime's Patreon
• Tips, clues, or other contact

Show Notes:

• The Second Comforter: Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil by Denver Snuffer 
• A Greater Tomorrow: My Journey Beyond the Veil by Julie Rowe 
• Lauren's full interview with "Girl on Fire" 
• Visions of Glory: One Man's Astonishing Account of the Last Days by John Pontius
• Mormon Stories' interview with Matt Harris about the rise of the Mormon right-wing
• Early Mormonism and the Magic World View by D. Michael Quinn

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Join us for this extra special Mormon Stories Podcast interview with Thomas & Cici Stokes (@big.crick.music on TikTok) as we hear the story of their faith journey, and listen to some of Thomas' original music that helped them heal throughout their faith transition.

Show notes:

• Thomas and Sierra's TikTok
• Thomas' songs on his Bandcamp page
• Thomas' Instagram
• Thomas' Spotify:
• Thomas' Apple Music
• Sierra's Instagram
• Cody Merrell, Utah County therapist who works with faith crises
• You Are Not So Smart documentary series

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Join us for this extra special Mormon Stories Podcast interview with Thomas & Cici Stokes (@big.crick.music on TikTok) as we hear the story of their faith journey, and listen to some of Thomas' original music that helped them heal throughout their faith transition.

Show notes:

• Thomas and Sierra's TikTok
• Thomas' songs on his Bandcamp page
• Thomas' Instagram
• Thomas' Spotify:
• Thomas' Apple Music
• Sierra's Instagram
• Cody Merrell, Utah County therapist who works with faith crises
• You Are Not So Smart documentary series

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Parallel to the LDS Church’s shifting position regarding homosexuality, there have been new crops of faithful gay public figures who are held up by the church as role models on how to be a faithful gay member of the church. As the LDS Church has softened its stances and opened the window for “righteous celibacy,” gay public figures in mixed-orientation marriages have lost popularity and a more nuanced breed of celibate role models has emerged E.g. Charlie Bird and Ben Schilatty.

In this episode we discuss how these public figures enable the perpetuation of harmful church rhetoric and spiritual trauma towards the LGBTQ community, and explore some possible solutions that could help ignite positive change in the church.

Show notes:

• Mormon Stories' interview with Gerardo Sumano
• Mormon Stories' interview with Kyle Ashworth
• Tyler's review of “Without the Mask”
• “Without the Mask: Coming Out and into God’s Light” by Charlie Bird
• "Coming Out Mormon: An Examination of Religious Orientation, Spiritual Trauma, and PTSD Among Mormon and Ex-Mormon LGBTQQA Adults" by Brian William Simmons
• "Navigating Sexual and Religious Identity Conflict: A Mormon Perspective" by John Dehlin
• “Believer” - HBO documentary
• "Psychosocial Correlates of Religious Approaches to Same-Sex Attraction: A Mormon Perspective" by John Dehlin
• "Sexual Orientation Change Efforts, Identity Conflict, and Psychosocial Health Amongst Same-Sex Attracted Mormons" By John Dehlin
• “Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism” by Taylor G. Petrey
• “Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences” by Gregory Prince
• "The Aftermath of Prop 22" by Alan Hansen and Nadine R. Hansen (Sunstone Magazine; January 2001)
• Netflix documentary “Pray Away”
• Voices of Hope
• Court testimony about nude cuddling and abusive practices during conversion therapy
• “A Walk in My Shoes: Questions I'm Often Asked as a Gay Latter-day Saint” by Ben Schilaty
• Questions From the Closet podcast, hosted by Charlie Bird and Ben Schilaty
• "A Chronology of LGBTQ+ Messaging" Latter Gay Stories podcast, hosted by Kyle Ashworth
• Mormon Stories' interview with Matt Easton
• "Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Among Current or Former LDS Church Members" by John Dehlin

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How many of Joseph Smith’s revelations were a success and how many have the church needed to redefine overtime? Today we are honored to have John Larsen in studio for an epic breakdown of Joseph Smith’s revelation for the “Lamanites”, calling Elders to preach to the Native Americans and the subsequent ramifications of Latter-Day Saint teachings for Native American people.

Show Notes:

• Help John Larsen crowd source info for an upcoming episode: https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/ptibmm/john_larsen_mormon_stories_jaredite_barge_thread/
• Lamanite Truth website
• Thrive website
• Mormon Stories episode Native American Mormon Women and the Lamanite Myth
• Tribe by Sebastian Junger
• The Joseph Smith Revelations Text and Commentary (Michael Marquardt)
• Encyclopedia of Mormonism
• Mormon Stories: Indian Placement Program
• The Book of Mormon's 19th Century Context - John Hamer
• Exterminate all the Brutes on HBO
• O Stop and Tell Me Red Man Hymn
• Latest Issue of Dialogue Journal focusing on Native Americans
• Original Title Page to Book of Mormon
• D&C 3: 19-20
• D&C 28:8
• D&C 30:5-6
• A Mission to the Lamanites

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Lauren Rogers is our guest today for this epic two-part Mormon Stories interview. After suffering through a restrictive diet, harassment, and medical neglect on her Mormon mission to Chile, Lauren found herself permanently disabled as she made her way back home to the US.

In part two, Lauren also tells us about the same-sex attraction she repressed throughout her life as a devout Mormon and descendant of Brigham Young, eventually leading to an extremely fascinating exit from the church and a wildly eye-opening description of how she continues a healthy relationship with her husband.

It’s a gripping story from start to finish! Even Lauren’s shelf breaker and realizations about God might be a first-ever for Mormon Stories! We hope you’ll resonate with Lauren’s incredible, epic story!

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Show Notes:

• Lauren’s Tiktok
• Ted Lyon MS episode
• Gospel topics essays
• Matt Harris Mormon Stories episode
• Eldon Kartchner
• Josh and Lilly Weed

Lauren Rogers is our guest today for this epic two-part Mormon Stories interview. After suffering through a restrictive diet, harassment, and medical neglect on her Mormon mission to Chile, Lauren found herself permanently disabled as she made her way back home to the US.

In part two, Lauren also tells us about the same-sex attraction she repressed throughout her life as a devout Mormon and descendant of Brigham Young, eventually leading to an extremely fascinating exit from the church and a wildly eye-opening description of how she continues a healthy relationship with her husband.

It’s a gripping story from start to finish! Even Lauren’s shelf breaker and realizations about God might be a first-ever for Mormon Stories! We hope you’ll resonate with Lauren’s incredible, epic story!

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Show Notes:

• Lauren’s Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exmo_mom_?lang=en
• Ted Lyon MS episode: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/missionary-sexual-assault/
• Gospel topics essays: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/essays?lang=eng
• Matt Harris Mormon Stories episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmjj2kbxFnQ
• Eldon Kartchner - https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/eldon-kartchner-mixed-orientation-marriage/
• Josh and Lilly Weed: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/josh-and-lolly-weed-on-their-love-story-mixed-orientation-marriages-and-ldslgbt-issues/

We are starting a new series on Mormon Stories Podcast dedicated to reporting on current events. Today Carah and John will be discussing the recent announcement that the Mormon church has agreed to pay out $250 million dollars to help settle all current and future BSA-related sexual abuse claims.

• Washington Post Coverage
• Associated Press Coverage
• Deseret News Coverage

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In this episode, John and Carah sit down with therapist Natasha Helfer to discuss a few of the negative messages people raised in religious conservative community may have been conditioned to believe about sex.

Show notes:

• Natasha’s website
• Happy Healthy Sexuality FB Group for Mormon Women
• Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters - and How to Get It by Laurie Mintz
• Natasha’s Mormon Stories interview about her own story
• John and Natasha Ms episode on a new approach to masturbation and porn
• Ghost of Eternal Polygamy by Carol Lynn Pearson
• Happy Healthy Sexuality FB Group for Mormon Women

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Join us as we continue with part 2 of our interview with Camille Jones where we discuss her employment with the LDS church, the role of women in the patriarchal church employment system, and what eventually caused her to lose her faith in Mormonism.

A huge ‘thank you’ to Camille for being brave enough to tell us her story! Camille’s journey is a fascinating one to say the least!

Show notes:

• CES Letter

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Are Mormon missionaries who lead tours at historic church sites like those across upstate New York told to teach false information about the church’s founding? Mormon Stories producer and co-host Carah Burrell takes the reins for her second episode as lead interviewer of our guest Camille Jones as we talk with her about serving in Palmyra, New York at the LDS church’s visitor center.

In part one of our two-part interview with Camille, we discuss the narrative the church wants to be forwarded about the church’s founding versus what Camille wishes she would have known while volunteering as a full-time missionary. We cover topics from the golden plates, to the Hill Cumorah, and more. Camille also discusses the confusing and uncomfortable advances older Mormon men have made on her throughout her teen years.

This eye-opening experience highlighted the power imbalance between Mormon men and women, a theme that carries on into part 2 where Camille discusses being employed by the church.

Show notes:

• Ghost of Eternal Polygamy by Carol Lynn Pearson
• What Progressive Mormons Want with Julienna Viegas-Haws

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Join Margi, John, and Carah as we discuss different approaches to telling loved ones about your loss of faith. Please share questions, lessons you've learned, and suggestions in the comments below.

This episode is part of our new "Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis" project on Mormon Stories Podcast, where we will share tips and tricks for navigating, healing, and growth after a Mormon faith crisis.

If you would like to see this sort of content continue, please become a monthly donor to the project.

Show Notes:

• Faith Crisis Resources
• Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis
• Conscious Parenting
• The Holistic Psychologist
• Beauty in the Now website
• Leah and Cody Young renegotiate their marriage "contract" after a faith crisis
• Books by Esther Perel 
• “From Fear Into Joy,” Leah, Cody, and Brinley Young on Mormon Stories
• “A Teen’s Perspective on Faith Transition,” Brinley Young on Mormon Stories
• “The Excommunication of Leah and Cody Young,” on Mormon Stories
• “A Tribute to Leah, Cody, and Brinley Young After Their Excommunication from the Mormon Church,” on Mormon Stories
• John Dehlin's TED Talk "The Ally Within":
• Street Epistemology

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*PO Box 171085

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Join Margi, John, and Carah as we discuss different approaches to telling loved ones about your loss of faith. Please share questions, lessons you've learned, and suggestions in the comments below.

This episode is part of our new "Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis" project on Mormon Stories Podcast, where we will share tips and tricks for navigating, healing, and growth after a Mormon faith crisis.

If you would like to see this sort of content continue, please become a monthly donor to the project.

Show Notes:

• Faith Crisis Resources
• Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis
• Conscious Parenting
• The Holistic Psychologist
• Beauty in the Now website
• Leah and Cody Young renegotiate their marriage "contract" after a faith crisis
• Books by Esther Perel 
• “From Fear Into Joy,” Leah, Cody, and Brinley Young on Mormon Stories
• “A Teen’s Perspective on Faith Transition,” Brinley Young on Mormon Stories
• “The Excommunication of Leah and Cody Young,” on Mormon Stories
• “A Tribute to Leah, Cody, and Brinley Young After Their Excommunication from the Mormon Church,” on Mormon Stories
• John Dehlin's TED Talk "The Ally Within":
• Street Epistemology

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MSP Blog

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*MormonStories@gmail.com

*PO Box 171085

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This episode is part of our new "Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis" project on Mormon Stories Podcast, where we will share tips and tricks for navigating, healing, and growth after a Mormon faith crisis.

If you would like to see this sort of content continue, please become a monthly donor to the project.

Show Notes:

• Faith Crisis Resources
• Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis
• Conscious Parenting
• The Holistic Psychologist
• Beauty in the Now website
• Leah and Cody Young renegotiate their marriage "contract" after a faith crisis
• Books by Esther Perel 
• “From Fear Into Joy,” Leah, Cody, and Brinley Young on Mormon Stories
• “A Teen’s Perspective on Faith Transition,” Brinley Young on Mormon Stories
• “The Excommunication of Leah and Cody Young,” on Mormon Stories
• “A Tribute to Leah, Cody, and Brinley Young After Their Excommunication from the Mormon Church,” on Mormon Stories
• John Dehlin's TED Talk "The Ally Within":
• Street Epistemology

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Are you looking for friends and community after leaving Mormonism or organized religion? The THRIVE initiative seeks to do just that - provide events, content, and community for people leaving Mormonism and/or organized religion.

Prior to the COVID outbreak, considerable momentum was made with THRIVE in the organizing of events for post-Mormons, and in the formation of live, face-to-face communities. THRIVE leaders Jeni and Clint Martin are now excited to announce several new exciting THRIVE initiatives which include:

- A revamped website with new functionality.
- A THRIVE events calendar to keep you informed of upcoming events.
- Instructions for how you can organize your own THRIVE events.
- An "in -person community locator" to help you find a local, face-to-face support communities, and
- Instructions for creating your own face-to-face community if one doesn't exist in your area.
We will also discuss future plans for THRIVE.

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THRIVE WEBSITE:
https://www.thrivebeyondreligion.com/

Online groups/resources:
WACA (Women of a Certain Age)
Faith Journey Meetups fb group
Ex Mormon Reddit
Mormon Stories facebook group
Mormon Enlightenment facebook group
Mormon Spectrum

Faith Crisis Resources:
https://www.mormonstories.org/faith-crisis-resources/

Natasha’s events
https://www.symmetrysols.com/events
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In our final segment with Laura Schnell, she describes her faith deconstruction, responds to criticisms, and expresses the immense beauty she’s found rediscovering her own voice as a post-Mormon woman.

Show notes and links:

• Laura’s Instagram
• “Why the Church is as True as the Gospel” Eugene England
• “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion” Gregory Boyle
• “Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype” Clarissa Pinkola Estés
• “Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage To Stand Alone” Brené Brown

When we left off with Laura Shnell at the end of part one, Laura had decided to pursue a career in the LDS Church Education System as a seminary teacher. In this episode, we hear her describe the inappropriate interactions from her mentor, the great lengths Laura went to for her Spanish speaking seminary students, and the sexism she faced as a woman working for CES.

Show notes and links:

• Laura’s Instagram
• LDS church’s Gospel Topics Essays
• The Charted Course of the Church in Education

In part one of this exciting three part interview, Colombian immigrant and former Mormon seminary teacher, Laura Schnell, shares her very unique Mormon story. Laura left South America with her mother and sister in the 90s to Queens, New York, and remembers her time in their small Spanish speaking LDS branch with fondness.

In this episode, she discusses her step-dad joining the family, her time in India with BYU’s International Development Program, and the road she took to choosing a career in the Church Educational System and meeting a friend of the podcast, Marc Oslund. 

Show notes and links: 

• Laura’s Instagram
• Godly Sorrow video
• Latter-day Labia
• Pioneers in Petticoats

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Show Notes:

• Simon Southerton on evidence of LDS membership decline and the Church covering it up
• John Larsen’s Mormon Expressions
• The Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis
• "The Biggest Lie About the Mormon Church, by Jacob Hess, Meridian Magazine, Sept. 8, 2021
• Mormon Stories' response to Jacob Hess
  Part 1
  Part 2
• Secular Buddhism podcast
• Cwic Media
• Mormon Stories' panel, Finding Spirituality After Mormonism
• Communicating with Believing Family and Friends
• Communicating with the Church Leadership, Ward Members, and Neighbors During and After a Mormon Faith Crisis
• Communicating with Children During a Faith Transition
• Recording of 2019 Thrive Retreat
• Mormon Stories' interview with polygamist Anne Wilde
• Mormon Stories interview with Lance Allread, grandson of a polygamous leader
• Mormon Stories interview with Luna Corbden on mind control in the Mormon Church
• Lindsay Hansen Park's podcast Year of Polygamy
• Radio Free Mormon
• Mormonism Live with Radio Free Mormon and Bill Reel 
• Marriage on a Tightrope with Allan and Kattie Mount
• Thinker of Thoughts by Jonathan Streeter 
• Dan McClellan's TikTok channel
• Chelsea Homer's Faith Journey Meetups (private group; apply to join)
• Kim Sandberg Turner's Women of a Certain Age (send her a private message on Facebook for more info)

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We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

Click here to donate monthly: $10 $25 $50

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Contact Us!

*MormonStories@gmail.com

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Have you ever found yourself reacting in unhelpful ways to the distress that accompanies a religious faith crisis (or life in general)?

Margi Dehlin has spent two decades supporting and/or coaching Mormons in faith crisis, post-Mormons, and women experiencing significant life transitions.

As part of a new series on Mormon Stories Podcast providing free coaching support to transitioning and post-Mormons, Margi will share her general approach to managing the emotional distress that often accompanies a religious faith crisis. Her framework will be based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which is a cutting-edge form of mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Show Notes:

• Donate to "The Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis" Podcast
• Calm App

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We are 100% donor funded! Please click HERE to donate and keep this content coming!

Click here to donate monthly: $10 $25 $50

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In April of 2019 Brigham Young University valedictorian Matt Easton came out as a faithful gay Mormon during his valedictorian address, which was pre-approved by the LDS Church. Matt's speech received very positive national media attention, including an appearance on the Ellen Show. Matt is currently attending U.C. Berkeley as a Political Science Ph.D. student.

Last week, Mormon apostle Jeffrey R. Holland publicly "called out" Matt Easton, accusing him of "commandeering" the 2019 graduation ceremony. His exact words were:

"If a student commandeers a graduation podium intended to represent everyone getting diplomas in order to announce his personal sexual orientation, what might another speaker feel free to announce the next year until eventually anything goes? What might commencement come to mean — or not mean — if we push individual license over institutional dignity for very long? Do we simply end up with more divisiveness in our culture than we already have? And we already have too much everywhere."

Please join us on August 29, 2021 at 1:30pm Utah time as Matt Easton shares with us his Mormon story, and responds to Elder Holland's irresponsible attacks.

Show Notes:

• Matt Easton's Valedictorian address.
• Matt's appearance on Ellen.
• Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's BYU Speech attacking Matt