Mormon Stories Podcast

In this heartfelt conversation, Fran Grover shares her journey through life within and beyond Mormonism, from her early upbringing in an orthodox Mormon family to navigating grief, identity, and faith. She opens up about losing her sister, grappling with religious expectations, and experiencing deep personal and spiritual shifts while pursuing law school and marriage.

Topics covered include the complexities of a mixed-faith marriage, her evolving views on agency, motherhood, and partnership, and the challenges of leaving the Church. This discussion dives into mental health, deconstructing religious beliefs, and finding empowerment by trusting oneself. Join us as she reflects on rebuilding her identity, embracing uncertainty, and choosing authenticity.

Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Podcast has been invited by A24 studios to hold a special screening of the new Mormon-themed thriller/horror movie "Heretic" - which features Hugh Grant. Premise?

Join us today as we meet again with historian Matt Harris to discuss his new book “Second Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality.” Matt Harris talks about the relationship between the Church and the John Birch Society and how the church changed its mind on supporting the Martin Luther King holiday. Additionally, Harris discusses how the harmful teachings of Bruce R. McConkie’s book “Mormon Doctrine” lived on even after his death. Professors Eugene England and Steven Epperson were pushed out of BYU for their more liberal views. How the Strengthening the Church Members Committee keeps these members in check.

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Join us for an in-depth interview with Andrew Fish as he shares his story of adoption, faith, and self-discovery. Andrew reflects on his family's journey, from his parents’ struggle to adopt, to his biological mother's decision to place him for adoption, and his upbringing within the Mormon Church. He also discusses the impact of religious expectations, his mission experiences, and his journey of reconciling his personal beliefs with his upbringing. Throughout this heartfelt conversation, Andrew opens up about his eventual decision to leave the Church, reconnect with his biological family, and navigate acceptance and understanding within his adoptive family.

Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

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The priesthood and temple ban began when Brigham Young learned that Black Saints were marrying white women, fearing interracial marriage. When the ban was finally lifted it was only with the caveat that they continued to warn the members against interracial marriage. Church members have received mixed messages since then, with warnings against interracial marriage still found on the Church's website and in manuals. How should members make sense of these conflicting messages? Today, we're joined by Matt Harris and Summur-Rayn to discuss this topic.

Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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

• One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
• Support us on Patreon
• PayPal
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Our Platforms:

• YouTube
• Patreon
• Spotify
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Contact us:
[email protected]
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

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• Insta: @mormstories
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In this episode, we interview Laurie Lee Hall, a former bishop, stake president, and temple designer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who later came out as transgender while serving as a Stake President. Laurie shares her journey of growing up with a gender identity that didn’t match how she felt, her experiences on a church mission, and attending Affirmation for LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints. She also discusses her work designing temples, her struggles with the 2015 Exclusion Policy for children of gay couples, her excommunication, and the church’s evolving policies on transgender individuals.

Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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[email protected]
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

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In this episode, we join Matt Harris to discuss the aftermath of lifting the priesthood and temple ban in the LDS Church. We explore how Bruce R. McConkie's account of the revelation was embellished and the damage control efforts by top church leaders. We also examine President Kimball's controversial remarks about Native Americans and his later regret over those comments. This discussion focuses on chapter eight of Matt Harris’ book, "Second Class Saints."

We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you!

Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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

• One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
• Support us on Patreon
• PayPal
• Venmo

Our Platforms:

• YouTube
• Patreon
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts

Contact us:
[email protected]
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

• Insta: @mormstories
• TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
• Join the Discord

We are super excited to announce that THRIVE 2024 is almost sold out!

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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

Our Platforms:

Contact us:
[email protected]
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

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In this compelling episode, Rian Anderson unites with her mother, Jen, to share their powerful journey of faith and family. While Rian served her Mormon mission, her entire family left the church. Jen is here to tell her side of the story. Jen shares about how her mother battled with cancer while she was in High School and after marriage Jen’s husband struggled with pornography. As a former Relief Society President, Scout Leader, and member of the Stake Young Women’s Presidency, Jen also reflects on her experiences with church leadership and the inequalities she witnessed. The conversation touches on her son coming out as gay and the impact of her decision to leave the church on Rian's mission. Join them as they candidly discuss their stories and the complexities of their faith journey.

Show Notes

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Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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

Our Platforms:

Contact us:
[email protected]
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

What were the events and who were the key characters that led to the lifting of the priesthood and temple ban for black people? In this episode Matt Harris will answer those questions. Rumors have gone around that the ban was lifted due to the IRS threatening to take away their tax exempt status, or because of the lawsuits involving the NAACP, etc. Matt Harris puts many of these rumors to rest and answers the real reason why (and how) the ban was lifted.

We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you!

Purchase Matt Harris' book here! “Second Class Saints” by Matt Harris

https://www.amazon.com/Second-Class-Saints-Mormons-Struggle-Equality/dp/019769571X/

Show Notes

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

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

• One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
• Support us on Patreon
• PayPal
• Venmo

Our Platforms:

• YouTube
• Patreon
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts

Contact us:
[email protected]
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

• Insta: @mormstories
• TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
• Join the Discord