Mormon Stories Podcast

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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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!

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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

As most Mormons are just now beginning to learn, Joseph Smith left multiple and varied First Vision accounts that changed dramatically over time. Joseph Smith's 1st handwritten First Vision account was produced in 1832, and was intentionally hidden from LDS Church members for over a century and a half - primarily because of the many problems it presented to orthodox belief. The "official" First Vision account that the LDS Church ended up adopting is the 1838 version, which varies in several significant ways from the previous versions - primarily reflecting Joseph Smith's evolving theological beliefs.

Join us today as John Larsen analyzes Joseph Smith's FIRST (1832) handwritten First Vision account, and explores the many difficulties this version presents to modern Mormon faith.

Show notes:

• Joseph Smith Papers
• MormonThink
• IRR.org
• Mormon Infographics
• Letter for my Wife
• Mormon Stories
• Really good comparison chart
• Wilford Wood museum

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Wrapping up our epic three part interview with the Laing family, Heather and Kelly detail the path of love and acceptance they took while deconstructing their faith in the Mormon god’s plan for families. We hope you’ll resonate with their description of uncovering troubling Mormon history, growing closer as a family, and realizing none of them are broken, least of which their two gay sons.

Show notes:

• Kelly’s TikTok channel
• Mark E Petersen Chastity pamphlet
• Church News Article on Laing family

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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!

*[email protected]

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

What happens when two sons in a Mormon military family come out as gay? In part two of our interview with the Laing family, we talk with Britton and Mason Laing about the unique struggles they faced, what it was like coming out, and their advice for other gay teens.

Show notes:

• Kelly’s TikTok channel
• Mark E Petersen Chastity pamphlet
• Church News Article on Laing family

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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

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Contact Us!

*[email protected]

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Batten down the hatches and prepare for an epic Mormon Stories interview like you’ve never heard before! Part of what is often called “the Silent Service”, former nuclear submarine commander, Kelly Laing and his family, finally speak out. We dive deep in this three part interview and hear from Heather and Kelly Laing, followed by two of their four children, Britton and Mason, in part 2.

In this episode, we discuss Heather and Kelly’s courtship as teens, the road Kelly took into the military, and the ways they kept their family and love life afloat. 

Show notes:

• Kelly’s TikTok channel
• Mark E Petersen Chastity pamphlet
• Church News Article on Laing family

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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

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Discord

Contact Us!

*[email protected]

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117

On August 23, 2021 Mormon apostle Jeffrey R. Holland spoke to staff at Brigham Young University during the first day of the institution's 2021 university conference.  During his speech Elder Holland condemned: 1) a recent BYU valedictorian for "coming out" as gay during his graduation commencement address, 2) a recent uptick in LGBTQ-affirming demonstrations at BYU, and 3) a recent surge in LGBTQ support by BYU students and faculty.  His comments appear to be in response to a corresponding surge in concerns expressed by orthodox ultra conservative/Deznat-affirming LDS church adults who are concerned that BYU is becoming to LGBTQ affirming (descending into "Babylon").  During his speech Elder Holland invoked war metaphors, including the statement, "I am grateful we have scholars today who can handle, as it were, both trowels and muskets.”

Today we will talk with Kyle Ashworth (host of Latter-Gay Stories Podcast) and Gerardo Sumano about the recent events.  The main topic will be: is the LDS Church losing control over LGBTQ support at BYU and church-wide?

Show notes: 

• Kyle's Mormon Stories interview: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/when-a-gay-mormon-man-marries-a-woman-kyle-ashworth-pt-1/
• Gerardo's Mormon Stories interview: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/a-mexican-mormon-story-gerardo/
• Latter Gay Stories: https://lattergaystories.org/
• Color the Campus: https://www.instagram.com/colorthecampus/?hl=en
• Encircle: https://encircletogether.org/
• Affirmation: https://affirmation.org/

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Today Mormon Stories is lucky enough to be joined by the wonderful Jessie Funk! For anyone familiar with the music of the youth seminars held by the LDS church known as “EFY”, singer Jessie Funk’s name should ring a bell. After Jessie’s career touring with the broadway musical “Footloose”, releasing several studio albums and books, starting her organization “The Ivy Foundation”, and raising her two children, she recently changed tunes, choosing to leave the Mormon church.

We are excited to speak with Jessie about her Mormon upbringing, career (in and outside of the church), her faith crisis, and her new venture “Especially for Truth”, a week-long summer seminar for post-Mormon teens. Wrapping up her first “EFT” event last week where John and Carah were invited as guest speakers, we hope powerhouse Jessie Funk joining the post-Mormon activist space will be music to your ears!

Show Notes:

• Especially for Truth website:
• Jessie’s Especially for Truth TikTok
• Jessie’s Especially for Truth Instagram
• Top Youth Speakers
• Clark Johnson Mormon Stories interview
• Whitney Houston Documentary
• Poverty Inc
• Tom Phillips Mormon Stories interview
• Leah and Cody Young Mormon Stories interview
• Marriage on a Tightrope Allan and Kattie Mount
• Encircle
• 7 Cups Counseling
• Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis website
• Mormon Enlightenment FB
• Mormon Stories FB group
• Faith Journey Meetups FB

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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

—————

MSP on Spotify

MSP on Apple Podcasts

MSP Blog

Instagram

Patreon

TikTok

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Contact Us!

*[email protected]

*PO Box 171085

Salt Lake City, UT 84117