In these episodes of Mormon Stories, we interview Jon Ogden—author of When Mormons Doubt.  Jon describes how his faith crisis blossomed during his LDS mission and time at BYU and ultimately became the impetus to writing the book, which strives to explore how the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness can save relationships even when we disagree with those we love. We cover: How his faith crisis developed on his LDS mission, but he finished his mission anyway Dating while at BYU and how it distracted him from his faith crisis How when a family member left the LDS Church, it forced him to confront his own doubts and begin an academic study of the truth claims of the Church When he realized that the same problems with Mormon historicity were also at play with Christianity in general He and his spouse’s current belief state, and their desire to have a sense of community and solid religious framework for their children to hold onto The main topics of his book, When Mormons Doubt, including a deep dive into sections on “Truth,” “Goodness,” and “Beauty.” 

Mormon Transitions

038: Jon Ogden - Author of "When Mormons Doubt" Pt. 2

037: Jon Ogden - Author of "When Mormons Doubt" Pt. 1

In this episode of Mormon Stories, we interview Dr. Julie DeAzevedo Hanks about her article in LDSLiving Magazine titled "30 Questions Nobody Asks My Husband at Church."  John and Margi discuss the powerful cultural messages that are sent in the questions we ask.

036: 30 Questions Nobody Asks My Husband at Church - Julie DeAzevedo Hanks

In these episodes of Mormon Stories, John and Margi interview Carol Lynn Pearson, Jana Riess, and Jana Johnson Spangler to explore their experiences as they navigate progressive Mormonism. We cover important topics such as: *Each panelist’s experience when their faith became more complex and whether they would self-describe as a Mormon *What made them choose to remain engaged in the Church *What the most valuable aspects of the faith are to each of them, and how they inform and impact their life *Their social experience in their wards and whether they feel alone or among many others who are navigating a middle-way *How they approach Sundays and whether they have supplemented their Sunday experience with anything that would be helpful to share with our audience *Whether they observe a decline in the health and vitality of the Church

035: Navigating Progressive Mormonism with Carol Lynn Pearson, Jana Riess, and Jana Johnson Spangler Pt. 2

034: Navigating Progressive Mormonism with Carol Lynn Pearson, Jana Riess, and Jana Johnson Spangler Pt. 1

In this episode, we interview Brynne Thomas Gant -- author of the article titled "They Can Leave the Church, But They Can't Leave the Church Alone"

033: They Can Leave the Church, But They Can't Leave it Alone - Brynne Thomas Gant

032: They Can Leave the Church, But They Can't Leave it Alone - Brynne Thomas Gant

In this episode of Mormon Stories and Mormon Transitions, John and Margi reflect back on their 13 years of experience as semi- and non-believers and provide their advice on how to successfully navigate activity in the LDS Church.  Some of the topics discussed are: *Advice on how to determine whether church attendance is a healthy option for you and your family *Living the “Law of Tithing” in a way that is meaningful to you *Focusing on teaching lessons about truths that resonate with you, and less on the topics that trouble you as they most likely will be covered many other times *How to respond to inquiries about your activity status from fellow ward members *Setting boundaries and expectations when given a calling *Protecting your children by having an open discussion after church that allows them to safely process and talk through the information  *Building social credit in your ward to spend thoughtfully when the time arrives *Advice on how to ethically navigate the temple recommend interview *Answering the question “can you be honest and ethical in staying?”

031: Staying Active in the Mormon Church as a semi- or non-believer

This episode is a recording of Dr. John Dehlin's goodbye presentation to Cache Valley Oasis - a secular support community formed in Fall of 2015 in Logan, Utah. In his presentation (recorded May 21, 2017), John shared reflections of "lessons" he has learned over the course of 13 years as a Mormon/Post-Mormon activist.

030: Reflections of a Mormon/Post-Mormon Activist: Looking Back and Forward

029: Creating a Family Culture

In this episode, John, Margi, and Natasha Helfer Parker discuss guiding principles to maintaining successful relationships

028: Healthy Marriage Pt. 2

In this episode, John, Margi, and Natasha Helfer Parker discuss forming a foundation for marriage that withstands change

027: Healthy Marriage Pt. 1

In this episode John and Margi interview four individuals who are transgender and either active LDS or former LDS. Our panelists for this interview are Kimberly, Ann, Emmett, and Augustus. We discuss: *What it was like growing up in the LDS Church *What effect bullying and life in the “closet” had on them *How the panelists see transgender people fitting (or not) into LDS Church doctrine *“Trans-erasure” in the Church where lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities receive more focus and attention; therefore, transgender issues are less understood *How they were treated when they attended church as their authentic selves *Things they would like the Church to address with their transgender members We thank our panelists for sharing each of their unique stories and for bringing light to the Mormon transgender experience!

026: Mormon Transgender Experiences

In this 4-part series, we interview Nicki and Lance Miles who share their Mormon upbringing, how they met, and how their individual mission experiences intertwined in Episode 1. In Episode 2, we have a serious discussion about Lance’s father who comes out as gay and the impact it had on the Miles family.  Nicki and Lance share how their feelings towards their father evolved in a more positive direction as time progressed.  Episode 3 details the meeting Nicki and Lance had with Marlin K. Jensen, former historian for the LDS Church.  They detail the questions asked of the historian, and the impact his answers had on them. Rounding out the interview, in Episode 4 we discuss Nicki’s feminist awakening and the impact it had on Lance’s view of their marriage.  Transitioning out of the LDS Church led the couple to take a serious look at the foundation of their marriage and their approach to raising their children.

025: Nicki and Lance Miles' Mormon Transition Pt. 4

024: Nicki and Lance Miles' Mormon Transition Pt. 3

Helping Mormons through difficult transitions.

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Mormon Transitions

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