Mormon Stories Podcast

In this episode, Daniel Parkinson MD, host of our sister podcast, Gay Mormon Stories, interviews Meg, Jake and Jon Abhau. Meg and Jake were conservative Mormons when their 13 year old son came out to them 18 months ago.In Part 2, the Abhaus discuss confronting their relationships with the church after learning about Jon's orientation.

In this episode, Daniel Parkinson MD, host of our sister podcast, Gay Mormon Stories, interviews Meg, Jake Abhau. Meg and Jake were conservative Mormons when their 13 year old son came out to them 18 months ago. In Part 1, the Abhaus discuss their family, their relationship with their son and coming to terms with their son’s orientation. They also talk about making sure they were protecting him and preparing him for a healthy future.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long affirmed the importance of religious freedom, even issuing a press release in 2013 declaring that "it is the right to think, express and act upon what you deeply believe, according to the dictates of conscience." But a group of current and former students is concerned about implications for students who find themselves transitioning away from belief in the church while still enrolled at a church-owned school. It creates, they argue, an impossible situation where students are seemingly forced to choose between their integrity and the education they have worked and payed for. In this episode, we're joined by several members of Free BYU, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of what they consider a lack of religious freedom within the Church Educational System. We discuss with Free BYU leaders the Honor Code as it relates to religious freedom, ecclesiastical endorsements and how to handle a faith transition while at a church school. We'll also talk with two current students as they talk about how they are trying to navigate their faith transitions while attending BYU.

In the world of politics and media, Carrie Sheffield is a veritable dynamo. She has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, PBS, HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, BBC Radio and more, as an expert on politics and the economy. Graduating with a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard, she went on to do stints at Goldman Sachs and the Washington Times before settling in as a public policy analyst all over TV and radio. But Carrie also has a Mormon story. Growing up in the church, then later leaving and exploring other faiths before finding peace with Stoicism, she is also a sort of rare breed as a post-Mormon who still clings tight to deeply conservative values. In this episode, we talk about her conservative outlook, how and why she still identifies with conservatism after leaving the church as well as her thoughts on Mitt Romney, the recent mid-term elections and more.

n the world of politics and media, Carrie Sheffield is a veritable dynamo. She has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, PBS, HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, BBC Radio and more, as an expert on politics and the economy. Graduating with a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard, she went on to do stints at Goldman Sachs and the Washington Times before settling in as a public policy analyst all over TV and radio. But Carrie also has a Mormon story. Growing up in the church, then later leaving and exploring other faiths before finding peace with Stoicism, she is also a sort of rare breed as a post-Mormon who still clings tight to deeply conservative values. In this episode, we talk to Carrie about her background in the church, the circumstances that led to her leaving, her journey for truth after Mormonism and her thoughts about finding peace through Stoicism.

In this episode of Mormon Stories, J. Nelson-Seawright interviews David Campbell, Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame and the founding director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, about his celebrated research on religion and politics in America. Professor Campbell argues that the current partisan environment, in which religious people mostly support the Republican Party and less religious people the Democratic Party, is a recent development --- and he explains how this pattern can help explain America's recent rise in irreligiosity.Campbell also discusses his work on Mormonism and politics. He explains his research about how Mormon identity is different in American context: stronger, more collective, more integrated, and with stricter boundaries. He discusses implications for how Mormonism interacts with politics, and also for the identity and religious options of liberal and disaffected Mormons.

This week The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released its long-awaited series of essays on polygamy in Kirtland/Nauvoo, Utah and post-manifesto polygamy, igniting a firestorm of discussion on online. In this episode, we bring together an all-star cast of Mormon Stories favorites to discuss the Kirtland/Nauvoo essay: Lindsay Hansen Park, who in the middle of an amazing and incredibly exhaustive project for Feminist Mormon Housewives in the Year of Polygamy podcast series. John Hamer, a well-known expert on Kirtland- and Nauvoo-period Mormonism, and a member of the Community of Christ J. Nelson-Seawright, a political science professor at Northwestern, frequent blogger and commenter on Mormonism and a favorite guest of Mormon Stories.

Kirk Caudle made headlines over the summer when he resigned from the church after working as an online religion instructor for BYU-Idaho. However he still attends church regularly and has strong ties to Mormonism.   In Part 2 of this cross-over episode with A Thoughtful Faith podcast, Kirk talks in detail about his resignation from the church, as well as his Mormon Book Review podcast and its affiliation with BYU's Maxwell Institute. He also dives into his thoughts on a variety of Mormon topics.

Kirk Caudle made headlines over the summer when he resigned from the church after working as an online religion instructor for BYU-Idaho. However he still attends church regularly and has strong ties to Mormonism.   In Part 1 of this cross-over episode with A Thoughtful Faith podcast, Kirk talks about growing up in the church and the influence that had on his pursuit of Mormon Studies. He also talks about his background in religion and history and the lead-up to his work with BYU-Idaho.

In this episode, we talk to Brent about his interactions and run-ins with prominent Mormon apologists like Daniel Peterson, Lou Midgley and others. We also talk about the recent history of BYU's Maxwell Institute and what he sees in its future and in the future of Mormon apologetics overall. We'll also explore with Brent his ability to construct a healthy and happy life outside of Mormonism. Be sure not to miss the exciting announcement from Brent toward the end of the episode!