''Mormon Stories Podcast'' is a

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

principally hosted by psychologist

John Dehlin John Parkinson Dehlin is an American podcast host and excommunicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He holds a PhD in psychology. Dehlin founded the Mormon Stories Podcast, as well as several other Mor ...

featuring interviews with individuals and occasionally scholars on Mormon topics. The podcasts are noted as a platform for individuals critical of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church),

skeptic Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...

and

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established Political system, political or Organized religion, religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and ...

individuals.

History

In September 2005, after finding reasons to stay a member of the LDS Church despite a crisis of faith,

created the
Mormon Stories
' podcast as an open discussion of Mormon issues with the intention of giving listeners reasons to remain in the church. Through interviews, Mormon Stories focused on varying Mormon experiences and perspectives, including antagonistic,

apologetic Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

, intellectual,

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, and

dissenting Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

. Several notable Mormon figures were guests on ''Mormon Stories'', including

Gregory Prince Gregory Antone Prince (born 1948) is an American pathology researcher, businessman, author, social critic, and historian of the Latter Day Saint movement. Biography Prince was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduating as val ...

Todd Compton Todd Merlin Compton (born 1952) is an American historian in the fields of Mormon history and classics. Compton is a respected authority on the plural wives of the LDS Church founder, Joseph Smith. Biographical background Compton is a member of ...

, Grant H. Palmer,

Darius Gray Darius Gray is an African-American Latter-day Saint speaker and writer. Gray was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1964. He attended Brigham Young University for one yea ...

Margaret Blair Young Margaret Blair Young (born 1955) is an American author, filmmaker, and writing instructor who taught for thirty years at Brigham Young University. Biography Young's published work includes the novels ''House Without Walls'' (1991), ''Salvador' ...

Richard Bushman Richard Lyman Bushman (June 20, 1931) is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, having previously taught at Brigham Young University, Harvard University, Boston University, and the Univ ...

, and Margaret and Paul Toscano. Mormon Stories has been featured in many venues, including being broadcast on

KVNU KVNU (610 AM) is a broadcast radio station in the United States. Licensed to Logan, Utah, KVNU is owned by the Cache Valley Media Group and has a news/talk format serving the Logan metropolitan area. The station first signed on in 1938 and was ...

Logan, Utah Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 census recorded the population was 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Cache County and Franklin ...

. In June 2007 John Dehlin was quoted for stories by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'', discussing

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

and Mormonism. At times personally conflicted about continuing ''Mormon Stories'', Dehlin stopped and restarted the project a few times. In January 2010 Dehlin resumed the blog and podcast, focusing on faith crises, mental illnesses, and notable guests, beginning with interviews of

Joanna Brooks Joanna Brooks (born September 29, 1971) is an American author and professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University. Brooks is currently the associate vice president of faculty advancement and professor of English and ...

and John C. Hamer. Among numerous other regular hosts who have joined Dehlin in conducting interviews for the podcast were Dan Wotherspoon, former editor of ''

Sunstone Sunstone is a microcline or oligoclase feldspar, which when viewed from certain directions exhibits a spangled appearance. It has been found in Southern Norway, Sweden, various United States localities and on some beaches along the midcoast of ...

'' magazine, and Natasha Helfer Parker, a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist. In 2015, Dehlin said Stories episodes had "tens of thousands" of listeners and that the webcast's "goal has always been to alleviate suffering. It's an act of love." Dehlin was excommunicated for apostasy by the LDS Church in 2015. In 2016, the Open Stories foundation reported Dehlin's 2017 salary and bonus was $82,500 and $27,000 respectively. Dehlin's compensation rose to over $226,000 in 2018, and $236,000 in 2019.

Criticism

In 2013, a critical review of ''Mormon Stories'' by Gregory L. Smith was published in '' Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture''. In the review, Smith alleges that "Dehlin is frequently uninformed of the often controversial material he discusses with interviewees, and that he promotes views hostile to the foundational beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". The pending publication of the piece catalyzed within the

Mormon studies Mormon studies is the interdisciplinary academic study of the beliefs, practices, history and culture of individuals and denominations belonging to the Latter Day Saint movement, a religious movement associated with the Book of Mormon, though not ...

community a discussion (referred to by some as the ''Dehlin affair'') about the roles of apologetic and non-faith-based scholarship, respectively, within the academic study of Mormonism by Mormons.

Guests

Featured guests of the podcast include Latter-day Saints considered orthodox, "curious," doubters and heretics. Guests have included a number of "NeverMos" (short for "never-Mormons") and former Mormons who have either backgrounds in "comparative religions/cults" or histories of being associated with the LDS Church without ever becoming members.

References

External links

*
"Gregory L. Smith's Review of 'Mormon Stories'"
'' Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mormon Stories Podcast Audio podcasts Blogs about Mormons and Mormonism American religious websites 2005 podcast debuts Mormon apologetics Mormon studies Mormonism-related controversies Religion and spirituality podcasts American podcasts Mormon podcasts

History

Criticism

Guests

See also

References

External links