Mormon Stories - LDS

As the first interview for the new Mormon Transitions project, I am incredibly pleased to interview my dear wife of 23 years, Margaret (Margi) Weber Dehlin.  In this three-part interview, I ask Margi a series of 46 questions focusing on thee parts:

  • Part 1: Margi's life as a believing Mormon.  This includes questions about how her family joined the LDS church in Washington D.C. during the 1970s, reflections on her own "conversion" to the church, Margi's favorite parts about being a believing, active Mormon, and the most challenging parts as well.
  • Part 2: Margi's faith crisis and transition away from Mormon orthodoxy, including our time trying to remain LDS as semi-believers, and her experiences and reflections on my excommunication.  Topics include the impetus for Margi's faith transition, how she/we "came out" to our children parents, extended family, etc. as unorthodox Mormons, and what the most difficult and rewarding parts of the transition were.
  • Part 3: Margi's life and perspective now, as a post-Mormon, including reflections on her current beliefs and non-beliefs, her approach to nurturing a healthy/happy family without religion, how she approaches raising children without the church, and why she feels as though she and our family are happier and healthier than ever before after leaving the church.

The plan for Mormon Transitions podcast is as follows:

  • We plan to conduct somewhere between 20 and 30 of these interviews, and to share them at http://mormontransitions.org.  We also plan to "chop" these interviews up by question, so that people can peruse the interview by topic (e.g., raising children after a faith crisis, how to "come out" to family and friends, secular spirituality, dealing with death).
  • We plan to host a weekly call-in show where people can call with their questions/concerns and receive feedback from a mental health professional and/or expert.
  • We plan to compile all the advice and perspective over 2017 into a book entitled something to the effect of, "Navigating a Mormon Transition."
  • We plan to continue hosting Mormon Transition Events across the U.S.  See our Mormon Transitions event calendar for events as they are scheduled.

If you support Mormon Stories, Mormon TransitionsMormon MattersA Thoughtful Faith, or any of the Open Stories Foundation projects, please consider a donation today.  You can donate via any of the "donate" buttons on any of the pages.

Direct download: MormonStories-686-MargiDehlinPt3.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 3:27pm MDT

As the first interview for the new Mormon Transitions project, I am incredibly pleased to interview my dear wife of 23 years, Margaret (Margi) Weber Dehlin.  In this three-part interview, I ask Margi a series of 46 questions focusing on thee parts:

  • Part 1: Margi's life as a believing Mormon.  This includes questions about how her family joined the LDS church in Washington D.C. during the 1970s, reflections on her own "conversion" to the church, Margi's favorite parts about being a believing, active Mormon, and the most challenging parts as well.
  • Part 2: Margi's faith crisis and transition away from Mormon orthodoxy, including our time trying to remain LDS as semi-believers, and her experiences and reflections on my excommunication.  Topics include the impetus for Margi's faith transition, how she/we "came out" to our children parents, extended family, etc. as unorthodox Mormons, and what the most difficult and rewarding parts of the transition were.
  • Part 3: Margi's life and perspective now, as a post-Mormon, including reflections on her current beliefs and non-beliefs, her approach to nurturing a healthy/happy family without religion, how she approaches raising children without the church, and why she feels as though she and our family are happier and healthier than ever before after leaving the church.

The plan for Mormon Transitions podcast is as follows:

  • We plan to conduct somewhere between 20 and 30 of these interviews, and to share them at http://mormontransitions.org.  We also plan to "chop" these interviews up by question, so that people can peruse the interview by topic (e.g., raising children after a faith crisis, how to "come out" to family and friends, secular spirituality, dealing with death).
  • We plan to host a weekly call-in show where people can call with their questions/concerns and receive feedback from a mental health professional and/or expert.
  • We plan to compile all the advice and perspective over 2017 into a book entitled something to the effect of, "Navigating a Mormon Transition."
  • We plan to continue hosting Mormon Transition Events across the U.S.  See our Mormon Transitions event calendar for events as they are scheduled.

If you support Mormon Stories, Mormon TransitionsMormon MattersA Thoughtful Faith, or any of the Open Stories Foundation projects, please consider a donation today.  You can donate via any of the "donate" buttons on any of the pages.

Direct download: MormonStories-685-MargiDehlinPt2.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 3:25pm MDT

As the first interview for the new Mormon Transitions project, I am incredibly pleased to interview my dear wife of 23 years, Margaret (Margi) Weber Dehlin.  In this three-part interview, I ask Margi a series of 46 questions focusing on thee parts:

  • Part 1: Margi's life as a believing Mormon.  This includes questions about how her family joined the LDS church in Washington D.C. during the 1970s, reflections on her own "conversion" to the church, Margi's favorite parts about being a believing, active Mormon, and the most challenging parts as well.
  • Part 2: Margi's faith crisis and transition away from Mormon orthodoxy, including our time trying to remain LDS as semi-believers, and her experiences and reflections on my excommunication.  Topics include the impetus for Margi's faith transition, how she/we "came out" to our children parents, extended family, etc. as unorthodox Mormons, and what the most difficult and rewarding parts of the transition were.
  • Part 3: Margi's life and perspective now, as a post-Mormon, including reflections on her current beliefs and non-beliefs, her approach to nurturing a healthy/happy family without religion, how she approaches raising children without the church, and why she feels as though she and our family are happier and healthier than ever before after leaving the church.

The plan for Mormon Transitions podcast is as follows:

  • We plan to conduct somewhere between 20 and 30 of these interviews, and to share them at http://mormontransitions.org.  We also plan to "chop" these interviews up by question, so that people can peruse the interview by topic (e.g., raising children after a faith crisis, how to "come out" to family and friends, secular spirituality, dealing with death).
  • We plan to host a weekly call-in show where people can call with their questions/concerns and receive feedback from a mental health professional and/or expert.
  • We plan to compile all the advice and perspective over 2017 into a book entitled something to the effect of, "Navigating a Mormon Transition."
  • We plan to continue hosting Mormon Transition Events across the U.S.  See our Mormon Transitions event calendar for events as they are scheduled.

If you support Mormon Stories, Mormon TransitionsMormon MattersA Thoughtful Faith, or any of the Open Stories Foundation projects, please consider a donation today.  You can donate via any of the "donate" buttons on any of the pages.

Direct download: MormonStories-684-MargiDehlinPt1.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 3:16pm MDT

Sara Stanley Urquhart was the founding director of Altitude Summit, the premiere conference for creative entrepreneurs, stylish social media influencers, and bloggers. Past speakers at the conference include Martha Stewart, Ben Silbermann (Pinterest founder), Jessica Alba, Jordan Ferney (Oh Happy Day!), Liz Stanley (Say Yes), and Heather Armstrong (Dooce).

Sara created this successful business as a means to generate income when her husband, Stephen H. Urquhart, decided to run for the Utah State Legislature.

In this two-part interview, Sara discusses:

  • Part 1: How she created Altitude Summit as a stay-at-home Mom with four children.  She also discusses the design blogging industry as a whole.
  • Part 2: Her Mormon faith transition.

Additional Bio: Sara runs an eponymous consulting business. She sits on the Salt Lake City Planning Commission and board of directors for the Women’s Resource Center at the University of Utah.  She is the founding board president of the St. George Family Support Center (2007-09). She was a member and board chair of the St. George Art Around the Corner Foundation (1998-2009). Sara has her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and her Masters of Emergency Planning from Jacksonville State University. Sara and Stephen have four children.

Direct download: MormonStories-683-SaraUrquhartPt2.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 4:43pm MDT

Sara Stanley Urquhart was the founding director of Altitude Summit, the premiere conference for creative entrepreneurs, stylish social media influencers, and bloggers. Past speakers at the conference include Martha Stewart, Ben Silbermann (Pinterest founder), Jessica Alba, Jordan Ferney (Oh Happy Day!), Liz Stanley (Say Yes), and Heather Armstrong (Dooce).

Sara created this successful business as a means to generate income when her husband, Stephen H. Urquhart, decided to run for the Utah State Legislature.

In this two-part interview, Sara discusses:

  • Part 1: How she created Altitude Summit as a stay-at-home Mom with four children.  She also discusses the design blogging industry as a whole.
  • Part 2: Her Mormon faith transition.

Additional Bio: Sara runs an eponymous consulting business. She sits on the Salt Lake City Planning Commission and board of directors for the Women’s Resource Center at the University of Utah.  She is the founding board president of the St. George Family Support Center (2007-09). She was a member and board chair of the St. George Art Around the Corner Foundation (1998-2009). Sara has her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and her Masters of Emergency Planning from Jacksonville State University. Sara and Stephen have four children.

Direct download: MormonStories-682-SaraUrquhartPt1.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 4:42pm MDT

Stephen Urquhart was raised in Houston, Texas, where he and his family converted to the LDS church after the suicide of his older brother.  After serving an LDS mission in Brazil, Steve married Sara Stanley and graduated from BYU Law School -- ultimately settling in St. George, Utah.

After developing a successful law career in St. George, Stephen served for 16 years in the Utah State Legislature, representing Washington County. In total, Stephen served 8 years in the Utah House of Representatives, and 8 years in the Utah Senate. 

During this vast legislative career, Stephen championed legislation on several issues crucial to Utahns, including: public land use, water rights, death penalty, increasing citizen access to legal services, numerous initiatives to improve K-12 and higher education in Utah, and most recently -- anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation (LGBT), as well as the legalization of medical marijuana.

In this two-part episode, Stephen discusses:

  • Part 1: His early years in the LDS Church, and his legal and legislative careers in Utah.
  • Part 2: His experiences and reflections on the powerful influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the Utah legislative process, and his loss of LDS faith after witnessing the negative impact of LDS LGBT policies on several people close to him.
Direct download: MormonStories-681-SteveUrquhartPt2.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 7:41am MDT

Stephen Urquhart was raised in Houston, Texas, where he and his family converted to the LDS church after the suicide of his older brother.  After serving an LDS mission in Brazil, Steve married Sara Stanley and graduated from BYU Law School -- ultimately settling in St. George, Utah.

After developing a successful law career in St. George, Stephen served for 16 years in the Utah State Legislature, representing Washington County. In total, Stephen served 8 years in the Utah House of Representatives, and 8 years in the Utah Senate. 

During this vast legislative career, Stephen championed legislation on several issues crucial to Utahns, including: public land use, water rights, death penalty, increasing citizen access to legal services, numerous initiatives to improve K-12 and higher education in Utah, and most recently -- anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation (LGBT), as well as the legalization of medical marijuana.

In this two-part episode, Stephen discusses:

  • Part 1: His early years in the LDS Church, and his legal and legislative careers in Utah.
  • Part 2: His experiences and reflections on the powerful influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the Utah legislative process, and his loss of LDS faith after witnessing the negative impact of LDS LGBT policies on several people close to him.
Direct download: MormonStories-680-SteveUrquhartPt1.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 7:39am MDT

Lance Allred's Mormon story is fascinating for so many reasons.

  • He is the grandson of assassinated Mormon fundamentalist prophet Rulon Allred.
  • He was born deaf, and stands 6'11" tall.
  • He was a star basketball player for East High school (SLC, Utah), and played college basketball both at the University of Utah and Weber State University.
  • Lance developed scrupulosity (religious OCD), at least partially as a result of both perfectionism, and guilt/shame relating to matters of sexuality.
  • NCAA legend Rick Marjerus was fired as University of Utah basketball coach because of his verbal abuse of Lance.
  • After college, Lance went on to play 10 years of professional basketball (mostly overseas), including playing a year for the Cleveland Cavaliers with Lebron James (pre-Miami), amongst other teams (he even met Larry Bird!).
  • Lance become a popular public speaker, perhaps most recently known for his "What is Your Polygamy" TEDx talk.
  • Lance has fascinating insights on faith, doubt, and disbelief.

Lance's web site can be found here: http://www.lanceallred41.com

Direct download: MormonStories-679-LanceAllredPt2.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 3:29pm MDT

Lance Allred's Mormon story is fascinating for so many reasons.

  • He is the grandson of assassinated Mormon fundamentalist prophet Rulon Allred.
  • He was born deaf, and stands 6'11" tall.
  • He was a star basketball player for East High school (SLC, Utah), and played college basketball both at the University of Utah and Weber State University.
  • Lance developed scrupulosity (religious OCD), at least partially as a result of both perfectionism, and guilt/shame relating to matters of sexuality.
  • NCAA legend Rick Marjerus was fired as University of Utah basketball coach because of his verbal abuse of Lance.
  • After college, Lance went on to play 10 years of professional basketball (mostly overseas), including playing a year for the Cleveland Cavaliers with Lebron James (pre-Miami), amongst other teams (he even met Larry Bird!).
  • Lance become a popular public speaker, perhaps most recently known for his "What is Your Polygamy" TEDx talk.
  • Lance has fascinating insights on faith, doubt, and disbelief.

Lance's web site can be found here: http://www.lanceallred41.com

Direct download: MormonStories-678-LanceAllredPt1.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 3:27pm MDT

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