In this special Valentine’s episode, we are joined by Kolby Reddish (a rando on the internet), Nemo the Mormon, Carah Burrell (from Nuancehoe), Julia Sanders from Analyzing Mormonism and John Dehlin for a conversation that might surprise you.
Yes – We are critics of Mormonism.
Yes – We’ve experienced pain, disillusionment, and deep deconstruction.
And yet… we can hold two different truths at once.
In this episode, we model something that feels almost taboo in exMormon spaces: expressing gratitude for the things Mormonism gave us –while still being honest about its harm.
In this episode we discuss:
– Rituals that shaped our identities
– Community and why it’s hard to leave
– Awe, wonder, and valuing the body
– Agency and free will as an act of faith
– Why compassion and justice often lead people OUT of the church
– Whether we wish to destroy the church or make it better
There are so many good people inside the Mormon church. The people are often beautiful while the system is complicated. As Richard Rohr once said: “Nobody does first half of life better than Mormons” –and we all share deep gratitude for that first half.
This episode does not erase the negative things about the church. It doesn’t minimize harm. But it DOES ask whether we can be mature enough to acknowledge the good without surrendering our integrity.
2 Responses
Love this panel. It is important to remember the good things that you learned about the church.
Well, I for one exmormon no longer have any use for the Mormon Church, Mormons and the Mormon culture or any of its spinoffs. There was a time when my concerns were largely about history and changed and racist doctrines, including well documented lies by 19th Century Mormon leaders. But then came strong Mormon support for one of the most immoral Presidents in the history of this nation. A strong majority of Mormons voted for a convicted felon three times. One also was found liable for sexual assault and who publicly bragged about his ability to do so because he was rich and famous. He said, “if you are rich and famous they let you do it”. I won’t dignify that statement by repeating what “it” is.
A recent poll indicated that in spite of this a majority of Utahn’s still support this authoritarian hedonist. From that perspective I know must find a significant majority of Utah Mormons hypocritical. And I suspect that support goes for Mormons living out of the state as well.