Mormon Stories Podcast

Mormon Stories Podcast is a podcast principally hosted by psychologist John Dehlin featuring interviews with individuals and occasionally scholars on Mormon topics. The podcasts are noted as an arena for individuals critical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, skeptic and dissident individuals.

Mormon Stories Podcast
Presentation
Hosted byJohn Dehlin (primary host)
Genre
Publication
Original releaseSeptember 2005 (2005-09) – present
Websitemormonstories.org

History

In September 2005, after finding reasons to stay a member of the LDS Church despite a crisis of faith, John Dehlin created the Mormon Stories podcast as an open discussion of Mormon issues with the intention of giving listeners reasons to remain in the church.[1] Through interviews, Mormon Stories focused on varying Mormon experiences and perspectives, including antagonistic, apologetic, intellectual, gay, black, fundamentalist, feminist, and dissenting. Several notable Mormon figures were guests on Mormon Stories, including Gregory Prince, Todd Compton, Grant H. Palmer, Darius Gray, Margaret Blair Young, Richard Bushman, and Margaret and Paul Toscano. Mormon Stories has been featured in many venues, including being broadcast on KVNU in Logan, Utah.[2] In June 2007 John Dehlin was quoted for stories by The New York Times and Good Morning America, discussing Mitt Romney and Mormonism.[3][4]

At times personally conflicted about continuing Mormon Stories, Dehlin stopped and restarted the project a few times.[5][6] In January 2010 Dehlin resumed the blog and podcast, focusing on faith crises, mental illnesses, and notable guests,[7] beginning with interviews of Joanna Brooks and John C. Hamer.[8][9] Among numerous other regular hosts who have joined Dehlin in conducting interviews for the podcast were Dan Wotherspoon, former editor of Sunstone 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."[10] 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.[11]

In 2018 the Open Stories Foundation reported total compensation to Dehlin of over $226,000.[12]

In 2019 the Open Stories Foundation reported total compensation to Dehlin of over $236,000.[13]

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".[14][15] The pending publication of the piece catalyzed within the Mormon studies community a discussion (referred to by some as the Dehlin affair)[16][17][18] about the roles of apologetic and non-faith-based scholarship, respectively, within the academic study of Mormonism by Mormons.[19][20][21]

Guests

Featured guests of the podcast include Latter-day Saints considered orthodox, "curious," doubters and heretics.[22] These have included:

Guests have also included a number of "NeverMos" (short for "never-Mormons") and former Mormons[23] who have either backgrounds in "comparative religions/cults" or histories of being associated with the Church of Latter-day Saints without ever becoming members.[24] These include:

See also

References
  1. Dehlin, John (September 4, 2005). "Mormon Stories Podcast # 001: Bad Baptisms? My Mission Experience in Guatemala". Mormon Stories. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  2. Grover, Tom (January 3, 2008). "John Dehlin, Mormon Stories featured in today's Herald Journal". KVNU's For The People. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  3. "Church and State: Mormonism and Romney" (video). Good Morning America. ABC News. June 19, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  4. Goodstein, Laurie (June 11, 2007). "Romney's Run Has Mormons Wary of Scrutiny". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  5. What is/was Mormon Stories?. Mormon Stories Podcast. April 14, 2009.
  6. "Some Bonus Material, and a Break". Mormon Stories. December 25, 2007. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  7. "Mormon Stories 2010 — A New Direction". Mormon Stories Podcast. January 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  8. "Mormon Stories # 112 & 113: Joanna Brooks Parts 1 and 2". Mormon Stories Podcast. January 20, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  9. "Mormon Stories # 116: John Hamer Pt. 1 — The LDS Succession Crisis of 1844 and the Beginnings of the RLDS Church". Mormon Stories Podcast. January 24, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  10. Dalrymple, Jim; II (January 15, 2015). "Prominent Mormon Blogger Facing Excommunication For "Apostasy": John Dehlin founded the Mormon Stories podcast and has commented extensively on topics such as LGBT issues and gender within the religion. He now faces excommunication". BuzzFeed News.
  11. "Condensed Financial Statements and Supplemental Information" (PDF). www.openstoriesfoundation.org. December 31, 2017. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  12. "2018 Form 990" (PDF).
  13. "2019 Form 990" (PDF).
  14. Stephen Smoot, "Controversial Paper Critiquing Popular Mormon Podcast Published", Student Review, February 2013.
  15. glsmith7 (2013-03-12). "Rollo review – Introduction | Angels in the Architecture". Seesangelsinthearchitecture.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  16. "Dehlin | Interpreter". Mormoninterpreter.com. 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  17. Hamblin, William (2013-02-25). "It is not personal". Mormon Scripture Explorations. Archived from the original on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  18. "The Dehlin Affair–The Current Uncivil War - General Discussions - Mormon Dialogue & Discussion Board". Mormondialogue.org. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  19. B Hodges (2013-08-16). "A Mormon Studies Blogliography". Maxwell Institute Blog. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
  20. "Did John Dehlin Bring Down the Mormon Studies Review: (Hint: the answer has two letters…)". John Adams Center. 2012-06-23. Archived from the original on 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
  21. "Controversy over dismissal of BYU professor from Mormon Studies". Student Review. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  22. Goodstein, Laurie (January 15, 2015). "Mormon Church Threatens Critic With Excommunication". New York Times.
  23. John Dehlin (14 June 2019). "1129: AMBER SCORAH – LEAVING THE WITNESS: EXITING RELIGION AND FINDING A LIFE". Mormon Stories (Podcast). Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  24. Dehlin, John. "CATEGORY ARCHIVE: "Comparative Religions / Cults"". Mormon Stories. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
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