For a church of Jesus Christ I always thought Satan got a disproportionate amount of airtime. It actually traumatised me growing up. He hasn't featured in my life whatsoever since I left.
What a FANTASTIC episode for John Larsen to end on! He is such a a gift. Listening to this episode made me realize the emotional and psychological abuse I grew up with just by default of being innocently subjected to the Mormon theology of Satan and evil.
Thank you John Larsen for teaching me so much more about Mormon history and theology than I ever learned growing up at church. You have done all of us a great service. Good luck with all your endeavors. May peace be with you all your days.
John Dehlin and everyone on Mormon Stories, my eternal gratitude to you as well. It’s like Mormonism is a sinking ship, and I was deep below deck, and you and your guests have stood like lifeguards and shown me and my family the way out. I couldn’t leave without them, and you helped give us the safe space and information we needed to escape as a family. Our best wishes to John Larsen on his future adventures!
yes john an his live casts are a must see, must hear, must contemplated videos ive ever seen. he is the mediator for like mined souls to pass over into the real world of worship. let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven. amen
I'd already seen John Larson's video explaining why he's leaving, so I knew I knew this would be a bittersweet episode going into it. The episode was awesome, breaking down Satan in all the ways I've considered him in my lifetime! I loved it! John Larson, you will be missed in this space, but you have done so much for us, no one can ask for more. Go, watch your seeds sprout and your chickens run around, and be in love with life and the earth and the world. You deserve all the peace your heart can find. This space will miss you, but we'll be okay. You've left a treasure trove of hard work for us all to learn from for decades to come. Thank you so much for everything!
When I was in dark depths of my own faith crisis John Larsen's was one of the voices that guided me back to the "light." You helped me move on from mormonism. I'm glad that you're moving on as well. And I wish you the best.
we will miss john larsen's wisdom on the subject of mormonism. the contradiction he points out with 2 nephi and helaman on free will is blowing my mind. it's been there all this time and this is the first time i've heard anyone point it out. thanks for everything john. wishing you all the best.
Maybe Joseph Smith missed that (concentrated on different things) when he wrote the two different chapters. (Won't honor his lies about translating BOM.) I doubt he would have corrected anything even if he had known. Arrogance is prerequisite to starting one's on church in 19th century with at least ten to twenty other Protestant denominations.
Thank you so much John Larsen for being such an active, brave, and sincere voice in the Ex-Mormon and Post-Religion community. I’ve laughed so much when you’re on MS as a guest and learned so much from your delightful extensive rants. Your dynamic with Jon D and Carah is one of my favorites in podcast history and now I’m going to binge all your episodes together! I can’t express how much of an inspiration you’ve been to me on my journey into understanding human behavior, cultures and the effects of influence and I hope someday I can be somewhat close to learned and critical as you are. I wish you the best fulfillment, noble success and the sweet and sour fruits of life this world offers in everything you do from here onward!!!! We’ll miss you and we can’t thank you enough 💙💙💙
For 35 years, I questioned mosquitoes. After moving to central America i learned mosquitos are a biting midge. Primary pollinators of the cacao plant. Essentially we wouldn't have chocolate without mosquitos. I went to Germany on my mission and love chocolate to a very healthy level. I've equally hated mosquitos. Now i love them both but prefer the company of one more than the other. 😊
Highly recommended podcast. Listen to John Larsen's final Mormon related podcast. He is a legend who will be missed on this channel but has plenty of content on this channel (Mormon Expression( and his own. Salutations John. You will feel smarter and better informed on any subject after listening to him. We need to celebrate this phenomenal man
I have went to church on Ash Wednesday. My sister is Lutheran and she always invites us to go. We’d like to go on Good Friday, and on Easter too. They do a dramatic reading of Jesus last week that is really good. And then reading of Jesus coming back after he died it’s really a good way to spend your Easter.
In case you haven't noticed, Jon Stewart returned to Comedy Central, so John Larson may some day return at the Time of the End to confront Satan! I've learned a lot from John, maybe more than I need to know about Mormonism, but I've found it inspiring even as a never-Mo. I really agree with John that humans doing the right thing to benefit humanity for no reward at all personally is a highly spiritual sense of purpose. Whatever is not a part of material reality can be called spiritual, including all those qualities that make life meaningful and good, including humor, kindness, mercy, love, beauty, intellect. And I think that Shakespeare's description of the world being a stage where we all are performers in this epic story of humanity, is worth pondering. Mormonism is just a little piece of the story being played out. Ex-Mormons would not be the people they are today if Mormonism had never existed. You'd maybe be like so many other never-Mos drinking beer and eating cheeseburgers while you listen to country music. I don't think John mentioned the influence of Zoroastrianism on the Hebrew concept of Satan. Some scholars claim that the Jews had no concept of Satan until they were taken as captives to Babylonia and came in contact with Zoroastrians who did have a belief in life being a struggle between good and evil, between Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) and Ahriman (Satan). King Cyrus (the Great), a Zoroastrian, conquered Babylonia, freed the Jews and even gave them the money to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus is called God's Anointed, or Messiah, in Isaiah 45:1. Christians don't usually speak of Jesus as being the second Messiah, but the Jews were probably expecting their second Messiah to be more like King Cyrus with a conquering army. It's also interesting that the Magi, Zoroastrian priests, also are reported to have come to Israel to pay homage to the baby Jesus. This may or may not have actually happened, but why did the early Christians feel the need to put Zoroastrians into this story?
All the best to John L and his adventures in community and farming. I have found the Dabbler Cast podcast and look forward to good agriculture stories.
It must have been exhausting to have been so passionately deep inside and then so deep outside of a religion for almost 50 years. I understand the need for peace and distance and a clean head space to concentrate on other things. A sort of cleansing or purging. However, I wonder if you might continue to share your pearls of wisdom on life, on humans, on whatever’s going on in the world, from time to time. Thank you, John Larsen.
All is within. All the heavans and hells are within us. Once we look at healing our inner child, harmonising the shadow self, taming our inner beasts, putting our ego behind us to support us for good, and connecting with soul, our higher mind, once this is an inner marriage and whole healed union within then we have achieved to know who and what we are which is outside of any religion.
The great World Religions all have a mystical core which includes what you're talking about. This is not a part of the religious organizations or community practices, but on the individual level it exists even in the lesser known tribal religions. You might say that all religions are united at this level.
Gees that was like one of those awesome parties, and at the end your mate tells you he's leaving the country to live somewhere else. Alot of fun, but bloody sad. I've sat at a chemical plant night shift listening to these, laughing and crying my way through my mormon past. Gonna miss you John..lots of love and gratitude for your perspective brother. You guys have helped myself and my family big time. Lots of love to you all ❤
Thank you John. As a never Mormon, who studied it in a “Cult and Sect” university course, this church has always fascinated me. You all blew me away with learning that Easter isn’t celebrated… of course it isn’t!
Coming back to Utah from Texas took me to hell, not Zion. My eyes were opened as I saw those who would preside turn a blind eye to the very abuse they perpetuate. I thought my story, my 40 something years in the church of abuse was one bad apple in a bunch, solitary, me being the only common denominator. After I left Mormonism, I found those who used to be Mormon, who spoke up. Because you educated me and taught me why there were so many wolves in sheep‘s clothing, I was no longer alone and suddenly validated. Thank you. Now I use my voice in the hopes of educating the naïve so they recognize the devil when they see him.
Congratulations Cara, congratulations John on your new chapter! I’m itching to get a John Larsen booklist. Are you on goodreads? Looking forward the new podcast as well. What you are saying about modern life, community, and meaning really resonates.
When I taught in Central California, many of our Hmong and Cambodian students came to school with round burns on their foreheads. It was a religious practice in the Buddhist church. We had to learn not to report it as child abuse as the practice was saving the child.
John, I know it’s on me to process your departure-from my initial sense of loss, into the less selfish spirit of celebrating your continuing journey of discovery. All the very best wishes. Lee
OMG. 20:50, this question was one I posed to missionaries when they were desperately trying to convert me. I said it sounds like Satan was doing Gods work just as much as Jesus then, if he was just doing what his father required? My fiancé's Mormon family (reader, I did not marry him) were so utterly horrified by this that they called me a devil-worshipper. 🤷🏻♀️
I really love your podcast, and have learned a great deal about Mormonism. Your interview with Steve Hassan was of the greatest podcast interviews I’ve ever seen. Perhaps the title of your podcast limits the scope of interview freedom outside of Mormonism, but if not, I sure would love to see more!
It’s nice to see Catholicism recognized as a high demand religion, the more I think about my upbringing the more similarities I have found to the cults and high demand organizations I’ve been following for years now.
I feel the reverse. I was Catholic for the first 30 years of my life. It was not high demand for me or my family. They had zero worthiness interviews. Confession was optional. Taking the sacrament was optional. You could attend mass on Saturday or Sunday at whichever parish you wanted. Donations were optional. Volunteering was optional. No “callings”. Zero pressure to become a priest or nun. No shaming. No dress codes. No food or drink restrictions. Not one sermon or testimony from anybody proclaiming “we are the one true church”. It was pretty chill. I’m not questioning your experience. I just didn’t find any high demands in my Catholic experience.
My mom grew up in pre Vatican 2 Catholicism, and it was definitely traumatizing with all the threats of sin and hell drilled into her head. My experience was much gentler but still somewhat demanding.
I pretty much have your experience. My parents' time in the Church was quite strict, but bless them they were never ones to push it on us, instead they encouraged us to debate question and find our own way. They were faithful and practised their belief simply. They read and kept up to date with all the changes in the Church. I had to admire how they read and kept up to date with all things Catholic and weren't afraid to speak out or critize the hierarchy. It was a beautiful over 60-year partnership, which while ground in faith was a true loving equal relationship. They welcomed non catholics to the family 2nd partners and valued people for who they were, not what religion they were. Many religions seem to have common denominators of being overdominant in people's lives of overriding the fine line between Church and state and sadly hiding abuse behind their doors. We cannot deny that and watching Mormon Stories surely has shown us that. Being free to have your own mind and being free to investigate and educate yourself is truly a gift. Whether you chose religion should be a free choice not something showed down your throat with the fear of eternal domination. Thank you Morman Stories for making me question think and confirming that keeping it simple and personal is my way forward. ps. The only thing I knew about Mormons before this was that the Osmonds were of that faith. I've certainly been educated since I got hooked on this channel.!! CC ireland
BEST EPISODE EVER ❤ Thank you so much for everything you guys do. I'm a better person because of the knowledge I've gained from episodes like this and many other Mormon Stories 😊😊😊
John Larsen something you said reminded me of a quote from the movie Dazed and Confused. I want to share it because it feels relevant. "All I'm saying is I want to look back and say I did the best that I could while I was stuck in this place. Had as much fun as I could while I was stuck in this place. Played as hard as I could while I was stuck in this place..."
This started as a war of words. It continues as a conflict of competing ideas and interests. In the end, we will have talked the talk, or walked the walk. God is great. And His Plan of Salvation encompasses the entire human family & all of creation from top to bottom.
When I studied Job it became a shelf item. It basically says that God double dog dared the devil to distroy Job's life. They seemed friends in cahoots with each other. Thanks for this.
I grew up in the Seattle area as a Mormon. After college I ended up working in Chicago. As an adult, I almost told a coworker they had something on their forehead on my first Ash Wednesday in Chicago, because I had never seen or heard about this tradition.
This is so fascinating. I wonder if anyone has explored the Anabaptist underpinnings of the book of Mormon. There are many shared beliefs between nineteenth century Anabaptist beliefs as they evolved in the US in New York and this theology from the Book of Mormon. Many of my ancestors who followed Joseph Smith to Nauvoo were Anabaptist.
The testimonials of exmo's is ripping my Heart n huge tears cos it's all I have thought as a Never Mo. Many many blessings of Courage and inner peace and Love. 😊🦋💙
56:14 It always bothered me in the temple endowment ceremony when Eve says to Satan, “Is there no other way?” and he replies, “There is no other way.” Hang on - Isn’t he the father of all lies?
Thanks to John Larsen and his reading of the BoM aloud n his Only true interpretation of the BoM I now know exactly why I had nightmares 31 yrs ago when I tried to get past part way through 2Nephi. Alma has such different energy. I won't destroy my BoM but I seriously doubt I ever read 2 Nephi unless there's a nuclear holocaust and I can only find a book of Mormon to get my mind off things and no sarcasm there. Love.. Light ... and many blessings ya'll.
56:40 ~"and the devil said he already saw this play out in other worlds" 👀 that one's interesting, anyone know the reference? dont remember that one personally
I will miss Mr Larsen very much on MSP, some of my favorite episodes ever. I hope he continues with the Dabbler Cast, I've enjoyed it so far and enjoy listening to him talk about his passions (whether it's shitting on the church or not). I haven't had a chance to watch yet, I hope this gets uploaded sooner rather than later. Thanks for all you do John and the team. How do I go about rerouting my donation from expression to the general open stories one?
As one of your ex-Catholic viewers I didn’t know that the current view wasn’t canonized until Trent, the whole time I was a Christian I was told that the idea of an eternal hell has been doctrine from the very beginning but even though I’m not a Christian anymore I’m sympathetic to the Universalist view (the idea everyone will go to heaven eventually). Some of the Universalist literature I’ve read claim that eternal hellfire wasn’t believed by most early Christians and figures like Gregory of Nysa believed in some sort of Universalism, however like so many things from that time period it’s debatable.
The doctrine of an immortal soul crept in from Greek Hellenism. Jewish scriptures had no such teaching. Eternal hellfire and universalism are echoes of the lie: “you will not surely die.” Rather God said the wages of sin is death. And “God so loved the world He gave his only son that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Atheism is often a reaction to bad religion.
For a church of Jesus Christ I always thought Satan got a disproportionate amount of airtime. It actually traumatised me growing up. He hasn't featured in my life whatsoever since I left.
That’s sad. But it’s a tool of fear. And cults need fearful people. Glad you are free of it!✌️♥️
He hasn’t featured in my life 😂😭that’s so funny!! I really can relate!
What a FANTASTIC episode for John Larsen to end on! He is such a a gift. Listening to this episode made me realize the emotional and psychological abuse I grew up with just by default of being innocently subjected to the Mormon theology of Satan and evil.
Thank you John Larsen for teaching me so much more about Mormon history and theology than I ever learned growing up at church. You have done all of us a great service. Good luck with all your endeavors. May peace be with you all your days.
John Dehlin and everyone on Mormon Stories, my eternal gratitude to you as well. It’s like Mormonism is a sinking ship, and I was deep below deck, and you and your guests have stood like lifeguards and shown me and my family the way out. I couldn’t leave without them, and you helped give us the safe space and information we needed to escape as a family. Our best wishes to John Larsen on his future adventures!
yes john an his live casts are a must see, must hear, must contemplated videos ive ever seen. he is the mediator for like mined souls to pass over into the real world of worship. let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven. amen
I'd already seen John Larson's video explaining why he's leaving, so I knew I knew this would be a bittersweet episode going into it. The episode was awesome, breaking down Satan in all the ways I've considered him in my lifetime! I loved it! John Larson, you will be missed in this space, but you have done so much for us, no one can ask for more. Go, watch your seeds sprout and your chickens run around, and be in love with life and the earth and the world. You deserve all the peace your heart can find. This space will miss you, but we'll be okay. You've left a treasure trove of hard work for us all to learn from for decades to come. Thank you so much for everything!
When I was in dark depths of my own faith crisis John Larsen's was one of the voices that guided me back to the "light." You helped me move on from mormonism. I'm glad that you're moving on as well. And I wish you the best.
Thank you John Larsen for everything you had done for us. I am going to miss your "F Bombs". I wish you the very best John Larsen as you are the GOAT.
John Larsen is such a voice of reason. So proud of him and the inspiration he has provided to me over these last few years. ❤
John Larson you have been so influential in so many of our lives! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you will be so missed! Love you brother ❤
Is this the last episode with him ever??
@@slavbarbie yes 😔
John Dehlin’s and Nuance’s responses to your exit breaks my heart. Please know how important and appreciated you are. Thank you. Carry on and conquer.
Love John Larsen...I wish him the best in all of his future endeavors and hope his farm is thriving!
we will miss john larsen's wisdom on the subject of mormonism.
the contradiction he points out with 2 nephi and helaman on free will is blowing my mind. it's been there all this time and this is the first time i've heard anyone point it out. thanks for everything john. wishing you all the best.
Maybe Joseph Smith missed that (concentrated on different things) when he wrote the two different chapters. (Won't honor his lies about translating BOM.) I doubt he would have corrected anything even if he had known. Arrogance is prerequisite to starting one's on church in 19th century with at least ten to twenty other Protestant denominations.
Thank you so much John Larsen for being such an active, brave, and sincere voice in the Ex-Mormon and Post-Religion community. I’ve laughed so much when you’re on MS as a guest and learned so much from your delightful extensive rants. Your dynamic with Jon D and Carah is one of my favorites in podcast history and now I’m going to binge all your episodes together! I can’t express how much of an inspiration you’ve been to me on my journey into understanding human behavior, cultures and the effects of influence and I hope someday I can be somewhat close to learned and critical as you are. I wish you the best fulfillment, noble success and the sweet and sour fruits of life this world offers in everything you do from here onward!!!! We’ll miss you and we can’t thank you enough 💙💙💙
So glad John Larsen has found the peace he needs 🙌 ❤
What an episode to go out with. Masterclass. Thank you for all of your work John, i wish you the very best moving forward.
Three of my favorite loving people all together here. Thank you so much.
For 35 years, I questioned mosquitoes. After moving to central America i learned mosquitos are a biting midge. Primary pollinators of the cacao plant.
Essentially we wouldn't have chocolate without mosquitos.
I went to Germany on my mission and love chocolate to a very healthy level. I've equally hated mosquitos.
Now i love them both but prefer the company of one more than the other. 😊
George Bernard Shaw the playwright said: In Hell, the devil is nobody in particular.
Oh, that is a great one!
Thank you, John Larsen. You’ve helped so many of us in our time of need.
Anyone else wish they had grown up to be as clever and passionate as John Larsen?
Highly recommended podcast. Listen to John Larsen's final Mormon related podcast. He is a legend who will be missed on this channel but has plenty of content on this channel (Mormon Expression( and his own. Salutations John. You will feel smarter and better informed on any subject after listening to him. We need to celebrate this phenomenal man
I have went to church on Ash Wednesday. My sister is Lutheran and she always invites us to go. We’d like to go on Good Friday, and on Easter too. They do a dramatic reading of Jesus last week that is really good. And then reading of Jesus coming back after he died it’s really a good way to spend your Easter.
One of the best podcast in mormon stories for sure! The eloquence and the intelligence of Dr. John Larson is amazing!
I love John Larsen. I'm a no-mo but I've learnt so much from him. You rock, John. Much love to you and yours. ❤
In case you haven't noticed, Jon Stewart returned to Comedy Central, so John Larson may some day return at the Time of the End to confront Satan! I've learned a lot from John, maybe more than I need to know about Mormonism, but I've found it inspiring even as a never-Mo.
I really agree with John that humans doing the right thing to benefit humanity for no reward at all personally is a highly spiritual sense of purpose. Whatever is not a part of material reality can be called spiritual, including all those qualities that make life meaningful and good, including humor, kindness, mercy, love, beauty, intellect. And I think that Shakespeare's description of the world being a stage where we all are performers in this epic story of humanity, is worth pondering. Mormonism is just a little piece of the story being played out. Ex-Mormons would not be the people they are today if Mormonism had never existed. You'd maybe be like so many other never-Mos drinking beer and eating cheeseburgers while you listen to country music.
I don't think John mentioned the influence of Zoroastrianism on the Hebrew concept of Satan. Some scholars claim that the Jews had no concept of Satan until they were taken as captives to Babylonia and came in contact with Zoroastrians who did have a belief in life being a struggle between good and evil, between Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) and Ahriman (Satan). King Cyrus (the Great), a Zoroastrian, conquered Babylonia, freed the Jews and even gave them the money to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus is called God's Anointed, or Messiah, in Isaiah 45:1. Christians don't usually speak of Jesus as being the second Messiah, but the Jews were probably expecting their second Messiah to be more like King Cyrus with a conquering army. It's also interesting that the Magi, Zoroastrian priests, also are reported to have come to Israel to pay homage to the baby Jesus. This may or may not have actually happened, but why did the early Christians feel the need to put Zoroastrians into this story?
This was so good. We will miss you John Larson But excited for you in your new adventures. Grateful to assist with dabblerfarms
All the best to John L and his adventures in community and farming. I have found the Dabbler Cast podcast and look forward to good agriculture stories.
Thank you John Larsen for all you knowlege and insight you have gifted us! Im so thankful for you!!
I have followed you since 2005…..what a blessing you have been! Much ,much love💝
John Larsen's words are inspiring! Thank you so much.
John, John, and Carah THANK YOU and Happy Friday!
It must have been exhausting to have been so passionately deep inside and then so deep outside of a religion for almost 50 years. I understand the need for peace and distance and a clean head space to concentrate on other things. A sort of cleansing or purging. However, I wonder if you might continue to share your pearls of wisdom on life, on humans, on whatever’s going on in the world, from time to time. Thank you, John Larsen.
55:26 you’ve made the ultimate point, John Larsen!
All is within. All the heavans and hells are within us. Once we look at healing our inner child, harmonising the shadow self, taming our inner beasts, putting our ego behind us to support us for good, and connecting with soul, our higher mind, once this is an inner marriage and whole healed union within then we have achieved to know who and what we are which is outside of any religion.
The great World Religions all have a mystical core which includes what you're talking about. This is not a part of the religious organizations or community practices, but on the individual level it exists even in the lesser known tribal religions. You might say that all religions are united at this level.
Good luck in your future John! I’ll be following your farming blog! Thanks so much for your time and for the entertainment the last few years
Thank you John. Learned so much from you past few years. Thank you
Gees that was like one of those awesome parties, and at the end your mate tells you he's leaving the country to live somewhere else. Alot of fun, but bloody sad.
I've sat at a chemical plant night shift listening to these, laughing and crying my way through my mormon past. Gonna miss you John..lots of love and gratitude for your perspective brother. You guys have helped myself and my family big time. Lots of love to you all ❤
Is this Larson's last? Hope he finds peace in his decision. He's such a good guy with the greatest heart.
Yep
I will miss John Larsen but I understand why he needs to step away,
Onward and upward John Larsen!
Thank you John. As a never Mormon, who studied it in a “Cult and Sect” university course, this church has always fascinated me. You all blew me away with learning that Easter isn’t celebrated… of course it isn’t!
Coming back to Utah from Texas took me to hell, not Zion. My eyes were opened as I saw those who would preside turn a blind eye to the very abuse they perpetuate. I thought my story, my 40 something years in the church of abuse was one bad apple in a bunch, solitary, me being the only common denominator. After I left Mormonism, I found those who used to be Mormon, who spoke up. Because you educated me and taught me why there were so many wolves in sheep‘s clothing, I was no longer alone and suddenly validated. Thank you. Now I use my voice in the hopes of educating the naïve so they recognize the devil when they see him.
Congratulations Cara, congratulations John on your new chapter!
I’m itching to get a John Larsen booklist. Are you on goodreads?
Looking forward the new podcast as well. What you are saying about modern life, community, and meaning really resonates.
When I taught in Central California, many of our Hmong and Cambodian students came to school with round burns on their foreheads. It was a religious practice in the Buddhist church. We had to learn not to report it as child abuse as the practice was saving the child.
Thank you for this opportunity to share with us the best message love it
John, I know it’s on me to process your departure-from my initial sense of loss, into the less selfish spirit of celebrating your continuing journey of discovery. All the very best wishes. Lee
I'm going to miss John Larsen. He's a true scholar.
1:06:29 Possibly the best summation of my feelings by Carah. Thank you so much @nuancehoe
John Larsen is amazing, sad to see this end! Best of luck John!
John Larsen I have enjoyed all your content, and have learned so much from you. I will miss you.😢
John, you are such a gift. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing your heart and soul with us. You've been a real gift in my life. Thank you❤
Thank you. Will be Watching from Alaska.
This is important.
Commenting to help. Gonna miss you John Larson and Carah! Thank you Dr Dehlin and team ❤️
OMG. 20:50, this question was one I posed to missionaries when they were desperately trying to convert me. I said it sounds like Satan was doing Gods work just as much as Jesus then, if he was just doing what his father required? My fiancé's Mormon family (reader, I did not marry him) were so utterly horrified by this that they called me a devil-worshipper. 🤷🏻♀️
I really love your podcast, and have learned a great deal about Mormonism. Your interview with Steve Hassan was of the greatest podcast interviews I’ve ever seen. Perhaps the title of your podcast limits the scope of interview freedom outside of Mormonism, but if not, I sure would love to see more!
It’s nice to see Catholicism recognized as a high demand religion, the more I think about my upbringing the more similarities I have found to the cults and high demand organizations I’ve been following for years now.
I feel the reverse. I was Catholic for the first 30 years of my life. It was not high demand for me or my family. They had zero worthiness interviews. Confession was optional. Taking the sacrament was optional. You could attend mass on Saturday or Sunday at whichever parish you wanted. Donations were optional. Volunteering was optional. No “callings”. Zero pressure to become a priest or nun. No shaming. No dress codes. No food or drink restrictions. Not one sermon or testimony from anybody proclaiming “we are the one true church”. It was pretty chill. I’m not questioning your experience. I just didn’t find any high demands in my Catholic experience.
My mom grew up in pre Vatican 2 Catholicism, and it was definitely traumatizing with all the threats of sin and hell drilled into her head. My experience was much gentler but still somewhat demanding.
I pretty much have your experience. My parents' time in the Church was quite strict, but bless them they were never ones to push it on us, instead they encouraged us to debate question and find our own way. They were faithful and practised their belief simply. They read and kept up to date with all the changes in the Church. I had to admire how they read and kept up to date with all things Catholic and weren't afraid to speak out or critize the hierarchy. It was a beautiful over 60-year partnership, which while ground in faith was a true loving equal relationship. They welcomed non catholics to the family 2nd partners and valued people for who they were, not what religion they were. Many religions seem to have common denominators of being overdominant in people's lives of overriding the fine line between Church and state and sadly hiding abuse behind their doors. We cannot deny that and watching Mormon Stories surely has shown us that. Being free to have your own mind and being free to investigate and educate yourself is truly a gift. Whether you chose religion should be a free choice not something showed down your throat with the fear of eternal
domination. Thank you Morman Stories for making me question think and confirming that keeping it simple and personal is my way forward. ps. The only thing I knew about Mormons before this was that the Osmonds were of that faith. I've certainly been educated since I got hooked on this channel.!! CC ireland
@@Zeett09clearly you didn’t attend a Catholic School like my Mom.
@Foghorn-tr1je Yes I did and saw all the worst and best of nuns and priests in my education.
I'm excited for this episode, I'm gonna miss John Larson but I'm going to follow his farming show!
Thanks Mormon Stories!
Great show. John Larsen is a legend. He deserves the best.
Thank you, John Larsen!!! Live and appreciate you. You've definitely helped me in my journey.
John Larson-I would like to contact you about volunteering on your farm??
it's tough to make order out of chaos. you did well. I can't wait for your next projects. You rock bro!
BEST EPISODE EVER ❤ Thank you so much for everything you guys do. I'm a better person because of the knowledge I've gained from episodes like this and many other Mormon Stories 😊😊😊
Thanks John Larson so much for your podcasts. You are a good man. Knowing your philosophy you will do well in your future endeavors. Good luck
John Larsen something you said reminded me of a quote from the movie Dazed and Confused. I want to share it because it feels relevant.
"All I'm saying is I want to look back and say I did the best that I could while I was stuck in this place. Had as much fun as I could while I was stuck in this place. Played as hard as I could while I was stuck in this place..."
I miss this OG crew! Please please please keep going this you guys are keeping people alive! 🤘
John Lawson is the Business!!!!! Good luck in your new phase of a happy, healthy life...
This started as a war of words. It continues as a conflict of competing ideas and interests. In the end, we will have talked the talk, or walked the walk. God is great. And His Plan of Salvation encompasses the entire human family & all of creation from top to bottom.
You all have captured my non-Mormon Christian crisis of faith. The Mormon view of Satan is pretty much the Christian view, but more
When I studied Job it became a shelf item. It basically says that God double dog dared the devil to distroy Job's life. They seemed friends in cahoots with each other. Thanks for this.
Literally listened to this first thing in the morning. Thanks John Larsen.
This is probably my favorite video on this entire website, and I can't exactly figure out why
I grew up in the Seattle area as a Mormon. After college I ended up working in Chicago. As an adult, I almost told a coworker they had something on their forehead on my first Ash Wednesday in Chicago, because I had never seen or heard about this tradition.
This is a powerful and important episode, thank you. Happy belated birthday wishes, Carah (lol, loved your "razzle dazzle" quip)!
Let’s make it easy. The Devil is nothing more than the ego. We all have an ego, just don’t let it rule your life. Simple as that.
This is so fascinating. I wonder if anyone has explored the Anabaptist underpinnings of the book of Mormon. There are many shared beliefs between nineteenth century Anabaptist beliefs as they evolved in the US in New York and this theology from the Book of Mormon. Many of my ancestors who followed Joseph Smith to Nauvoo were Anabaptist.
The testimonials of exmo's is ripping my Heart n huge tears cos it's all I have thought as a Never Mo. Many many blessings of Courage and inner peace and Love. 😊🦋💙
Will miss hanging out and laughing with you three. Good journey and happy future!
The BEST BEST BEST I’ve heard so far!!! THANK YOU!!!
John is the GOAT 🐐
56:14 It always bothered me in the temple endowment ceremony when Eve says to Satan, “Is there no other way?” and he replies, “There is no other way.” Hang on - Isn’t he the father of all lies?
Would a bookstore like Ken Sanders Books be interested in John Larsen’s collection?
Missing seeing John Larsen's episodes with you! Hope he and his family are doing well. ❤
Thanks to John Larsen and his reading of the BoM aloud n his Only true interpretation of the BoM I now know exactly why I had nightmares 31 yrs ago when I tried to get past part way through 2Nephi. Alma has such different energy. I won't destroy my BoM but I seriously doubt I ever read 2 Nephi unless there's a nuclear holocaust and I can only find a book of Mormon to get my mind off things and no sarcasm there. Love.. Light ... and many blessings ya'll.
💔 love you John Larson.
It is so healthy to move on! At some point we all need to stop talking and thinking about this stuff. That is the final stage of deconstruction.
Good show, interesting content, I love hearing the three of you discuss these things
56:40 ~"and the devil said he already saw this play out in other worlds" 👀 that one's interesting, anyone know the reference? dont remember that one personally
Every ‘False Religion’ plays on your Emotion, not your Intelligence!
Moving with books! Yes it sucks! I started getting everything on Kindle so I can take em with me everywhere forever!
I love the heart of John Larsen!
Thank you John Larsen AND John Dehlin!
1:13:10 this was such a good closing proposition by John Larsen :)
Good luck with farm John.
I would love to have a list of his 50 most influential books.
I will miss Mr Larsen very much on MSP, some of my favorite episodes ever. I hope he continues with the Dabbler Cast, I've enjoyed it so far and enjoy listening to him talk about his passions (whether it's shitting on the church or not).
I haven't had a chance to watch yet, I hope this gets uploaded sooner rather than later. Thanks for all you do John and the team. How do I go about rerouting my donation from expression to the general open stories one?
This is one of my top favorite episodes.
John, we will miss you
John D stick around. We love your podcasts
In Mormonism they say the devil can only exist & appears to those who has doubts....
Why do you think they say that?
As one of your ex-Catholic viewers I didn’t know that the current view wasn’t canonized until Trent, the whole time I was a Christian I was told that the idea of an eternal hell has been doctrine from the very beginning but even though I’m not a Christian anymore I’m sympathetic to the Universalist view (the idea everyone will go to heaven eventually).
Some of the Universalist literature I’ve read claim that eternal hellfire wasn’t believed by most early Christians and figures like Gregory of Nysa believed in some sort of Universalism, however like so many things from that time period it’s debatable.
The doctrine of an immortal soul crept in from Greek Hellenism. Jewish scriptures had no such teaching. Eternal hellfire and universalism are echoes of the lie: “you will not surely die.” Rather God said the wages of sin is death. And “God so loved the world He gave his only son that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Atheism is often a reaction to bad religion.