Mormon Stories 1413: What Happens When a Mormon Bishop & Single Mom Fall in Love

-What happens when a Mormon bishop falls in love with a member of his congregation?  How could this happen?
-What situation would make a divorced single mother returning to Mormon church activity fall in love with her married bishop?
-In what ways does the calling of Mormon bishop, including both excessive time demands on the Bishop and the practice of one-on-one "worthiness" interviews with single women, put excessive strain on bishops, their marriages, and their families - making infidelity more likely?
-Should divorced single women (or anyone for that matter) seek life counseling from a Mormon bishop?  Are bishops trained and qualified to do life counseling?
-How could a bishop and a divorced single mother come to believe that they were both engaged in a God-approved polygamous relationship?  Does a story like this help us better understand the Chad Daybell / Lori Vallow story, or the Joseph Smith story?
-What happens when a Mormon bishop loses his faith, while he is serving as bishop?  What type of pressure does that put on the bishop, his wife, and their family?
-What is it like to be viewed as "the mistress" in a public relationship that is viewed as scandalous (i.e., a Mormon bishops falls in love with a ward member, loses his faith, asks to be released, and the entire ward/stake knows)?
-What happens when a Mormon stake president is forced to release a Mormon bishop early? 
-What types of pressure does this situation put on the stake president, the ward, the bishop, and the bishop's family? How does the Mormon church handle such situations?
-If you happen to fall in love with someone who isn't your spouse mid-life, how do you decide whether to stay in the struggling or failed marriage to improve it vs. leave the marriage to seek greater joy/fulfillment?  Is there ever a time to "cut your losses" in a marriage and move on, or should most/all marriages be preserved at virtually all cost?
-Can 2nd marriages work, with all the complexities of divorce, ex-spouses, step-children, etc.?  Or are they generally doomed to fail?
-How in the world do you ever heal from a lifetime of trauma as a Mormon?  Is healing and growth possible?  If so, what are some resources that can be helpful?

Today's epic two-part Mormon stories interview with Matthew and Elizabeth explores all of these questions, and much, much more. Buckle in for a 7+ hour in-depth interview.

I promise you that you will not be disappointed with these two strong, vulnerable, inspiring humans.

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Timecodes:
00:02:28 - Elizabeth’s Mormon Story Begins
00:10:03 - Parents divorce & her unique exposure to Mormonism
00:12:24 - Experiences with pre-marital sex
00:14:49 - Married & divorced at a very young age
00:16:36 - Pursued Buddhism & other passions, stopped attending LDS church
00:17:24 - Second Marriage, first child, & second divorce
00:19:45 - Tried to re-consider Mormonism
00:24:57 - Ex-husband’s battle with substance abuse (father of her daughter)
00:27:28 - Moved back to her hometown & began attending again
00:32:59 - Elizabeth’s experience compared to an orthodox mormon upbringing
00:41:50 - Pity and Judgment from members of the church
00:48:58 - Elizabeth & Matthew’s stories converge
00:52:54 - November 2015 policy & awareness of issues in the church
01:04:26 - Matthew & Elizabeth are introduced
01:13:56 - Girls Camp experiences
01:19:36 - Interviewed for Stake President
01:30:53 - Personal revelation & making callings as a Bishop
02:02:02 - Matthew’s feminist awakening
02:09:53 - Issues that bishops are not trained to handle
02:16:59 - Depression & emotional trauma from difficult ward counseling
02:26:06 - Bishop Welfare Council
02:36:33 - Emotional intimacy begins to form
02:46:40 - Matthew’s testimony begins to crack
03:30:52 - Created “meaning” to rationalize the connection they felt to another
03:46:02 - Emotion vs. Logic in Mormonism
03:51:07 - Matthew expresses his doubts to the steak president
04:02:46 - Matthew tells his wife he wants to divorce
04:34:25 - Because he gave up the priesthood, Matthew’s children lose their trust in him
04:40:43 - Elizabeth being perceived as a “home wrecker”
05:02:58 - Being released as Bishop
05:14:07 - Matthew send his church resignation letter
05:21:13 - Closing questions & remarks

Видео Mormon Stories 1413: What Happens When a Mormon Bishop & Single Mom Fall in Love канала Mormon Stories Podcast