Join us for two unique Mormon Stories as John Dehlin & Samantha Shelley interview Tommy & Madison Johnson. Tommy made fans and haters on both sides of belief when he hit the TikTok scene during COVID with funny skits on the peculiarities of Mormonism. What viewers couldn't see was that Tommy was struggling to know how to deal with many of the messier topics in Church History as well as the darker sides of modern Mormon doctrines such as the stance against the LGBTQ+ community, which includes his own sister, while ALSO navigating his mixed-faith marriage with Madison who stopped believing entirely after their Temple Marriage. Madison describes her life as having been "born into a faith crisis" due to stigma and family shame around being conceived out of wedlock by a teen mother. Madison's struggles with the faith continued through most of her life despite her levels of activity/involvement in the Church, even through her Temple Marriage with Tom. Madison leaves the Church upon finding the CES letter and she and Tommy work through what this will mean for their marriage, and even end up on an episode of the podcast "Marriage on a Tightrope" with Katie & Allan Mount. They finish off with where the couple is at today and how life is going since all of the changes they've been through. Tommy Instagram: instagram.com/thetomsters TikTok: tiktok.com/@thetomsters Madison Instagram: instagram.com/madison.ashlee/ Tiktok: tiktok.com/@madsashlee Samantha (host) youtube.com/@zelphontheshelf samanthashelleycoaching.com/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:05 Tommy’s family’s Mormonism & growing up. 00:26:00 Mission Call to Canada 00:31:00 Tommy’s experiences with Purity Culture teachings & sexuality 00:56:00 Madison’s story: “Born into a faith crisis” as the result of teen pregnancy. 01:02:40 Family’s attempt to become the perfect Mormon family back-fires. 01:12:30 Family moves to the Netherlands, worldview opened outside of Mormonism 01:14:20 Testimony & family starts to fall apart right before she goes to USU 01:18:20 Madison confesses to the Bishop who handles it well. 01:24:40 Madison’s Temple endowment. 01:32:20 Madison transfers to UVU after a bad breakup 01:35:20 Tommy comes home from his mission and finds Mormon Stories Podcast 01:40:20 Tommy's sister comes out as bisexual 01:50:40 Tommy and Madison meet and start dating 02:18:00 After marriage, Madison starts questioning, Tommy adopts progressive Mormonism 02:45:20 Effects of COVID 02:48:00 Madison’s faith loss starts with support for lesbian sister, discovers CES Letter. 03:14:40 Navigating a mixed-faith Mormon marriage 03:33:30 Tommy’s purpose for TikTok to be both funny & faithful 03:41:00 The Final Straw 03:56:00 Leaving church as a faithful Mormon content creator 04:09:00 Life after leaving Episode Show Notes https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/1678-tommy-madison-johnson/ _________________________ ABOUT US: Mormon Stories Podcast is the longest-running and most successful podcast in Mormonism - hosted by Dr. John Dehlin. At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also occasionally interview scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1) Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology, 2) Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis, and 3) Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions. Mormon Stories Podcast is a product of the Open Stories Foundation - a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting Mormons in religious transition. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Amazon Smile: Be sure to select “Mormon Stories” website: https://smile.amazon.com app: https://amz.run/5r2M Our Platforms: Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 #MormonStories #Mormon #lds