Join hosts John & Margi Dehlin in an insightful interview with guest Ganesh Cherian. Explore Ganesh's journey within Mormonism, from his parents' conversion to his mission experiences. Uncover his challenges as a young Bishop, battles with mental health, and exploration of Church history. Learn how Ganesh's progressive stance and writing ignited reactions from his circle leading to the Church sending a Cease and Desist. Discover why he chooses to remain a member as you tune in for a candid exploration of faith, change, and identity. Episode Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/nz-mormon-story-ganesh-cherian/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro & Intentions 00:04:50 How Ganesh’s parents met & eventually converted 00:20:00 Trouble in their marriage, domestic violence 00:25:30 What Ganesh was like as a child 00:38:30 Church College - A Mormon boarding school 01:02:00 Ganesh’s worldview at/after Church College 01:13:30 Temple & Mission to Auckland, NZ 01:25:00 Experiences outside of Ganesh’s Mormon “bubble” 01:30:00 Teenage years 01:34:00 Post-mission life - World travel and connecting with his Indian heritage 01:45:00 Mormonism was overwhelmingly positive 01:49:15 Re-connecting with a fellow missionary leads to marriage 02:08:30 Becoming a 32-yr old Bishop with 5 sons 02:20:35 The beginning of mental health issues 02:32:20 The unwritten rules for Bishops - Protecting the good name of the Church 02:49:25 What started unraveling things? 02:59:45 Digging into Church history 03:03:00 Ganesh recognizes his privilege as a married male 03:19:45 The Gospel Topics Essays 03:21:30 Ganesh is released from Bishop calling for involvement in progressive Mormonism 03:30:30 A look at Book of Mormon historicity leads to writing a book 03:49:45 How so many of Joseph’s ideas in the Book of Mormon were flipped 180 degrees in Nauvoo later 03:55:00 The Church sends a Cease and Desist 04:00:00 Why choose to still be a member? 04:17:30 The risk of excommunication 04:19:45 Where are you in reconstruction? ___________________ 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 as well as 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 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝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 Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories 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