Evan Smith rose through the ranks of Mormon leadership becoming a bishop and later a Sake Presidency member. While serving as a Bishop, Evan struggled with the Church’s positions on LGBTQ issues and later found out that his son Weston was gay. Even after coming out, Weston decided to serve an LDS Mission as an openly gay man, leading him to high levels of depression and heartbreaking experiences during and after coming back early from his mission. Evan became an advocate for LGBT people in the Church and his position as a Stake Counselor led him to a confrontation with a General Authority and a meeting in Church Headquarters with a Seventy where they discussed Evan’s progressive beliefs on LGBTQ matters. Join John and Gerardo as they interview Evan and his son Weston about their fascinating Mormon Story. In Part 1 of 3, we learn of Evan’s relatively normal LDS (Mormon) upbringing in Utah, early testimony-building experiences, and troubling issues on his mission regarding difficult Church topics including the Church’s racism & homophobia. Evan attends BYU and meets his wife, Cheryl, and works through law school with three children. He becomes a Branch President (leader of a local congregation-similar to a Bishop, but over a smaller congregation) and begins learning Gospel teachings and experiences weren’t as simple as they initially seemed, culminating in his son, Weston, coming out to him as gay. Gay LDS Crossroads: https://www.gayldscrossroads.org/ This Body of Water: Surviving Mormonism as a Queer Man: https://www.amazon.com/This-Body-Water-Surviving-Mormonism/dp/173865950X Chapters: 00:00:00 Beginning 00:18:30 Why naming General Authorities and talking about private conversations 00:24:25 Evan’s upbringing in more or less typical Mormon family in Murray, Utah 00:30:00 Testimony building experiences including blessing from President Monson 00:54:00 Temple experience and live ceremony 00:56:40 Mission experiences - Hard core mission president 01:03:20 Dealing with race issues on his mission 01:24:02 BYU, Temple Marriage with Cheryl, three kids while in law school. 01:42:50 Experiences in Church Leadership 01:56:00 Evan’s learning starts to unravel previous “miracles” & testimony 01:58:00 The emergence of his progressive Mormonism 02:12:00 Evolution of his views on LGBQT policies as Branch President 02:36:30 Becoming a Bishop as a progressive Mormon when his son comes out as gay Episode Show Notes https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/evan-and-weston-smith/ _________________________ 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