1041: Ana Reading: My Swiss Mormon Journey Pt. 2
Mormon Stories Podcast
Dr. John Dehlin
4.5 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 11 January 2019
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ana Reading is one of the most intelligent, thoughtful, and inspiring Mormons I've ever met. Born to a semi-functional family in Switzerland, Ana clung to Mormonism as a source of strength and comfort. Ana served an LDS mission in Ireland, went to BYU, married a devout American Mormon in the temple (Bill Reading), had four children, sacrificed her career to live the Mormon dream, and served in high-level ward callings (while Bill served twice as branch president/bishop).
Ana's Mormon dream was disrupted when she began feeling unfulfilled and overwhelmed at church, and then ultimately learned about the church's troubling historical past. Ana's story concludes with struggles to survive a mixed faith marriage (facing Bill's sadness and disappointment), reconstruct a relationship with her faithful children, and pursue a happy, healthy life outside of the church.
“Alright to Be You” is a collaboration song by electronic musician, Milocraft, and singer-songwriter, Angela Soffe. Raised in the LDS Church, both are returned missionaries, and each chose to leave the Church when faced with a faith crisis. In 2018 they founded the “Be Moved Project” to create music that helps people feel happy and connected. To hear more music or support the project by becoming a patron, please visit: www.angelasoffe.com
Transcript
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| 0:35.1 | This is the life you're making. There is love for the taking. Let me just ask, you know, you |
| 0:51.2 | didn't come from a family of high status, of wealth, of high education. Do you feel like |
| 1:01.3 | your upbringing was of a higher quality because of your relationship with the church? |
| 1:07.6 | Do you feel like the church kind of upgraded what otherwise might have not been a great |
| 1:16.1 | a great childhood or adolescence? I think so, yes, because I |
| 1:23.6 | associated with people that were educated and that we had some people in the work in band and |
| 1:29.9 | had university degrees, you know, that I looked up to, that I felt like that's what I want to |
| 1:36.7 | become and maybe if I had not had that, you know, where would I have seen exam? I might still have |
| 1:42.4 | made it that's hard to know, you know, but I think the church gave me this ambition, you know, |
| 1:51.5 | this drive to make more out of myself. To be good, right? Yeah. |
| 1:58.7 | And even when you were suicidal, it gave you a reason to live. Exactly. And it gave me something to |
| 2:04.8 | turn to again. When you need a comfort, right? Right. And the mission in a way was the best thing for me |
| 2:12.7 | then. It really helped me heal. I mean, I'd had two other boyfriends in the meantime, none of that had helped, |
| 2:20.1 | you know, it just was always like, oh, that's not how this guy was. And, you know, it just was |
| 2:26.2 | no help, but but going on a mission, it like took the focus away from me and put it out onto |
| 2:33.6 | serving others. And that really helped. Yeah. Yeah. For as much as, you know, for those who have left |
... |
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