Going through a faith crisis can be a lonely and isolating experience, especially in a believing family, so imagine the relief to find someone else is going through the same thing! Join John & Margi as they interview Chris Lee and Mitch Hadfield about their Mormon Story, their struggles with the faith, their relief to find understanding, support & solidarity with each other, and where their lives are now.
Chris Lee:
1674: Struggling to Complete a Mormon Mission: Chris Lee and Mitch Hadfield Pt. 1
In Part 1 of 2, Chris and Mitch tell their respective stories growing up in Mormon families and share their individual struggles serving missions for the Church. Chris struggles deeply with depression and anxiety resulting in going home early though at the cost of guilt that will last for years. Mitch experiences shame over “unrepented sins,” difficulties of the mission, and deals with suicidal ideation, though his does finish the full two-year term.
1675: Navigating a Faith Crisis as Brothers-in-law: Chris Lee and Mitch Hadfield Pt. 2
In Part 2 of 2, Chris and Mitch explain the sources of their individual faith crises and how they processed it. Chris’ was a slow burn with a long amount of time spent in progressive Mormonism, while Mitch went from fairly conservative to a nonbeliever overnight. They explain the results of sharing their faith loss with each other, their wives, and other believing family members and where Chris and Mitch find themselves today.
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Show Notes:
Part 1
Family Faith Crisis Episodes
- 1466-1468: Mormon Nuclear Submarine Commander & His Family; Kelly and Heather Laing
- 1438: A Bishop’s Family Questions Mormonism; Kelly & Kayla Mikesell
- 616-617: Thirteen Years of Silence & Matt Elggren and Clay Christensen’s Story of Family, Faith, Doubt, and Hope
- 1287-1293: Surviving Spiritual Abuse and Suicidality as BYU-Idaho Faculty & Non-Believing Spouse – Ryan & Holly Nielsen
Early Mission Return Series:
- 643: Mormon Missionary Faith Crises and Early Return Pt. 1 – Josh Tesch and Facebook
- 644: Mormon Missionary Faith Crises and Early Return Pt. 2: Depression, Faith Crisis, and Suicidality
- 645: Missionaries Pt. 3: Mike Woodruff – Gay, Abused on Mission, PTSD, Early Return
- 646: Missionaries Pt. 4: Tormented over Self Abuse, Disillusioned by Uninspired Mission Leadership
- 647: Missionaries Pt. 5: Rose Sorenson – Becoming an Atheist as a Missionary
- 648: Missionaries Pt. 6: Jacob; Sent Home Early for Cuddling with Zone Leader
MS Ukrainian Episodes:
- 1270-1273: Anastasia Bigun : A Ukrainian Mormon Journey
- 1557: A Ukrainian Mormon Story – Ksenia Andrukhiv Everton
Part 2
Books:
- David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism – Greg Prince
- Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History – Greg Prince
- No Man Knows My History – Fawn Brodie
- Mormonism Unveiled – John D. Lee
- Journal of Discourses
- Rough Stone Rolling – Richard Bushman
- By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion – Terryl Givens
- Crucible of Doubt – Terryl Givens
- Planted – Patrick Mason
- Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and the Problem of Racial Innocence – Joanna Brooks
MS Interviews:
- 1553-1554: Rodney Meldrum – Founder of the Book of Mormon Heartland Model
- 1656-1658: A Scholarly Defense of Mormonism – Patrick Mason
- 1350: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right (Matt Harris) – Part 1
- 1351: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right (Matt Harris) – Part 2
- 1392: The Faith Journey of an Ultra-Orthodox, Utah County Mormon Mom – Gretchen Day
Other Resources:
2 Responses
I returned early from my mission also. Like Margi said, its super tough to shake those deep rooted feelings of inadequacy… What helps most is hearing stories like both of yours. Takes courage! HUGE Thanks to Mormon Stories for making this possible! 👍🏻👍🏻
I can confirm Chris’s comments about the annoying concept of “quiet dignity.” It pre-dates his MTC experience by at least a few years. I was in the MTC in 1999 and this irritating phrase was all the rage. I was pretty gung-ho at the time but still had a hard time stomaching those types of things.
Great interview. Margi had some excellent insights and questions.