This week, we’re sitting down with Benson Lawson, who made the bold decision to decline his Mormon mission call. In the LDS community, serving a mission is often seen as non-negotiable—an expectation placed on nearly every young man. For those who choose differently, the backlash can be overwhelming. Benson is bravely sharing his story with us, opening up about the pressure, the stigma, and why a mission wasn’t the right path for him. Join us as we explore the reasons why a mission is not right for everyone, and what affect this choice can have on a Mormon man in particular. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/i-declined-my-mormon-mission-call/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:27 Benson’s intention 00:03:07 Growing up in Oregon 00:07:29 Had to follow a lot of rules - became a rule follower 00:14:21 Dating a non-mormon in High School 00:18:44 Parents divorce in High School 00:27:40 Did he worry about his dad’s salvation? 00:29:55 His school experience 00:35:01 Going to Europe with his student band 00:42:17 Began applying for his mission 00:43:12 He was denied a mission 00:49:32 Applying for colleges 01:09:13 Sharing some of his journal entries from the time 01:28:46 Learning about the “skin of darkness” in his Book of Mormon classes 01:42:37 Discussing preferences around mission locations 01:49:18 “Today I decided not to serve my mission 01:58:01 Calling to decline his mission call - got hung up on 02:01:47 Discussing Word of Wisdom - it does not act as a law of health 02:08:41 Speaking with a BYU professor about his questions 02:27:52 Is the church growing or shrinking today? 02:33:05 Lost a lot of respect from his community by not serving a mission 02:38:52 How does he like to spend his Sundays now? 02:52:05 What makes him feel valued now? What inspires him? 02:54:52 Final thoughts ___________________ 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 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join 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