Today we welcome Greg Matsen, a believing member of the LDS Church, to talk about what the Church means to him and how he tries to live out a healthy, thoughtful approach to Mormonism. Host of the podcast @CwicShow, Greg joins us today to share his Mormon story–from growing up in a “practical” orthodox family in Southern California and serving a mission in Mexico City, to navigating marriage, parenting, and personal belief in the LDS church today. We dive into his experiences with doubt, why he believes questioning can actually strengthen faith, and what led him to start the Cwic Show on YouTube. Along the way, Greg shares his thoughts on church misconceptions, LGBTQ issues, politics, and tough questions like the role of women in the Church–all from the perspective of an active and believing member of the LDS church. We hope this episode will be beneficial to anyone trying to stay faithful to the Mormon Church, even after doubts arise. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/doubt-strengthened-my-lds-faith/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:30 Who is Greg and what is the Cwic Show? 00:06:34 What does “cwic” mean? 00:08:04 What is the goal of the Cwic Show? 00:13:34 Greg’s Mormon Story begins 00:15:42 Had a big spiritual experience at 18 and decided to serve a mission 00:17:20 Served a mission in Mexico City hoping to “change” who he was 00:21:55 BYU Provo & Dating after his mission 00:24:08 Got married and had their first child 00:30:09 Importance of hearing different perspectives 00:31:16 Left BYU to start working 00:35:55 How has his faith progressed over his marriage? 00:37:01 Felt some doubts in his early 30s 00:39:02 Advice he would give to others who are doubting 00:42:41 What it means to “critique” something 00:46:01 What made him start his YouTube channel? 00:48:47 His top concerns about church misconceptions 00:49:42 Greg’s idea of a “teddy bear Jesus” 00:56:25 Discussing Patrick Mason’s approach to peacemaking 00:59:20 Discussing LGBTQ issues 01:13:34 Addressing the accusation that his beliefs are homophobic 01:25:26 Would he accept gay marriage if the church changed its doctrine on it? 01:38:03 Sees the left as a “wolf in sheep's clothing” 01:41:49 Does Trump represent Christian values? 01:45:20 Responce to the libertarian view of same-sex marriage 01:48:00 How does he view the current ICE approach as a christian? 01:50:43 Does he see the US as going in the right direction? 01:53:29 Issue of more men than women in Christianity 02:08:39 Good vs harm in the church 02:10:48 How does John respond to the claim that he is the biggest cause of people leaving the church? 02:17:09 How John strives to make the church better, not make members leave 02:21:18 “The church bears responsibility of those that left do to lack of transparency” 02:28:28 Why John doesn’t think secularism is the way 02:38:27 Does he have a testimony for those who want to hang on? 02:43:30 How to contact Greg Matsen 02:43:45 Closing remarks - Be respectful to Greg (edited) ___________________ 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