Why are so many young Mormons leaving the Church? Today, we're joined by Hailey Walser to explore that question through the lens of her own Mormon story. Hailey was raised in the Church in Alaska, where growing up Mormon looked very different from the experience many members have in Utah. As a teenager, she began asking questions about feminism, Church culture, and the role of women, but still considered herself a committed believer. Hoping to strengthen her testimony, she chose to serve a mission and was called to serve in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What followed would fundamentally reshape her relationship with the Church. Hailey was serving her mission when COVID-19 broke out, and was sent home. She was eventually allowed to return to her mission, but was then informed that her service would be extended by an additional six months. She describes feeling trapped by the decision, unable to simply return home on her own because missionaries do not control their own housing, transportation, or finances. Throughout the conversation, we discuss why so many young members—particularly young women—are questioning or leaving the LDS Church today. From gender roles and institutional authority to diversity, politics, and personal autonomy, Hailey offers a thoughtful perspective on why an increasing number of young people no longer feel at home in Mormonism. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/mormon-missionary-held-against-her-will/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:08:23 - Testimony 00:11:13 - Feminism questions 00:18:41 - Outdated beliefs 00:24:15 - Moving to Logan, UT 00:28:41 - Dating pre-mission 00:32:21 - November 2015 Policy 00:36:37 - Mission call to Minneapolis 00:43:02 - Focused on numbers 00:46:13 - Told to go home due to asthma 00:53:22 - Finding more problems 00:56:11 - Black Lives Matter 00:59:05 - Polygamy 01:04:05 - Online missionaries 01:14:20 - Their couch was taken 01:25:04 - Mission extended by six months 01:32:56 - Learned helplessness 01:39:56 - Abandoned on her mission 01:42:42 - Different person after her mission 01:47:21 - Slowing church attendance 01:53:31 - Church constantly changing 01:56:57 - Married in the temple 02:01:50 - Testing out NOT being Mormon 02:08:16 - Why women are leaving 02:19:41 - Marginalized by the church 02:21:09 - Reconstruction 02:26:36 - Changing is a problem 02:29:26 - Moving from Christianity 02:30:44 - Final remarks ___________________ 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