In this episode, we sit down with Jared Smith –an ex-Christian, former Wheaton College student, and atheist YouTuber –to explore what happens when someone deeply rooted in evangelical Christianity takes a serious look at Mormonism. Jared shares his journey from devoted believer to skeptic, including his time at Wheaton College (often called the “Harvard of Christian institutions”), where he studied everything from apologetics to exorcism –and even Christian heavy metal. We dive into his firsthand experiences auditing religions, attending Mormon services, reading the Book of Mormon, and engaging with LDS culture from an outsider’s perspective. Along the way, we explore what it’s like to WANT your religion to be true –and still lose it, the role of Jesus in Mormonism vs. traditional Christianity, those who take religion most seriously are the ones who seem to be leaving, the emotional and intellectual toll of deconstruction, what he thought when he read the Book of Mormon, and the intersection of belief, identity, and online content creation. We also discuss broader topics like Jehovah's Witnesses and blood doctrine, charismatic Christianity (including exorcism and speaking in tongues), and the culture of apologetics across faith traditions. Jared offers a thoughtful, non-combative perspective as someone more interested in understanding belief than attacking it –making this conversation a nuanced look at faith, doubt and everything in between. Check out Jared’s YouTube channel “Heliocentric”: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS5YtyTzVJo_N-vjub8te3g Videos to watch in preparation for our next episode with Jared Smith: “This Mormon church sucked” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_iAA_Zp-GQ His episode with Nemo the Mormon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQSo0aQQkbg Jacob Hansen’s response to Jared - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOFghorZj9s Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/how-an-ex-christian-experiences-mormonism/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:51 - Religions he’s audited 00:13:05 - Christian background 00:19:18 - Pillars of Christian upbringing 00:34:33 - Any slidebacks? 00:41:41 - Early doubts 00:54:16 - Course on casting out demons 00:58:31 - Mormon curses 01:03;03 - Studying Christian heavy metal 01:17:34 - Losing faith/Starting channel 01:22:15 - Interest in Mormons 01:28:52 - Reading the Book of Mormon 01:32:48 - Jesus in the Book of Mormon 01:37:33 - Fire Round Questions 01:43:53 - Jesus as Big Brother 01:57:28 - 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