Conversations about the religious and spiritual life on the other side of fundamentalism
 
009: Chase and Rebecca’s Story

009: Chase and Rebecca’s Story

In this fascinating interview by Sarah Collett we are introduced to Chase and Rebecca and their remarkable faith journey. Shortly after Rebecca met Chase and they were married, Rebecca made an astonishing realization of the similarities between her charismatically spiritual father and the prophet Joseph Smith. But it wasn’t until scandal rocked her mother and father’s marriage that Rebecca realized how similar her father and Joseph truly were.

This couple’s story takes us through a complex journey where a daughter’s admiration and faith in her father as well as her subsequent disappointment and heartbreak mirror hers and her husband’s descent into faith crisis. While Rebecca’s father catalyzed hers and Chase’s doubts of Joseph Smith, remarkably it was the two men’s similarities that ultimately brought them back as they learned to forgive and move past both men’s respective shortcomings.

We hope you will enjoy this amazing story. Please share your thoughts and comments with us below.

6 Comments

  1. Sue

    Excellent interview. Really enjoyed it but I think their bishop is an anomaly. And would a spiritual leader respond this way if their was no catastrophic event in the family but someone was just questioning because certain doctrines or traditions just didn’t make sense to them? I think more people who are questioning would stay in the church if their leaders responded this way. Again, great interview!

  2. Kevin

    I’d agree with you, Sarah, this is an extraordinary story. It’s a rare privilege to listen to your story, Chase and Rebecca. Surely the hand of God is manifest here. Much strength and joy to you.

  3. Paul

    Great podcast. I had a very similar experience growing up, except that my dad’s compulsive affairs throughout my parents’ marriage was never disguised in the cloak of a revelation from God. He was just a dirt bag that has some serious untreated mental health and personality disorders. Your ability to dismantle the traditional beliefs and keep the doctrines that you find helpful is very inspiring. I am very interested in exploring the connection between mental health, divine revelation as Christians/Mormons believe it, and the notion that Truth is established by emotional experiences. I believe it opens the door to situations like you experienced with your father more often than not, and I believe is ultimately the source of Joseph Smith’s claims and teachings.

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