Mormon Stories: Growing up in an LDS Prepper Family

[Res Ipsa]

The latest Mormon Stories episode is heartbreaking and heartwarming. John and Margi interview Kim and Josh Coffin. Kim's father is a fanatic LDS preppier and co-founder of the website A Voice of Warning (AVOW) where LDS folks share their apocalyptic dreams and visions. When they married, Kim and Josh were broken people. Kim, aged 18 and just out of high school, had undiagnosed OCD and Scrupulosity. She had decided she would never make it to the Celestial Kingdom and focussed instead on helping others get there. Josh, aged 21, who had excelled at almost everything growing up, was sent home four months from completion of his mission with temple recommend intact and faced rejection from his family, his friends, and he community he had lived in most of his life.

They married in the temple against the strong wishes of almost everyone in both families.

Over a decade later, Kim and Josh have a strong, close marriage. With a ton of love and therapy, they have come to know themselves and each other with a depth I have rarely seen. Part one takes them into their college years. Part 2 will cover their journey out of the church and their reconstruction of themselves. Although the episode was intended to be about growing up as a prepper and the impact of Visions of Glory, the stories Kim and Josh tell about themselves were gripping. I highly recommend.

Notes: This was the first time I had ever seen Margi. She was an excellent interviewer for this couple -- both compassionate and insightful.

John was stuck for too long trying to tie Kim's upbringing to Visions of Glory, Most of the damage that was done to her growing up happened before the book was published. That should have been clear from the pre-interview, by just establishing a simple timeline of her growing up. Her story was compelling enough without tying it to any literary source.

https://www.mormonstories.org/portfolio ... sh-coffin/

[Kishkumen]

That was a good episode. I can see what you mean about John's focus on Visions of Glory. I think he is stuck on what seems to be the hot topic of the moment. Still, I thought the whole thing was very enlightening, especially their insights on why the Church goes after its leftist fringe more than the right fringes.

[consiglieri]

I just covered one of the witness statements attached to the first lawsuit against Tim Ballard.

According to the female Mormon identified as HDK, Tim Ballard said he visited with Thom Harrison several times, and Thom Harrison received revelations that Tim would become president of the U. S., and also prophet of the LDS Church.

The podcast airs tonight at six Mountain Time.

https://youtu.be/kKGEcfLaaIk?si=ZWMc9n6uvDoIREsh

[Res Ipsa]

That was a good episode. I can see what you mean about John's focus on Visions of Glory. I think he is stuck on what seems to be the hot topic of the moment. Still, I thought the whole thing was very enlightening, especially their insights on why the Church goes after its leftist fringe more than the right fringes.

I found part 2 kind of meh, but part 3 was excellent. They told the story of how they came to deconstruct their belief in Mormonism and then began the process of reconstructing themselves. I almost cried when she talked about her intrusive thoughts during postpartum depression. That moment when she rejected everything she'd been taught by her family about mental health and therapy and went to see a therapist probably saved her and her child's life.

I hadn't realized that these three episodes were recorded right before the Visions of Glory episodes. Those had been a long time coming, and I can understand why John was focussed on the book.

[Kishkumen]

I found part 2 kind of meh, but part 3 was excellent. They told the story of how they came to deconstruct their belief in Mormonism and then began the process of reconstructing themselves. I almost cried when she talked about her intrusive thoughts during postpartum depression. That moment when she rejected everything she'd been taught by her family about mental health and therapy and went to see a therapist probably saved her and her child's life.

I hadn't realized that these three episodes were recorded right before the Visions of Glory episodes. Those had been a long time coming, and I can understand why John was focussed on the book.

I didn’t realize there was a part 3! I’ll have to listen to it. Thanks for the recommendation!

[yellowstone123]

That was an interesting podcast. When the young man was sent home early because he wouldn’t tell and confess on other missionaries sins was very powerful. He’s a hero.

I came home early in late 1980 and the man I admired the most told me “ no offense, but nobody in this ward wants to see your face for two years. It happens. I was stunned. I kept asking myself if I actually heard him right. To me he was a great teacher, whether, deacon, teacher or priest quorum. He played waterpolo at BYU, spent the summers as life guard at a local beach. He was an RM. I loved his lessons. He was our home teacher when I was excommunicated. People you think you know in the ward say the strangest things.

[High Spy]

That was an interesting podcast. When the young man was sent home early because he wouldn’t tell and confess on other missionaries sins was very powerful. He’s a hero.

I came home early in late 1980 and the man I admired the most told me “ no offense, but nobody in this ward wants to see your face for two years. It happens. I was stunned. I kept asking myself if I actually heard him right. To me he was a great teacher, whether, deacon, teacher or priest quorum. He played waterpolo at BYU, spent the summers as life guard at a local beach. He was an RM. I loved his lessons. He was our home teacher when I was excommunicated. People you think you know in the ward say the strangest things.

Was your bishop a descendant of the baby named after the brother of Jared?

[yellowstone123]

That was an interesting podcast. When the young man was sent home early because he wouldn’t tell and confess on other missionaries sins was very powerful. He’s a hero.

I came home early in late 1980 and the man I admired the most told me “ no offense, but nobody in this ward wants to see your face for two years. It happens. I was stunned. I kept asking myself if I actually heard him right. To me he was a great teacher, whether, deacon, teacher or priest quorum. He played waterpolo at BYU, spent the summers as life guard at a local beach. He was an RM. I loved his lessons. He was our home teacher when I was excommunicated. People you think you know in the ward say the strangest things.

Was your bishop a descendant of the baby named after the brother of Jared?

I don’t think so but we had the same birthday, but different name and year of birth.

[High Spy]

Was your bishop a descendant of the baby named after the brother of Jared?

I don’t think so but we had the same birthday, but different name and year of birth.

Interesting, I can’t think of two people that I personally know that have the same birthday. Unless you count my mom and her identical twin. Did you grow up near Yellowstone, or did you choose your name for another reason?

[yellowstone123]

I live near Yellowstone now. I grew up from 1961 to 2001 in Orange County, California.