Austin Wheeler shares his personal journey navigating Mormonism, military culture, and faith deconstruction. He recounts growing up in the church, his early experiences with trauma, and how Mormonism influenced his views on violence and masculinity. After a series of life events—ranging from military service at West Point to his mission in Taiwan—he confronts the toxic elements of both the military and the church, including dehumanization and harmful beliefs. Ultimately, he reflects on how his experiences shaped his disillusionment with Mormonism, his struggles with identity, and the deep questions about purpose and meaning that arose as a result.
Show Notes
YouTube
00:01:55 Introductions
00:08:55 His parents divorced when he was in seventh grade
00:10:00 He was sexually assaulted by a ward member and doubled down in his belief
00:31:00 How his High School shaped his identity
00:42:15 Prepper culture associated with the military culture
00:58:55 The Mormon culture is that they are going to build you in OUR image
01:20:00 Experiences at the Mormon Singles Ward
01:23:37 Called to the Tawaiian mission
01:36:00 He started a fight club in the MTC
01:45:00 Mormon culture makes a lot of people weird
01:50:35 His mission president thought he was sick because he had sinned
01:53:15 They sent him home for worthiness reasons, not because he was sick
02:03:45 He went back on his mission
02:24:00 Meeting his wife
02:42:00 Authority and obedience in the church and in the military
02:56:20 Opening his mind to the reality that the church had a lot of shortcomings
03:07:10 How did his military career end?
03:19:45 How did his military service end?
03:27:35 Because he was never deployed is he happy or sad? Broken or healed?
03:36:35 If you want to connect with people who have been in the military
03:48:30 Nihilistic views and the emptiness of existence
03:53:20 Final thoughts
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Mormon Stories Podcast