My Father Was a Better Psychologist in Utah Than Dr. John Dehlin, and He Would Not Agree with the Mormon Stories Podcast
By Bobby Darvish, Iranian-American Ex-Muslim, Former Vegan, Former Democrat, Former Socialist, Former CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Former Muslim Forum of Utah President, Christian Conservative LDS
Growing up as an Iranian-American in Utah, I was blessed with a father who was not only a skilled psychologist but also a deeply insightful and compassionate man. Despite our family’s non-LDS background, my father held a deep respect for the values of the Latter-day Saints and the Christian foundation that shapes Utah’s culture. In his own counseling practice, he upheld principles that encouraged moral stability, resilience, and self-respect, guiding his clients—both LDS and non-LDS—toward healthy relationships, self-discipline, and gratitude for their heritage. In stark contrast, Dr. John Dehlin and his Mormon Stories podcast stand for an agenda that seems bent on dismantling the very foundation that my father respected. Dehlin’s podcast pushes a radical LGBTQ+ and cultural Marxist agenda that undermines conservative Christian values and risks handing over the heart of American culture to forces that ultimately seek to weaken it.
Unlike my father, Dr. Dehlin doesn’t seem interested in fostering a positive and strengthening outlook within the LDS community or in wider American society. Instead, Mormon Stories is laced with rhetoric that encourages disillusionment with traditional values and subtly fosters a resentment toward LDS culture, the family unit, and the country itself. While Dehlin’s podcast claims to promote personal empowerment and exploration, its rhetoric often emphasizes bitterness, victimhood, and self-loathing. My father, on the other hand, was a psychologist who would have seen the dangers in this approach—how it fosters division rather than unity, despair rather than strength.
One of the main critiques my father would have had against Dehlin’s platform is its elevation of identity politics and radical social agendas over individual strength and family stability. Mormon Stories frequently highlights narratives that paint traditional values as oppressive or out of touch, leading listeners away from their families, communities, and faiths rather than encouraging reconciliation or mutual understanding. This is cultural Marxism at work: pitting individuals against each other by race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, breaking down community bonds in order to instigate broader societal upheaval. For people like my father, who understood the importance of belonging to a strong, supportive community, the implications of Dehlin’s approach would be deeply troubling.
Furthermore, Dr. Dehlin’s repeated critiques of the LDS Church often border on antagonism, portraying the Church not as a source of moral guidance but as an authoritarian institution that restricts individual expression. To him and many of his guests, traditional family values seem passé, even oppressive. However, the family is a sacred institution within both the LDS Church and traditional Christian values. It serves as a cornerstone for teaching responsibility, faith, and respect for others, values that my father, even as a non-LDS professional, would have wholeheartedly defended.
This approach is precisely what makes Mormon Stories more dangerous than a mere alternative viewpoint. It is, in fact, a strategic dismantling of the moral fabric that underpins much of the LDS faith and, by extension, American society. Cultural Marxists often use these “storytelling” platforms as tools to reshape historical and societal narratives, vilifying conservatism, and promoting ideologies that are directly in conflict with a free, resilient, and faith-based society. In promoting narratives of oppression and radical inclusion, Dehlin and his podcast aim to weaken the faith, family, and community structures that are foundational to both the LDS Church and the American way of life.
As someone who once identified with liberal and socialist ideologies, I understand firsthand the allure of these ideas. Yet I also know how shallow and ultimately destructive they can be when taken to their logical conclusions. A healthy society depends on a balance of individual freedoms with community-oriented responsibilities, something the LDS faith emphasizes. My journey from a liberal ex-Muslim to a conservative Christian revealed the wisdom in these principles. While Mormon Stories purports to be progressive, it effectively undermines what generations have sacrificed to build and protect.
Today, I am a Christian conservative, dedicated to upholding the values that have made this country strong. My father, were he alive today, would no doubt encourage the same—a respect for tradition, a commitment to family, and a focus on building individuals up rather than tearing communities down. This is not about ignoring or suppressing individual struggles or social concerns; it’s about addressing them with a commitment to unity, moral courage, and enduring principles, not agendas that divide.
In conclusion, my father’s psychology practice taught people to see the best in themselves and their heritage. His approach was one of respect and resilience, vastly different from the cynical and divisive tone I often hear on Mormon Stories. The Christian foundation of America, and particularly Utah, is under assault by voices that advocate a reimagining of society through radical individualism and identity politics. But those of us who see through the facade have a duty to speak out, to defend the values that have sustained us, and to protect the legacies of those like my father who knew that true strength comes from faith, family, and community.
Citations
- Stetson, K. (2018). Identity Politics and Cultural Marxism in Modern Society. Routledge.
- Dehlin, J. (2022). "Mormon Stories Podcast." Mormon Stories. Available at: https://www.mormonstories.org
- Anderson, C. (2020). "The Rise of Cultural Marxism and Its Effect on American Conservatism." Journal of Conservative Studies, 4(3), 45-63.
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