A Mormon Military Story w/ Army Ranger Ross “Marty” Martin | Ep. 1977 (Edited Re-Release)

NOTE: We apologize for the mishap earlier. This is a re-release of the episode with Ross Martin, unedited. We hope you enjoy it! This powerful and emotional story takes you through Marty’s life journey—from his upbringing in Mormonism, his experiences in high school and seminary, to his time in the military and beyond. Marty reflects on growing up in a trailer park, his mission to Jamaica, his struggles with faith, and his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. He candidly shares deeply personal moments: battling depression, losing loved ones, questioning his beliefs, and finding peace through family, a farm, and humanism. Explore topics of resilience, transformation, and healing as Marty recounts leaving Mormonism, confronting the trauma of war, and redefining his spiritual beliefs. A heartfelt account of faith, doubt, and the search for meaning. Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/a-mormo... 00:00:00 Beginning 00:02:30 Intentions for Marty 00:10:20 Growing up in Mormonism 00:24:00 The dynamic of his mother working and his dad being abusive 00:30:50 Interests in High School 00:50:30 Meeting his wife 00:51:20 Getting called to serve his mission in Jamaica 01:23:40 He joined the army without talking to his wife 02:04:45 Going to Afghanistan 02:22:00 Having their first daughter 02:34:35 Feeling the Spirit of Darkness while fighting in Iraq and questioning God 02:54:20 Catching Saddam Hussein and understanding why he did what he did 03:06:00 Reading the book Rough Stone Rolling changed his life 03:09:10 He delivered his daughter in their van by himself 03:14:40 Doing the Lord’s work at finding better ways to kill bad guys 03:24:10 Feeling unworthy to baptize his daughter due to his involvement in war violence 03:36:40 Finding Mormon Stories 03:41:46 Reading The CES Letter and discovering that it was not true 03:58:12 Leaving Mormonism helped him to not be so judgmental 04:18:20 Living a farm life has helped him find peace and connect better to himself and others 04:32:00 How he felt about the Mormon church and being in the military 04:49:56 Story of his father's death while in hospice and his belief in a higher power 05:43:20 Living his life by this new code ___________________ 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?d... Patreon:   / mormonstories   Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonsto... Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @mormonstories   Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon:   / mormonstories   ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7d... 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 🖼️Instagram:   / mormstories   📱TikTok:   / mormonstoriespodcast   🎮Discord:   / discord   Contact us: 📧 [email protected] 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117