Sunstone Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sunstone
For more than 45 years, Sunstone has been exploring Mormonism in all its expressions through our publications and symposiums. The Sunstone Podcast gathers the best of these explorations, including compelling sessions from our worldwide symposiums as well as interviews, book reviews, and deep dives into all things Mormon. Hosted by Stephen Carter.
Dan McClellan has done the seemingly impossible. He has made Bible scholarship not only accessible, but cool on his TikTok channel. In this episode, he talks about how he became the internet sensation he is today.
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Roadshows, Boy Scouts, MIA, basketball leagues, potlucks—the LDS Church was once buzzing with community activities. But most of that has disappeared. How did it happen? In this episode, Mithryn (a.k.a. Kenneth Lines) presents a fast-paced history of the rise and fall of community activities in the Church.
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What if apostles were given emeritus status at 70 years of age? This was the question apostle Hugh B. Brown proposed to the Quorum of the Twelve as President David O. McKay descended into senility. Would the Quorum go for it? After all, Hugh would be the first to go! In this episode, Matt Harris talks about how a power vacuum caused chaos in the First Presidency.
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What do Latter-day Saints mean when they say temples are sacred? Intrepid reporter Stephen Carter braves three tours of the Lindon Temple to find out. (Hint: It’s definitely not the symbolism.)
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Polygamists, Danites, and guns! The Italian cowboy hero Tex has met with them all over the course of more than 75 years of comic book stories. But the portrayal of Mormons in the series has changed significantly, as presented by Michael Homer in this episode.
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New York Times columnist Ross Douthat thinks that believing in the divine and joining a religion is not only a rational thing to do, it’s the best way to interact with reality. But what happens when you come out the other side of belief? Stephen Carter analyzes Douthat’s book “Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious,” in this episode of the Sunstone Podcast.
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As a non-Mormon scholar, John G. Turner spent years researching Joseph Smith’s life as he wrote a biography of Smith. He found out that nothing about Joseph Smith’s life was boring; for better or for worse. In this episode, Turner compares the young Joseph Smith as he produced the golden plates with the older Joseph Smith as he practiced polygamy.
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Is it blasphemous to publish a cartoon about Angel Moroni? How about Jesus? How about God? Sunstone has been exploring the limits of what LDS culture is willing to laugh at for decades. Using many hilarious (and possibly blasphemous) examples, Stephen Carter talks about the times when Sunstone ran afoul of sacred sensibilities, and also how its cartoonists subtly changed the Church—right up to the Church Office Building.
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Is your life a sermon? Do you imagine your every action being narrated by a general authority? In this episode, Stephen Carter dives into perfectionism, showing how it manifests in people’s lives, and proposing a few odd ways to escape it. (Hint: Not through fasting and prayer.)
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Jesus, Mormon, and David Lynch walk into Stephen Carter’s head. Together, they manage to revise everything Stephen thought he knew about the Book of Mormon, the Atonement, and Eraserhead.
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A faith crisis is one of the most destabilizing things that can happen to an LDS marriage. Both partners feel betrayed. Feelings either erupt or are suppressed. In this episode, therapists Adam Fisher and Mary Fisher talk about the three most important things a couple can do to help each other.
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He was the Church’s most unlikely general authority. A coffee habit, an oft-shot-off mouth, and–according to this great-grandnephew–a deep spirituality. This episode includes some of J. Golden Kimball’s funniest stories and reflections by James N. Kimball on the man behind the myth.
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In September 1993, six scholars—called the September Six—were disciplined by the LDS Church. Lynne Kanavel Whitesides was the first. For the next ten years, she went on an extraordinary spiritual journey. Sadly, she passed away July 7, 2025. In her memory, this episode features a recording of the speech she gave about her spiritual journey at the 2003 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium.
Being a single, 25-year-old Mormon female is a tough life. But Dorothy Black makes it into a stand-up comedy routine in this episode of the Sunstone Podcast.
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For Heather Sundahl, Relief Society was the “monster child that sucked up my mom.” What was it like to be the daughter of the most powerful woman in the stake—who couldn’t find time to read to her?
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In 1954, California LDS bishop Devere Baker set out to prove that Lehi could have sailed from the Persian Gulf to Guatemala—by sailing his own raft, which he called the Lehi. Samuel Taylor tells about Baker’s 25-year endeavor—and how he went through six Lehis in the process.
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How much can we heal from the wounds our religious community gave us? Stephen Carter explores the “hero cycle” story structure to find out.
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The Baseball Baptism era is a controversial one in LDS history. Richard Mavin gives a first-hand account of how it all happened in Britain and how his mission experience both thrilled and haunted him for the rest of his life.
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Probably the most controversial period of Mormon missionary history was from about 1960–1962 when more than 100,000 boys were baptized into the LDS Church worldwide—sometimes without realizing it. They were on a baseball field one moment and being baptized the next. In this episode, D. Michael Quinn tells the story of the Baseball Baptism era and the fallout that occurred from it—including the excommunication of about 90 percent of those boys.
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LDS testimony meetings are usually tedious affairs. Yet we have them every month. Why? Anthropologist David Knowlton compares testimony meeting with similar rituals worldwide to see if it’s doing its job—or if we should toss it.
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In 1948, Annalee Skarin had just published a book she said was written by the power of God. She was very soon excommunicated from the LDS Church. But then a few days later, eyewitnesses said she was translated. She wrote eight more books after that, becoming nationally famous. In this episode, Samuel W. Taylor and Skarin’s daughter Hope A. Hilton give two very different perspectives on Skarin’s life and legacy.
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Clark Gilbert is tightening the orthodoxy clamps at BYU, just like Ernest Wilkinson did in the 1950s and 60s. Is this the best way to make BYU students into lifelong Latter-day Saints? Stephen Carter compares Wilkinson’s BYU with Gilbert’s and then talks about his own experience with two BYU professors who kept him engaged with the Church—because of their unique mix of faithfulness and unorthodoxy.
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Sterling M. McMurrin had only been a seminary teacher for two years before the president of the Church, Heber J. Grant, wanted to fire him. And he camped at the edge of excommunication for the rest of his life. McMurrin recalls these turbulent, and comic, years in this episode.
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Much is made in the LDS Church about how David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, never recanted his testimony, even though he left the Church. What they don’t tell you is that it was precisely his testimony of the Book of Mormon that drove him out. In this episode, Karl C. Sandberg tells the rest of Whitmer’s story, showing how Whitmer, B. H. Roberts, and Werner Heisenberg represent three different types of believers—all offering something completely different.
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In the movie “Heretic,” Mr. Reed is the logical conclusion of many parts of Mormonism. And they threaten to destroy Mormonism’s best parts. Join Stephen Carter on a deep dive into Heretic’s multi-faceted story.
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What happens when you grow apart politically from a parent? In this episode, Bryan Waterman looks back over the years he spent with his father—both at home and at school—and how they learned to live together.
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William A. Wilson and John B. Harris spent years gathering missionary folklore—everything from greenie initiation stories to encounters with the Devil. Whether the stories are true or not, Wilson shows in this episode what they reveal about the inner lives of missionaries.
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People need organizations to help us fulfill our potential. However, organizations are never entirely safe. In this episode, J. Bonner Ritchie explores how the LDS Church functions and how members can transcend its inherent organizational dangers.
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Stephen Carter takes you on a tour of various afterlife theologies—from Ancient Greek to LDS to New Age—to see if he can believe in one.
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What should we make of the astonishing lack of females in the Book of Mormon? Carol Lynn Pearson says that it points to a lesson the Nephites never learned—one that likely contributed to their destruction.
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In 1972, Marylee Mitcham started a quasi-monastic Catholic community, where she lived for ten years. Later, when she joined the LDS Church, she learned that one of her ancestors had started a branch of the United Order in early Utah. Mitcham narrates her fascinating religious history in this episode.
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LDS scholar Hugh Nibley became a legend in his own time. But how many of the legends were real and how many were fantasies? In this episode, Boyd Petersen digs into the facts behind the stories.
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Religious conversion and trauma have very similar structures, but with one important difference. In this episode, Stephen Carter draws on Adam Phillips, Julie Hanks, and Prentis Hemphill to explore what happens when people enter a religion, and what happens when they leave.
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Is the story of Korihor the story of a missed opportunity? In the Book of Mormon, an anti-Christ named Korhior is struck dumb by Alma using the power of God. Could there have been a neurological contributor to Korihor's sudden loss of speech? But even more importantly, could Korihor have been rehabilitated, physically and spiritually, if he had received the same treatment Alma had received when he had been struck down by God? Wade Greenwood explores the possibilities and what we can learn from them.
A Mormon can’t get a temple recommend if they drink coffee or black tea, but they can get one if they consume energy drinks that have five times as much caffeine as either. Launching from Michael Pollan’s book “Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World,” Stephen Carter explores the strange limbo caffeine has occupied in in the LDS Church—from general condemnation to apostolic approval.
"When virtues run wild, catastrophe reigns." In this episode, John Durham Peters reveals the dangers of Mormon perfectionism and suggests a new approach.
Esther Peterson was one of the most beloved and effective activists of the 20th century, working with John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter to improve women's rights in the United States. And she grew up Mormon in Provo, Utah. In this episode, Esther talks about how her Mormon upbringing affected her activism—both for good and ill.
If the Christian God and the Mormon God got into a fight, who would win? In this episode, S. Richard Bellrock shows just just how unfair the fight would be.
History is a dangerous profession in the LDS Church, sometimes leading to excommunication. Stephen Carter explores why history is such a charged topic—and what Ethiopian leopards have to do with it.
One fine July Sunday in Relief Society, Deja Earley was asked to share a story about her Mormon ancestors. Her story did not go down well. In this episode, Deja tries to come to terms with her polygamous forebears.
Testimony meeting would be a terrible place for Stephen Carter to talk about the movie that finally made him feel a connection to the atonement. Hint: It has connections to Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and Run Lola Run.
The Atonement is all about suffering. Or is it? In this episode, Stephen Carter stumbles across a new atonement theory that would stop any Sunday school lesson in its tracks. Yet, it fits perfectly into the Plan of Salvation.
In Part II of Gregory Prince's article, he explores what he thinks the LDS Church has done right and what kinds of changes both it and its members will need to go through to meet current and future challenges.
Gregory A. Prince has been watching the LDS Church for 75 years. And it has changed. A lot. Some changes have been constructive; some have been devastating. What does Prince see as the best way forward from where we are now? What will this path demand of the Church organization and its members?
Carol Lynn Pearson is known for her long-standing advocacy for the LGBT community in the LDS Church. This episode presents her thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the Church, and why she continues to engage with it.
Using Eric Hoffer's book "The True Believer," Stephen Carter explores how Mormonism became a mass movement and the surprising way its cycle is playing out today.
The New Testament is full of healing stories. But in real life, not so much. Dana Haight Cattani talks about her struggle with cancer.
After a tour of the Orem Temple's art with Stephen Carter, Michael Stubbs talks about how difficult it is for him to find God in nature—even when hiking with a bunch of rowdy Young Men!
Treasure digging did not stop with Joseph Smith. In this episode, Kevin Cantera tells us about John Koyle, a Mormon visionary who started a mine that he said would lead to caverns filled with Nephite gold.
This episode honors the life, thought, and spirit of Lavina Fielding Anderson with one of her best Sunstone articles: "In the Garden God Hath Planted: Explorations Toward a Maturing Faith."
Are you a Barbie, a Ken, or a Gloria? Stephen Carter, who watched the Barbie movie five times in the theaters, argues that these three characters typify some of the most common faith crises in the LDS Church. And that they show us how to look at these crises in a completely new light.
As the old Primary song goes, "I'm trying to be like Jigsaw." In this episode, Stephen Carter explores the peculiar reason why so many Mormons are afraid to die.
Jana Riess grew up in a household where swearing was the norm. And she wonders if bringing a little of that spice over to our religious devotions might not kick things up a notch.
Buckle up as Stephen Carter takes you on a ride through Mormonism's most popular, and notorious, marriage manual on its 60th anniversary.
How did the one of richest Mormon polygamous groups get its start? With one man, Charles William Kingston. In this episode, his great-grandson, Charles Elden Kingston, tells his story.
Yes, the mothership temple of Utah County has been the butt of many jokes. But what will we lose if the LDS Church goes ahead with its renovation of the Provo Temple? Alan Barnett reveals surprising architectural aspects of the Provo and Ogden Temples, and argues that their loss robs us of an essential part of Mormon history and imagination.
Our intuition tells us that there must be humor in heaven, but the D&C has specific injunctions against laughter. Using theories of humor and stories from the Bible, Stephen Carter tries to figure out what kind of jokes gods make. And if they're any good.
When Michael Stevens started teaching university courses in Utah, he noticed that passive-aggressive behavior was significantly higher there than at the midwestern universities he had taught at. His studies revealed that the behavior was highest among people with an LDS background. Where does this behavior come from? How does it manifest itself? And how does it affect Mormon culture?
Would Jesus pass muster to visit an LDS ward? Ryan Shoemaker doesn't think so. But for reasons that have more to do with Whole Foods than the whole gospel. Episode includes bonus scripture from Jake Christensen.
The story goes that anyone who leaves the Good Ship Zion comes back all wet and half drowned. But in this episode, Stephen Carter argues that this is short-sighted, and that a journey away from the ship may actually be the best way to save both yourself and the ship.
Mormonism used to pride itself on how different it was from other Christian sects. But it has since become part and parcel of the Evangelical movement. How did this happen? In this episode, Stephen Carter looks at recent LDS history through Kristen Du Mez's book "Jesus and John Wayne: How Evangelicalism Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation."
Walking into the forest means walking into the unknown. Reverend Patty Willis has done so many times in her life, and is about to do it again.
When the Proclamation on the Family says "gender," what does it mean? Ted Lee makes a case that using the academic, rather than colloquial, definition of gender opens the way to fitting transgender people into the Plan of Salvation.
In these two hilarious and compelling dialogues by Theric Jepson, Mormon Socrates explores the theology behind transgender people and reproductive rights.
It's hard to know how to respond when a favorite artist breaks one of you most cherished values. Starting with Erich Hatala Matthes' book "Drawing the Line: What to Do with the Work of Immoral Artists from Museums to the Movies," Stephen Carter explores some approaches to cancel culture and their surprising connections with Mormonism.
The line between polygamy and adultery in early Mormonism was blurry, and people were killed over the interpretation of that line. This article by Edward Hogan explores how often the killers got off scot free—or even with a pat on the back.
Ritual is the basic building block of civilization. But what makes a strong ritual? And does Mormonism have enough of it to survive? Stephen Carter explores the Mormon implications of Dimitris Xygalatas's book "Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living." Listen to its companion episode at https://sunstone.org/e118-the-lds-proselytizing-mission-as-hazing/
When you lose your religion, you lose your life story. You have to reconstruct what life means. Stephen Carter presents an approach to telling your life story after the pre- and post-mortal lives have been removed from your worldview.
Artificial Intelligence could possibly destroy humanity. How do we reduce that risk? R. W. Richey shows how Abraham 3 offers a practical solution.
Why are Mormons a bewildering mix of peculiar and normal? Some of it has to do with . . . testosterone? Stephen Carter explores the Mormon implications of Joseph Henrich's book "The Weirdest People in the World."
"Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith" was a turning point in the telling of Mormon history. And it has a fascinating history of its own. Linda King Newell recounts how she and Valeen Avery Tippetts wrote this groundbreaking book. This episode was recorded at the 2009 Salt Lake Symposium.
How much of a role might hallucinogens have played in some of the visions of early Mormon history? Bryce Blakenagel, host of the Naked Mormonism podcast, explores the possibilities. This episode was recorded at the 2022 Salt Lake Summer Symposium.
If the LDS Church has light, it also has a shadow. But what should it do with that shadow? Valerie Hamaker, host of the Latter Day Struggles podcast, shows how the Jungian shadow can either save or destroy a person—or a religion. This episode was recorded at the 2022 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
LDS Church member Beatrice Sparks published two wildly popular diaries of teen drug abuse and Satanism: "Go Ask Alice" and "Jay's Journal." But the diaries, and Beatrice herself, were much more complicated than they appeared. Using Rick Emerson’s book “Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries,” Stephen Carter delves into just how Mormon the Beatrice Sparks phenomenon was.
Utah has often been called the 'fraud capital of the world." In this episode, Ryan McKnight takes us on a tour of Utah's worst fraudsters—all of them LDS. Recorded at the 2018 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
They're embedded in a patriarchal church, so shouldn't Mormon men be the very definition of toxic masculinity? In this episode, Stephen Carter explores the surprising ways Mormon masculinity has shifted over the past few years.
In the Book of Abraham, the gods create intelligences and put them into human bodies. Humans are now creating intelligences. But the intelligences we create could have the capacity to destroy us. Ross Richey shows how this could change the way we think about the Plan of Salvation. This episode was recorded at the 2018 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
Utah's first AIDS cases were confirmed in 1983. How did gay and lesbian people in Utah respond to this new disease? How did the LDS Church respond? J. Seth Anderson presents an overview of this tragic part of Utah's history. This episode was recorded at the 2017 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
What if we could free polygamy from patriarchy and inequality? In this episode, Brady Williams and Blaire Ostler talk about how we could greatly expand the definition of this odd Mormon concept to make room for more types of relationships.
Stephen Carter found a copy of "The Miracle of Forgiveness" at DI . . . and read it. How does the book that launched a million bishop confessions sound more than 50 years after publication? And how has the very idea of forgiveness changed along the way?
When people leave the LDS Church, they rarely go join another church. Why do ex-Mormons go from "all in" to "all out"? Ryan Wimmer presents his ideas in this episode, recorded at the 2018 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
After working with Helen Whitney on the PBS documentary "The Mormons," Whitney told Greg Prince, "You have a good religion, but you need to own it. Most of its members are borrowing it." In this episode, Prince reflects on what it means to own one's religion. Recorded at the 2018 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
How many of your beliefs, words, and actions are driven not by your self, but by your context? Social psychologist Peter Leavitt proposes some disconcerting answers, giving us more reason question ourselves as well as more reason to be compassionate with others. This episode was recorded at the 2018 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
After an LDS apostle suggested the existence of "counterfeit families," Sunstone sponsored a conference that gave many types of families a voice. In this episode, LaShawn Williams, Jerilyn Hassell Pool, Brady Williams, Richard Ostler, and Weston Clark talk about their unique families. This episode was recorded at the 2018 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
During early Utah's "Mormon Reformation," LDS leaders whipped the Saints into a religious fervor. Along with this reformation came an unprecedented spate of polygamous marriages. Scholar John G. Turner tells the story of the run-up and fallout of this matrimonial frenzy. This episode was recorded at the 2016 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
Will the personality we develop in mortal life have any kind of staying power in the post-mortal life? Stephen Carter uses the television series "Severance" to explore the possibilities.
Who was living in Salt Lake Valley when the Mormon pioneers arrived? What relationships existed between the Mormons and the Natives during Utah's settlement? Forrest Cuch talks about the role generational trauma played in Utah's settlement and how can we reconcile the difficulties of Utah's past. This episode was recorded at the 2018 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
In this episode, Zina Bennion and Sara Hanks talk about their journeys from being Mormons to being witches, and how their upbringing still affects the way they practice and believe now. This episode was recorded at the 2019 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
It would probably surprise both the prophet Mormon and Dustin Lance Black to know how much they have in common. In this episode, Stephen Carter shows how the similarities between Under the Banner of Heaven and the the Book of Mormon should encourage Latter-day Saints to give the television series a chance.
How important is the "historical" in historical fiction? Three historians, Barbara Jones Brown, Bryan Buchanan, and Cheryl Bruno, talk with Stephen Carter about the historical inaccuracies in Under the Banner of Heaven and whether they were worth it.
Mormon fundamentalism plays a shadowy, menacing part in Under the Banner of Heaven. This episode gathers Vicki Darger, Benjamin Shaffer, Shirlee Draper, and Moroni Lopez Jessop, all either current or former fundamentalists, to talk about the realities of current-day Mormon fundamentalism, temple ceremonies, blood atonement, and polygamy.
Lindsay Hansen Park interviews two actors who took on iconic Mormon roles for "Under the Banner of Heaven": Tyner Rushing as Emma Hale Smith, and Scott Michael Campbell as Brigham Young. Did one of them really end up in Relief Society one Sunday?
Stephen Carter and his ex-Mormon brother walked into the Washington DC Temple open house, and what they saw on the walls changed the way they perceive the LDS Church forever. No ex-Mormons were re-converted in the making of this episode.
In this episode, S. Richard Bellrock argues that the LDS proselytizing mission hits all the right buttons at all the right times to be a bona fide instance of hazing, with both hazing's benefits and drawbacks.
Most Mormons are suspicious of postmodernism. But Mormon apologists have actually made use of it to defend the faith. How in the world did they do it? Will it backfire? Taylor Petrey takes us on a tour of this fraught relationship in this 2019 Sunstone Summer Symposium recording.
Stephen Carter believes that a Canadian horror film holds the key to escaping any faith crisis. But will it turn you into a zombie?
In this episode, scholar Reza Aslan examines how the idea of gods arose in human evolution, was gradually personalized, endowed with human traits and emotions, and eventually transformed into a single Divine Personality. This episode was recorded at the 2019 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
Ten years ago, President Thomas S. Monson opened the City Creek Shopping Center across from Temple Square with the immortal words, “Let’s go shopping!” Where is the line between the sacred and the secular in Mormonism? Matthew Bowman explores that question in this week's episode. Recorded at the 2019 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
According to Paula Baker, the LDS Church is trying to become more empathetic. But when is empathy real and when is it fake? Baker explores the differences and how they could apply to an LDS context. This episode was part of a session at the 2021 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
As more people experience faith transitions, many LDS couples find themselves grieving over their suddenly mixed-faith marriages. In this episode, eight therapists and life coaches give both personal and professional insights into honoring the challenging and the beautiful aspects of differing beliefs in a marriage. This episode was recorded at the 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
A recent Pew Research poll showed that 72% of Americans believe in a literal heaven, 58% in a literal hell. Most people who hold these beliefs are Christian and assume they are the age-old teachings from the Bible. But eternal rewards and punishments are found nowhere in the Old Testament and are not what Jesus or his disciples taught. In this episode, Dr. Bart D. Erhman unfolds the history of post-mortality, drawing from his latest book, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. This episode comes from the 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
The largest massacre of Native Americans by federal troops in the history of the United States took place in Cache Valley, Idaho, and it was both invited and condoned by the Mormons settling the area. Darren Parry, author of "The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History," tells the story of that day on this episode of the Sunstone Podcast. This episode comes from the 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
Heather Robertson and Christina Dee, both practicing members of the LDS Church, have experienced a significant shift in their approach to the LGBTQ community. This is their story. This episode comes from the 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
Most people see their faith journey as taking them away from religion. But, using The Matrix, The Hobbit, and Star Wars, Stephen Carter uncovers evidence that faith journeys have something completely different up their sleeves.
It seems like every general conference is the same, but data analytics tells us otherwise. Quentin Spencer talks about the surprising things the prophets have stopped talking about during the past 80 years. This episode is a recording from the 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
Susan Meredith Hinckley used to feel like she needed a bigger church, but behind that need was a more fundamental one: the need for a larger God. Regaining her spiritual footing after her children left Mormonism has required a new kind of faith: a turning away from the confines of what she had been taught and toward what she has seen and lived for herself. This episode is a session from the 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
What is it like to grow up as a "Lamanite" in the LDS Church? Sarah Newcomb talks about her complicated history as a seventh-generation Native American Mormon in this recording of a 2020 Sunstone Summer Symposium session.
The LDS Church has an actual policy of never apologizing. Is it just to ward off lawsuits, or is something deeper going on? In this episode, Stephen Carter uncovers the roots of this policy and its surprising consequences.
In 2019, Kyle Ashworth released the “On the Record” project (lattergaystories.org/record), a detailed chronology of quotes and messaging about LGBTQIA+ issues from the LDS Church. In this episode, Ashworth takes us on a whirlwind tour of that history. Recorded at the 2021 Sunstone Symposium.
Most discussions about faith transitions center on adults. But what about the children of these parents? After his own faith transition, Jon Ogden wrestled with how he and his wife could best raise their kids — particularly while living in Utah County. In this episode, recorded at the 2021 Sunstone Symposium, Ogden shares lessons he and others have learned while building a new community and curriculum for their children.
Many people who transition from orthodox Mormonism to either post or nuanced positions often look back on their sexual journey and feel that a lot of their decisions were co-opted by the Church. And now they’re dealing with grief, anger, feelings of betrayal, and the “what if?” syndrome. This episode addresses some of the common “what if’s?” that people deal with and how to move into healthier paradigms. Presenters include Natasha Helfer, Sara Hughes-Zabawa, Jennifer White, and Jenny Elledge. This episode was recorded at the 2020 Sunstone Digital Symposium.
To believe is to be human. But belief has a price—one that has risen higher and higher in recent years. Can we afford it anymore? That's the question Stephen Carter asks as he explores Amanda Montell's book "Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism."
"Queer polygamy" is probably one of the most provocative phrases you could throw into an LDS conversation. But Blaire Ostler thinks it can open up constructive new ways of reimagining the ways we relate to each other. In this episode, Ostler and professor of religion Taylor Petrey unpack this phrase and explore its possibilities.
The idea that our spirits are the literal offspring of heavenly parents is found nowhere in LDS scripture or the writings, sermons, and contemporaneous teachings of Joseph Smith. In fact, the theology of Smith’s King Follett Discourse undermines the doctrine. Drawing from LDS scripture and Smith’s famous sermon, Rob Lauer presents a Mormon theology that fully embraces and celebrates people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Recorded at the 2021 Sunstone Symposium.
Liz Brown MacDonald interviewed fifteen young adults from rigidly religious homes who had left the LDS Church and was amazed by how many similarities their stories had. For example, the lengths the children would go to to cover up their disaffiliation with the church; the way their parents would blame themselves for the children’s disaffiliation; the heartbreak that attended both parents and children. What could the LDS Church do to alleviate this suffering? This episode is from the 2021 Sunstone Summer Symposium.
Displays showing the remains of Native Americans were pretty normal in LDS museums for many decades. In this episode, Thomas Murphy gives a brief history of how these displays came to be, who protested them, and why repatriation is finally starting to happen. This episode is from the 2021 Sunstone Symposium.
Is an LGBTQ worldview more Mormon than Mormonism these days? After reading Blaire Ostler's book "Queer Mormon Theology," Stephen Carter thinks so. In this episode, Stephen follows some of Ostler's concepts to discover some startling compatibilities between the LGBTQ and LDS worldviews.
The LDS Church used to run on belief. But things have changed so drastically in the past five years that Stephen Carter believes only doubt can save it now. But it must be a very deep kind of doubt. One that would change the church forever.
It's incredibly frustrating when groups construct a version of history that ignores documented facts. Why do we do it? Stephen Carter analyzes a recent article from the Atlantic showing why the descendants of Confederate veterans, Mormons, and the rest of us ignore facts.
In his new book, Patrick Mason argues that the best way to move the Restoration forward is to start ... the Renovation? In this episode, Stephen Carter delves in to Mason's ideas to see if a renovation will be enough to move Mormonism forward, and, if so, how we might actually go about it.
One of the biggest stars of the Netflix documentary "Murder Among the Mormons" is Shannon Flynn, who was Mark Hofmann's close friend. In this episode, Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park talk with Flynn about his relationship with Hofmann, and Flynn's behind-the-scenes role in the making of the documentary.
Mormonism has long been suspicious of the concept of grace, choosing to focus instead on worthiness. But worthiness culture was toxic for Katie Langston. During a 10-year spiritual journey, Katie learned about, experienced, and finally embraced grace. Stephen Carter talks with Katie about her journey and the book she's publishing about it.
Interviewed by Jimmy Rex, Sunstone gathers some of the people who appeared on the Netflix documentary "Murder Among the Mormons" to talk about what it was like to be there during the time of Mark Hofmann's forgeries and bombings. Panelists include Brent Ashworth, Curt Bench, Brent Metcalfe, and Sandra Tanner.
How do you go about making a movie about the notorious bombings committed by Mark Hoffman? Especially when Mormons are not your audience? Lindsay Hansen Park talks with Jared Hess and Tyler Measom about how they went about making the Netflix documentary "Murder Among the Mormons."
In this recording of a Sunstone UK Fireside, Jane Christy talks about the difficulties and rewards of being an active member of a small LDS ward while being a feminist and bi-sexual.
Why is the doctrine of eternal polygamy so painful to so many Mormon women? Stephen Carter turns the question around, exploring why eternal polyandry would be a painful prospect to Mormon men. The answers lie in the limbic layer of the brain, which has a lot to teach us about the delicate workings of love.
In this recording of a Sunstone U.K. fireside, Peter Bleakley argues that the LDS Church should be "rocking the 21st century"—but that it absolutely isn't. Bleakley presents his ideas on how the LDS church could both change and make use of its strengths to reignite the spiritual passion of the many young people leaving the church.
We may think that American politics is simply going nuts, but what it's actually doing is turning into religion. In this episode, Stephen Carter argues that Mormonism had a big hand in turning politics into religion—and that, ironically, this shift is biting the Church hard.
Mormonism is all about goals, growth, and progression. But Abinadi and Joseph Smith threw some serious monkey wrenches into the definition of those words. In this episode, Stephen Carter proposes a new approach to the Mormon obsession with progression. And it's kind of dark.
Charles Dickens is often credited as being the man who invented Christmas with his story "A Christmas Carol." And the story bears a striking resemblance to a psychedelic trip, which has profoundly affected the way we celebrate Christmas, whether we are religious or not. Join Stephen Carter on this trip through history, culture, religion, and the brain as he argues that we need the psychedelic effects of Christmas more than ever this year.
A few weeks ago, LDS social media feeds exploded with #givethanks. But something about it seemed ... off. Stephen Carter digs into the oddities of Mormon gratitude in this episode of the Sunstone Podcast.
After a two-year break from church, why in the world would you want to go back to Sunday school? Stephen Carter had a few strange reasons, none of which will ever be quoted in General Conference. Listen to the harrowing story of his first virtual Sunday school class.
Forget the pandemic, the truly earth-shattering thing about 2020 is that people from Sunstone, Dialogue, and Exponent actually liked Dallin Oaks' October conference talk! And was this the official anti-DezNat general conference? There are plenty of surprises in this analysis with Heather Harris-Bergevin, Jim Bennett, Emily Jensen, and Stephen Carter.
This panel discussion from Sunstone Birmingham features current and ex-Mormons telling the story of their faith journeys. Moderated by Mark Johnson, the panel includes Deborah Squires-Coleman, Debra Edwards, Mark Lake, and Lauren Richardson Alcock.
Kristine Haglund, Karin Peter, and Stephen Carter scoured the 2020 Democratic National Convention transcripts for signs of Jesus' teachings. What they found (and didn't find) gave them new insight into what Jesus' politics might have been.
Phil McLemore and Stephen Carter scoured the 2020 Republican National Convention's transcripts for signs of Jesus' teachings. What they found led to surprising insights about constructive ways conservatives and liberals can talk with each other.
The Lamanites in the Book of Mormon were presented as the ancestors of the American Indians by early LDS Church leaders. But how plausible is that connection? In this episode, John Larsen and Christopher Smith dig into the difficulties.
What if a voice started talking to you while you were all alone, soaking in a nice, warm bath? What if that voice told you that everything is a fiction — and that fictions are the single most important innovation in the history of humanity? What if you debated and argued with this voice until suddenly you found yourself overflowing with love, gratitude, and a genuine curiosity about everything in existence? In this episode, Stephen Carter talks with author Glenn Ostlund about his book "Bathing with God." (A less salacious book than the title might suggest, but give it a chance!)
The LDS Church is more enmeshed in white supremacy that most Latter-day Saints realize. Education professor Roni Jo Draper talks with co-host Blaire Ostler about how systemic racism shows up in Mormon conversations about education and how we can start to dismantle it.
The Book of Mormon is simultaneously the most central and the most problematic part of the Restoration movement. In this episode, John Larsen introduces a new series in the Sunstone Podcast where he will be exploring various approaches to the Book of Mormon, revealing both its problems and its power.
As Ijeoma Oluo wrote, “White people, talk about race with other white people. … Take some of the burden of racism off of people of color. Bring it into your life so that you can dismantle racism in the white spaces of your life.” But how do white people talk constructively about race amongst themselves? In this episode, Karin Peter, Liz Martin, and Stephen Carter (none of them race scholars, all of them white) try to take a few steps in that direction.
Christian and LDS doctrine both teach about the resurrection of the dead. But how will that resurrection occur? Lincoln Cannon, Jordan Roberts, and Blaire Ostler have a theory that it will be accomplished through technological means. How does new technology and old scripture support their assertion? And what complexities does their theory pose?
LeiLoni Lee grew up as a Black person in a small, largely White Utah town. She loved her experience in the LDS Church until the day a "trusted adult" told her that her dark skin was the sign of a curse. Then, at age 12, she began to realize that she was Queer. Blaire Ostler talks with LeiLoni about how Mormons can be better allies to both the Black and Queer communities.
With the advent of COVID-19, physically going to church has taken on the aura of a life-and-death proposition. Jana Riess and Stephen Carter discuss how we may have reached a historic period where the way we worship changes forever.
In her new book, "Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and the Problem and Racial Innocence," Joanna Brooks reveals uncomfortable truths about how White supremacist attitudes were built into the LDS Church—and how they still function today. Joanna Brooks and Mica McGriggs talk with Stephen Carter about how racism became part of the Church's structure and what we can do to dismantle it.
Taylor Petrey, author of the new book "Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism" talks with Ben Park and Lindsay Hansen Park about the many ways LDS teachings on gender and sexuality have shifted since World War II.
Every great book has a great backstory," says the blurb on the back of "Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books" Editor Joseph Geisner and contributor Daniel Stone talk with Lindsay Hansen Park and Josh Allred about their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past.
LDS Churches have been closed for two months now, which means we can only talk about religion online. And often our attempts at discussion blow up in our virtual faces. This panel explores how to discuss religion constructively online. Panelists include Gina Colvin, Michael Austin, Blaire Ostler, and Stephen Carter.
We live in unprecedented times, with unprecedented problems, that demand unprecedented solutions—solutions that only a prophetic people can provide. But what does being prophetic even mean? And when is a person being prophetic? What stops Mormons from being prophetic, and what can help them? This panel discussion includes Mica McGriggs, Daniel Carter, Lindsay Hansen Park, and Stephen Carter.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended normal life the world over. And things will likely be very different after the pandemic subsides. This panel discussion explores the kinds of changes the LDS Church might go through, including in its temple worship, and what theological possibilities the pandemic could spawn. Panelists include Blaire Ostler, Carl Youngblood, Michaelann Gardner, and Stephen Carter.
In this episode, Sunstone assembles a panel from across the belief spectrum to help us dig in to not only what happened at this most recent conference, but also what happens at General Conference … generally. Panelists include Lindsay Hansen Park, John Larsen, Blaire Ostler, Jaxon Washburn, and Stephen Carter. Join us for a vigorous discussion that ends with everyone still liking each other.
From Zion's Camp to the Willie and Martin handcart companies, the LDS Church is great at retelling tragedies as triumphs. In this episode, Stephen Carter talks about how every group does the same thing, and how it can actually create even more tragedy.
When it comes to religion and politics, it seems like everyone is talking in a different language. What if that's a good thing? Stephen Carter reinterprets the story of the Tower of Babel to show how the "Babel Cycle" has spun out of control, and how harnessing it again could help heal the political and religious divide.
As LDS wards look for ways to "have church" during social distancing, the question comes up: "Why in the world have we never ever streamed sacrament meetings?" In this episode, Stephen Carter answers that question with his own personal conspiracy theory, supported with dozens of rolls of toilet paper.
George R. Compton believes that the eventual legalization of polygamy is inevitable, and the Utah legislature recently took a giant step in that direction by voting to stop prosecuting polygamy as a felony. In what ways would the legalization of polygamy be useful to current American culture? This episode presents Compton's fascinating article as narrated by Stephen Carter.
For more than a century, Mormonism has been married to the Republican Party, conservative political values being preached unapologetically from both the general and ward pulpit. But a rift seems to be occurring between the two, as evidenced by LDS senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee voting on opposite sides of the recent impeachment. In this episode, John Larsen lays out the history of the LDS Church and the Republican Party and argues that the the LDS Church may be rethinking its Republican affinity.
Brittney Hartley sees a huge gap between the colorful world of Mormon academia and the average church member. In this episode, Jaxon Washburn talks with her about the book she published to fill that gap and how it can steer LDS Church members away from fundamentalist thinking.
Ryan McKnight and Ethan Dodge believe that the LDS Church would be a better place if it were transparent about its finances and policies. Toward that end, they have established MormonLeaks which releases internal documents and recordings from the LDS Church. John Larsen interviews McKnight and Dodge about some of the surprising results of their work.
During his years of watching the ex-Mormon community, John Larsen has seen an interesting pattern. As they leave the LDS Church, ex-Mormons often accidentally deprive themselves of emotional and psychological benefits to which Mormonism doesn't have exclusive claim. What are these benefits, and how can ex-Mormons reclaim them?
Could returning to church actually be a sign of significant spiritual growth for post-Mormons? Or would they just be sucked back into the cultural ailments they were trying to escape in the first place? Stephen Carter argues that eventually returning to church is essential—but for reasons that would surprise both orthodox Mormons and post-Mormons.
Are LDS borderlanders the only ones who can slow down, or even stop, the Pride Cycle as described in the Book of Mormon? Stephen Carter thinks so, because they're the only ones who have been both inside and outside the "technology" of the LDS Church. With a few tips from Jesus, Stephen thinks borderlanders can sabotage the Church toward Zion.
Imagine if the Book of Mormon were 116 pages longer. That's what Don Bradley has been doing for the past 15 years as he has reconstructed what might have been in first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript that Martin Harris lost. Jaxon Washburn interviews Bradley about his methods and findings.
Although an advocate for LGBTQ equality, John Larsen doesn't believe the LDS Church can bring that community into full fellowship without dismantling its doctrine. In this episode, he lays out his argument and then calls for responses to it, hoping that there is indeed room for LGBTQ equality in the LDS Church.
The loss of the original 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript is often laid at the feet of Lucy Harris. But it's possible—even likely—that she was innocent. Jaxon Washburn talks with Don Bradley about this traumatic incident in early Mormon history.
What's up with John Larsen, anyway? On some episodes, he's very critical of the LDS Church; on others, he's very supportive. In this episode, John presents the top ten most important things to know about his approach to Mormonism.
A whistleblower recently alleged to the IRS that the LDS Church has kept $100 billion of funds meant for charitable purposes. The Church maintains that it keeps funds in store for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In this episode, John Larsen analyzes what that statement could mean about the LDS version of the Second Coming—where, apparently, the stock market, the worldwide financial system, and corporations will still be fully functional. A far cry from the apocalyptic vision of most Christians.
Why has Charles Dickens' story "A Christmas Carol" been one of the most popular stories in the English language for almost 150 years? Stephen Carter thinks he found the answer—one that will completely change how you view the story—one that made Stephen into a reluctant "Christmas Carol' convert.
Sunstone presents two perspectives on Santa. The neighbors won't let their kids play with his kids in December. He's not allowed to speak in church before Christmas. Why? Because L. Kay Gillespie (1) doesn't believe in Santa, (2) isn't quiet about it, and (3) thinks Santa should get the heck out of Christmas and get his own dang holiday! On the other hand, being Santa once helped revive Rory Swensen's cold, dead heart.
What is the most important thing to do when someone starts talking with you about a religious concern? According to David B. Ostler, simply to listen. In his debut episode, new Sunstone Podcast co-host Jaxon Washburn talks with Ostler about his book "Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question."
We like to think that our faith crisis came about because we followed the truth. But what if a faith crisis is actually produced by cultural cycles that have been grinding on for millennia? Stephen Carter discusses how anthropology and the sociology of knowledge turns the concept of a faith crisis on its head.
His play "Borderlands" exacted a great cost from Eric Samuelsen, both personally and professionally. But it is also likely his greatest work. Stephen Carter and director Jerry Rapier discuss how the play came together and its potent effect on the LDS community.
Two BYU students go to Nevada to get civilly married for a weekend so they can see what sex is like. A bishop tries to fend off needy ward members long enough to have a romantic evening with his wife. An LDS mom starts work in a brothel to support her family. In what is probably his most provocative LDS work, Eric Samuelsen delves into "weird Mormon sex" with a set of five short plays. Stephen Carter and Jerry Rapier discuss their meaning and how Plan-B Theater brought them to film.
LDS culture is so relentlessly optimistic and family-friendly that we almost always overlook the profound horror at its theological roots. Fortunately, the horror movie "Saw" opens our eyes. After this episode, you'll be calling it "the Plan of Saw-vation."
Behind every great man stands a great woman ... who stood up to him! The Bible often gives its female characters short shrift. But playwright Eric Samuelsen brings them vividly to life in his play "The Plan." Stephen Carter and Melissa Leilani Larson discuss this astonishingly feminist piece of LDS theater.
Mormonism suffered a great loss in September when Eric Samuelsen passed away. But few people have actually heard of him, which is a shame, because he revolutionized LDS culture one iconoclastic play at a time. Stephen Carter and J. Scott Bronson discuss two of his award-winning plays.
What’s more important? Having the truth, or understanding your opponent? In this first installment of the Forgotten Mormons series, Stephen Carter, Greg Clark, and Jon Ogden introduce Wayne C. Booth, the LDS rhetorician who would like to blow everything you know about constructive dialogue out of the water. Its implications—from political discourse to Sunday school to the dinner table—are game changing.
How do you grow spiritually? Do you move from being wrong to being right? Or from being right to being righter? Jaxon Washburn sees soul growth as expansion rather than as movement toward correctness. Jaxon will be a co-host for future episodes of the Sunstone Podcast. Come get a taste of his thinking, and learn how he will approach his episodes.
The concept of a faith crisis is a relatively new one, especially in LDS discourse. But Jeff Burton has been documenting cases of faith crises since the early 1980s. What has changed about the patterns of faith crises from then until now? Are there more people going through them, or are they just more willing to talk about it? What do Church leaders think about this phenomenon?
Rick Bennett has earned his place among LDS podcasters by hosting guests from across the belief spectrum, from Utah Lighthouse Ministry founder Sandra Tanner to official LDS Church historian Steven Snow. John Larsen talks with Rick about how in the world he does it.
It's not just the temple endowment ceremony that has deep roots in Freemasonry, you can find its lore in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, too. John Larsen and Clair Von Barrus take a deep dive into the parallels in this episode.
Will all the promises of Christianity—immortality, god-like powers, etc.—actually be provided by science? Mormon theology has plenty of room for that idea! John Larsen talks with Blaire Ostler about the Mormon Transhumanist worldview.
Breaking news! Mormons and ex-Mormons could be having better sex! And they don't even need Cosmopolitan's hot tips! John Larsen and Natasha Helfer Parker dive into the Hows of enjoying sex, both in and out of the faith.
When individuals leave the Church they are often overwhelmed with negative emotions. Based on his many years working with individuals in faith transition, John Larsen will discuss ways to move on from the pain and embrace more peace and joy.
Join John Larsen and Lindsay Hansen Park on a road trip to the Manti Pageant where you'll learn about the history of the pageant, the attitudes behind it, and the reasons for its demise.
Sex can get complicated after Mormonism. Fortunately, John Larsen and Mary Fisher are here to give you some tips on how explore (or not) safely and ethically.
An Introduction to Oasis. When people transition out of the LDS Church, they often look for a place to fill their need for community, and some of them end up in an Oasis group. John Larsen talks with some of the organizers of the Salt Lake City chapter.
Shelly was a Mormon mother of seven children before she realized that she was a lesbian. Now she and her partner Mary run the "Latter-day Lesbian" podcast. They came to Salt Lake City for the Pride Festival and stopped in the Sunstone studio to talk with John Larsen.
As the Sunstone Podcast hits its six-month mark, Lindsay Hansen Park and John Larsen discuss the podcast's successes and difficulties and their vision for going forward.
When a child comes as as LGBTQIA+ what is a Mormon mother to do? John Larsen talks with some of the founding members of the Mama Dragons, a growing group of women who ferociously defend their queer children.
More than 20 years ago, Stephen Carter met Eugene England, starting a relationship that altered the course of his spiritual life. Now, Stephen is an award-winning author and editor in Mormon Studies, who attends both LDS and Unitarian Universalist congregations. In this episode John and Stephen talk about how Gene taught him the art of "a skillful faith transition.
For a long time, going into therapy has had a stigma attached to it in the LDS Church. In this episode, John Larsen and Jenny Marrow argue that that should change—both for Mormons and ex-Mormons.
At a session of the 2019 Sunstone Kirtland conference, John Larsen and Lindsay Hansen Park team up to tell (and elicit from the audience) their favorite stories from the the Kirtland Period. Hint: it was dangerous to stand beneath a temple window back then. The episode includes a poem from Tom Kimball, Mormonism's resident Allen Ginsberg.