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Sunstone Podcast — Religion & Spirituality
Sunstone Podcast

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.

Copyright: © 2019 Sunstone Education Foundation

Latest Episodes:

E103: A Brief History of LDS Church LGBTQIA+ Teachings. Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

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.

E102: Three Lesson I’ve Learned Giving My Kids a Foundation After My Faith Transition. Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

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.

E101: The Sexual “What-if” Syndrome Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

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.

E100: Joining a Cult Is Fun to Do, Fun to Do, to Do to Do Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

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.”

E99: Queer Polygamy: A Conversation with Taylor Petrey and Blaire Ostler Oct 12, 2021

Show notes

“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.

E98: Joseph Smith Led Me Out of the Closet Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

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.

E97: The Impact of Religious Rigidity on Disaffiliated Young Adults Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

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.

E96: Mad Bear at Temple Square: Unprecedented Protest Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

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.

E95: Queer Mormon Theology: Not an Oxymoron Sep 01, 2021

Show notes

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.

E94: Do You Doubt Deeply Enough? Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

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.

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