Sunstone Magazine

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 …

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.”

While the Mormons were building a Kingdom of God in the United States, they began to branch out across the pond. Join Lindsay and Bryan as they discuss the early history of Mormonism in the UK and the English mission.

“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.

As promised, join Bryan and Lindsay for their special session at the 2021 Sunstone Summer Symposium. They discuss some of their adventures digging up the history for the podcast and much more!

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 …

How did Joseph Smith Jr.’s parents and their upbringings influence Mormonism? Join Lindsay and Bryan as they discuss the early cultures and ideas in New England that made an impact on the Smith family and Mormonism at large.

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; …

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.

He was the murderous, rough-and-tumble police chief in Nauvoo, but Hosea Stout was also a lot more than that. Join Lindsay and Bryan as they talk about the history of early Mormon leader Hosea Stout.

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.

A great majority of Latter-day Saints can trace their roots to immigrants who were part of the “Great gathering of Israel.” Immigration to Nauvoo was just the beginning, bringing thousands of Saints from all over Europe. They came by boat, wagon and steam. Join Lindsay and Bryan for a discussion of Nauvoo immigration and Joseph …

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.

While Mormonism was steamboats and celestial sealings over in Nauvoo, something else was afoot in old B-town. Bryan and Lindsay describe some of the lesser known Mormon settlements, including the Boston Mormons of the 1840s.

Mormonism has a long and interesting history with Masonry. The beginnings of those connections are as fascinating as the history itself. In this episode, Lindsay and Bryan discuss the complicated origins of Mormonism’s relationship to the masons.

Two famed Mormon pioneers, Jacob and Jane helped shape Mormonism in a big way. But how much do you know about them? Join Lindsay and Bryan as they discuss what life was like for these two in Nauvoo. Featuring a bonus cameo by historian Christopher C. Smith who discusses another pioneer man that never got …

Understanding the legal system of early Nauvoo helps give context for the tumultuous events facing Mormons in the 1840s. Lindsay and Bryan bring on legal expert John Dinger to sort out how the Mormons ran the Nauvoo municipal system and what that says about Mormon power.

For years a handful of polygamy deniers have published books and periodicals claiming that Joseph Smith never practiced polygamy and that it was a later invention of Brigham Young. In this episode, Bryan and Lindsay get into the literature, dive into the details and throw out the conspiracy theories and bad history leaps.

The assassination attempt on former Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs still remains a mystery to this day. Bryan and Lindsay go over the events, with the help of historian Christopher C. Smith, to decide who really pulled the trigger on Boggs that day. Was it the Mormons?

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 this fascinating episode, Lindsay and Bryan discuss the origins and history of the Nauvoo Legion, with special guest and renowned Nauvoo historian, Benjamin Park.

After messing around for two episodes, Bryan and Lindsay finally discuss what William Clayton’s journals contain. From messy plural marriage to the nuts and bolts of the city, you can’t know about the history of Nauvoo without learning about William Clayton’s diaries.

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.

This is part-two of our curious case of the William Clayton diaries. In this episode, Bryan and Lindsay reveal the identity of Mr. X, the other important person to view William Clayton’s journals. Listen to Episode 36 first to get caught up on the story!

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.