Sunstone

02/06/2025

E192: Annalee Skarin: Excommunicated then Translated—Yes, Like Enoch.

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.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eJj

01/29/2025

🚨 History is wilder than fiction. 🚨

The second part of our deep dive into the real history behind the Utah War... yes, the one that inspired American Primeval, is live now!

If you think the current response to the Netflix series is currently bringing up a lot of drama in the GSL, wait until you hear the drama that inspired the fiction!

🎧 Listen now: https://sunstone.org/episode-141-the-utah-war-part-two/

Join Lindsay and Bryan as they dive into the explosive history of the Utah War for part two of our Utah War series. We explore the complex interplay of guerrilla tactics, federal overreach, and theocratic resistance that defined this strange conflict. From Brigham Young’s bold proclamations to Por...

01/22/2025

E191: How to Spot an Unorthodox BYU Professor.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eF5

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.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eF5

01/17/2025

🚨 History buffs, Netflix American Primeval fans, and curious minds... it’s time! 🚨

Our Utah War series is here, and it’s the deep dive you’ve been waiting for. Whether you’re obsessed with American Primeval or just love a wild, tumultuous chapter of Mormon and American history, this series has it all: drama, intrigue, and the detailed stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

For the next three months, Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park will take you through the details- some great, some grave- of this pivotal time. Get ready to uncover the untold stories and answer your burning questions. 🔥

🎙️ Tune in now and join the conversation! Let’s dig into history together and sort fact from fiction.

Dive into the chaotic and fascinating history of the Utah War with Lindsay and Bryan. They’ll unravel how political paranoia, religious zeal, and national stereotypes collided in the 1850s, leading to guerrilla warfare, fiery rhetoric from Brigham Young, and nearly one-third of the U.S. Army march...

01/15/2025

E190: Camping at the Edge of Excommunication.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eCV

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.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eCV

01/07/2025

Our 2025 call for papers is open!

Submit your proposal before April 14th, and then join us in person in Salt Lake City on July 31st-August 2, 2025 for a symposium celebrating the last 50 years of Sunstone!

https://sunstone.org/calls-for-papers/

01/06/2025

E189: Three Kinds of Believers.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eAz

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.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eAz

12/18/2024

The latest Sunstone Mormon History Podcast video is out! Watch the full video (and the rest of the video episodes) on our YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/yKnh0dmYX8o

In this compelling YouTube episode, Bryan and Lindsay tackle the controversial topic of punitive castrations reportedly carried out by Mormon elders like Bishop Warren Snow. Drawing on historical documents and firsthand accounts, they analyze the sources behind these shocking claims and explore the broader context of the Mormon Reformation. Was this a matter of extreme zealotry, a reflection of justice, or something more complex? Dive into this intense discussion for a closer look at a dark and fascinating chapter of Mormon history.

In this compelling YouTube episode, Bryan and Lindsay tackle the controversial topic of punitive castrations reportedly carried out by Mormon elders like Bis...

12/17/2024

Lindsay Hansen Park surprised everyone when she stepped up to the podium at Cambridge and argued AGAINST the house proposition. How did she present her case that feminism and religion are, in fact, compatible? Link in the comments.

12/10/2024

In her review of "Heretic," Lindsay Hansen Park writes, "I’ve met many Mr. Reeds—men eager to 'enlighten' me on cosmic mysteries they assume I’m too simple to grasp. ... Charm as weapon, control disguised as benevolence." A link to her full review is in the comments.

12/10/2024

E188: "Heretic" and the War Within Mormonism.

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. See link in first comment.

11/29/2024

Get some Sunstone cheer for your tree!

Any donation made at Sunstone.org/donate through the end of the year automatically receives a PDF printable of our 50th anniversary ornament! Print, fold, and assemble your ornament and celebrate 50 years of weird and wonderful Mormonism with us this year.

Get yours today! https://sunstone.org/donate/

10/22/2024

The Afterlife: A Celestial Six-pack or a Ten-mile Gut?

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.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-edF

10/04/2024

A new Sunstone History Podcats Video is out!

The Sunstone Mormon History Podcast recently took off their “regular chronology” hat for a minute and put on the “fantastic new book” hat (it’s hot pink, thanks for asking). Lindsay and Bryan sat down with Katie Ludlow Rich and Heather Sundahl—authors of “50 Years of Exponent II” (published by Signature Books)—to talk about their book. Drawing on a combination of the huge (and fascinating) Exponent II archive, interviews and their own experiences, Katie and Heather trace the history from lovingly handcrafted origins to the digital world.

Watch the full interview here:

The Sunstone Mormon History Podcast recently took off their “regular chronology” hat for a minute and put on the “fantastic new book” hat (it’s hot pink, tha...

10/03/2024

E183: Could Feminism Have Saved the Nephites?

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.

https://wp.me/p2QXnQ-eai