A long overdue Books of Mormons Report, and we’re making it an episode. Lindsay and Bryan trace how the Mountain Meadows Massacre got written about, argued over, buried, resurrected, and fought over again, from Judge John Cradlebaugh and Major James Carleton’s early investigations, to decades of institutional silence and PR cleanup, to Juanita Brooks’ landmark …
E208: Religion Is Dangerous. You Should Try It!
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,” …
Sunstone 50-year Time Capsule: Part XII
And now I’ll show you the Sunstone artifact that means most to me. About ten years ago, Karin Peter, who was a Seventy for the Community of Christ, had become one of Sunstone’s board members. Her husband was a patriarch for the Community of Christ, and one day, she brought him over to the Sunstone …
Pose
Part XII of the Sunstone Classics series. Jana Bouck Remy was a frequent contributor to Sunstone’s magazine and symposia. This is excerpted from an article published in 2004. It starts on page 10 of issue 131. Pose of a child. Balasana. Sitting on knees, forehead to the floor, arms at my side. A child. Curled …
E207: Joseph Smith: Not Boring.
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 …
Salvator Mundi
On October 2017, I got a call from my son-in-law Paul Clark informing me that Salvator Mundi, a painting of Christ by Leonardo da Vinci, would have a rare three-day showing in San Francisco. I knew I had to be there. So the next day, my friend Mara Alverson and I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge …
Episode 158: Dan Neal on Polygamy, Murder and Mayhem in Idaho
When family secrets meet frontier justice: A murder that shattered a Mormon community Join Lindsay Hansen Park and journalist Daniel H. Neal for a conversation about his new book No Forgiveness—a true crime story that’s part family reckoning, part historical excavation. On a summer morning in 1911, two polygamous Mormon neighbors stood in an Idaho …
Restaurants in the Mormon “Good Place” Part 4
Looking for yet another binge-watch time sink? If you haven’t gotten to The Good Place yet, go there. Among the many joys of the afterlife-themed sitcom are the pause-or-you’ll-miss-’em restaurant names like “Ponzu Scheme” and “Biscotti Pippen” and “(Everything) on a Stick.” Which begs the question: What if Kristen Bell and Ted Danson were in …
Sunstone 50-year Time Capsule: Part XI
Meanwhile, Sunstone continued to advertise its own wares, including another Cal Grondahl book. And even some original drawings by the man himself. Sometimes we dragged ourselves up from the cultural dregs, advertising fine art by Trevor Southey, J. S. Wixom. And Brian Kershisnik. Also on the docket were dance classes from Ririe Woodbury. Poetry by …
My Burden Is Light
Part XI of the Sunstone Classics series. Eugene Elbert Peck was a longtime editor of Sunstone. This is excerpted from an article published in 1986. It starts on page 4 of issue 56. The car wasn’t out of the Salt Lake airport when Peggy Fletcher turned to me and announced, “Elbert, I’m getting married and …