Recent Announcements
January 14, 2023 - Statement on 2022 Fundraising Letter
Several days ago, we received a formal complaint alerting us that one of our fundraising letters, sent out in December 2022, referenced a symposium session from 2006 in which Tom Kimball, a Sunstone participant of many years, was a panelist. Multiple individuals have reported experiences of predation and abuse by Tom. When we became aware of these allegations in 2020, we took immediate steps to ban him from any further participation in Sunstone. Thus, citing this particular session in the letter was a poor choice and an unfortunate oversight that we deeply regret. We should have vetted the letter more responsibly.
First and foremost, we sincerely apologize to all hurt by our mistake. Our organization has spent the last few days engaging in hard, methodical reflection about our values and how to uphold them. There is one value that keeps repeating itself:
At Sunstone, we value open, honest dialogue about difficult and complex topics. Sexual abuse in the Mormon community continues to be pervasive and harmful, and it is too often swept under the rug at the expense of the victims. Tom's participation at Sunstone over the years has given us an opportunity to reflect on how our organization may have compounded the pain he caused. In a community where thousands of people participate, his is not an isolated story. We want to acknowledge this chronic wound in the Latter-day Saint community that rarely receives any justice—even when it means holding ourselves accountable as an organization.
Over the decades, we've hosted countless people, a few of whom have later proved to be problematic or destructive. We are sometimes faced with the challenge of what to do with the past content of such participants. It’s a complex question that we have sought a lot of feedback on. Too often abusers are upheld as upstanding participants and valued community members, their crimes ignored. We don’t want to contribute to this.
In an effort to reconcile divergent viewpoints and take accountability, we feel that maintaining the integrity of Sunstone’s historical record will allow future readers and listeners to interact more meaningfully with the topics Sunstone engages with, including the topic of sexual abuse. Keeping content from problematic presenters publicly available will allow them to be further analyzed in hopes that such analysis will make Mormonism and Sunstone safer, healthier places. As a step toward accountability we do not plan to erase Sunstone's engagement with these individuals.
We will be posting a disclaimer on our website reminding listeners and readers that audio, text and sessions in our archive are historical records and may sometimes contain content from problematic individuals whose opinions do not necessarily reflect our own, or who have behaved in ways inconsistent with Sunstone’s values.
Our hope is that by keeping the record intact, we are upholding our values of open dialogue, accountability, and historical integrity.
Again, we apologize for our carelessness in highlighting this session in our fundraising letter, as it contradicts our values. We are taking steps to be more responsible toward those in our community who have suffered abuse.
We feel enormous gratitude for the feedback we’ve received as we continue to navigate a very difficult and painful issue. Thank you for engaging in the work of building a healthier community with us.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Hansen Park
Stephen Carter
Grace Pool
Evan Jones
Past Announcements
January 14, 2023 - Statement on 2022 Fundraising Letter
Several days ago, we received a formal complaint alerting us that one of our fundraising letters, sent out in December 2022, referenced a symposium session from 2006 in which Tom Kimball, a Sunstone participant of many years, was a panelist. Multiple individuals have reported experiences of predation and abuse by Tom. When we became aware of these allegations in 2020, we took immediate steps to ban him from any further participation in Sunstone. Thus, citing this particular session in the letter was a poor choice and an unfortunate oversight that we deeply regret. We should have vetted the letter more responsibly.
First and foremost, we sincerely apologize to all hurt by our mistake. Our organization has spent the last few days engaging in hard, methodical reflection about our values and how to uphold them. There is one value that keeps repeating itself:
At Sunstone, we value open, honest dialogue about difficult and complex topics. Sexual abuse in the Mormon community continues to be pervasive and harmful, and it is too often swept under the rug at the expense of the victims. Tom's participation at Sunstone over the years has given us an opportunity to reflect on how our organization may have compounded the pain he caused. In a community where thousands of people participate, his is not an isolated story. We want to acknowledge this chronic wound in the Latter-day Saint community that rarely receives any justice—even when it means holding ourselves accountable as an organization.
Over the decades, we've hosted countless people, a few of whom have later proved to be problematic or destructive. We are sometimes faced with the challenge of what to do with the past content of such participants. It’s a complex question that we have sought a lot of feedback on. Too often abusers are upheld as upstanding participants and valued community members, their crimes ignored. We don’t want to contribute to this.
In an effort to reconcile divergent viewpoints and take accountability, we feel that maintaining the integrity of Sunstone’s historical record will allow future readers and listeners to interact more meaningfully with the topics Sunstone engages with, including the topic of sexual abuse. Keeping content from problematic presenters publicly available will allow them to be further analyzed in hopes that such analysis will make Mormonism and Sunstone safer, healthier places. As a step toward accountability we do not plan to erase Sunstone's engagement with these individuals.
We will be posting a disclaimer on our website reminding listeners and readers that audio, text and sessions in our archive are historical records and may sometimes contain content from problematic individuals whose opinions do not necessarily reflect our own, or who have behaved in ways inconsistent with Sunstone’s values.
Our hope is that by keeping the record intact, we are upholding our values of open dialogue, accountability, and historical integrity.
Again, we apologize for our carelessness in highlighting this session in our fundraising letter, as it contradicts our values. We are taking steps to be more responsible toward those in our community who have suffered abuse.
We feel enormous gratitude for the feedback we’ve received as we continue to navigate a very difficult and painful issue. Thank you for engaging in the work of building a healthier community with us.
Sincerely, Lindsay Hansen Park
Stephen Carter
Grace Pool
Evan Jones
January 3, 2022 - Resignation and Contribution of Jeff Green
Sunstone is pleased to announce our partnership with Jeff Green.
After making a first donation in early 2021, Green has begun a new three-year agreement with Sunstone. The partnership with Sunstone aims to strengthen its mission and widen its impact within the community we serve.
Recently Green made international headlines (Salt Lake Tribune and Washington Post) when he announced his resignation from the LDS church. Because one of the goals of Sunstone is, “More than one way to Mormon,” we understand and honor the many paths individuals take who derive from the same heritage. Executive director Lindsay Hansen Park was able to walk with Green during this process and help navigate his resignation. This led to a meeting with Equality Utah.
Green says, “I went into that meeting unsure if diplomacy was the best avenue to create space for LGBTQ+ people within the church or even within Utah. I found that both Troy Williams (Equality Utah) and Sunstone are both interested in protecting the idea that Mormon experience is diverse and that navigating a complex heritage with love and understanding is important. It’s important to me support work that I feel are aligned with my values.”
As another piece of honoring Jeff Green’s own personal Mormon experience and upbringing, Sunstone is publishing Green’s resignation letter in its entirety, with his consent of course.
Green says, “I believe deeply in Sunstone’s mission. I think it has always appealed to the historically focused, the fringe, the questioner, and those who try to stay. I believe the borderlands of Mormonism is where change happens. I believe it's where inclusion widens.”
We feel honored for the opportunity to be included in his generosity and vision for a better Utah and a more inclusive community.
Read Jeff's resignation letter below, or view it as a PDF here.
December 23, 2021
Jeff T Green
Thousand Oaks, California
Subject: church membership resignation and reasoning
Dear President Russel M Nelson,
Although I have deep love for many Mormons and gratitude for many things that have come into my life through Mormonism, I have not considered myself a member for many years, and I’d like to make clear to you and others that I am not a member.
While I’ve left the Mormon church more than a decade ago—not believing, attending, or practicing—I have not officially requested the removal of my records, until now.
Please remove my records from the church. I no longer wish to be counted among the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
My membership number is: XXXXX
While most members are good people trying to do right, I believe the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world. The church leadership is not honest about its history, its finances, and its advocacy.
I believe the Mormon church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights. As a result, the Mormon church has strained and divided millions of families.
Church leaders create unhealthy paradigms around gender roles (exacerbated by canonized doctrines on polygamy), which hurt all our ancestors and family members that have touched Mormonism. This paradigm, coupled with the sex-negative teachings and policies, has a series of immeasurably negative impacts on nearly all participating members and their neighbors and communities. Additionally, church leaders do not seek or promote informed consent from members regarding baptismal or temple covenants. Often people enter those commitments without a real understanding of what they are signing up for.
I feel for the members. I love many of them. Most Mormons are good people. Most Mormons are born into this religion and the church, and their families are completely enmeshed. It makes leaving difficult.
Deconstructing my belief in LDS church teachings many years ago was extremely difficult for me at the time and took several years of study and reflection. But ultimately, staying meant a less fulfilling life for me. It meant living inauthentically. I left because I wanted a life of honesty, morality, truth, and a desire to pursue a more socially just world—not because I desired a different lifestyle. Of course, believing Mormons (following the lead of Church leadership) often accuse those who leave of doing so for simple or petty or even demonic reasons—this is not my story. I stopped believing and attending out of principle. I am formally leaving now for the same reasons.
Whenever someone leaves a high-demand, insular religion—it brings some initial pain for all
involved. I feel deep empathy for those who have been ostracized from the Mormon community or who choose to leave because of their beliefs, values, or even just who they are. Leaving almost always means losing some amount of family harmony. And those who stay feel loss and pain for those who have left, especially when in the believers’ minds, they are losing family forever. I live with this discomfort every day.
I hope you will create more space for different views and beliefs among Mormons. A more
open-minded church membership could improve the lives of millions of people.
Additionally, related to helping people, the church has amassed a significant wealth. More than 100 billion dollars in assets under management (AUM) that is all derivative of the widow’s mite, which doesn’t even measure the real estate and less liquid assets. This money comes from people, often poor, who whole-heartedly believe you represent the will of Jesus. They give expecting the blessings of heaven. The church has been wealthy for many generations and yet doesn’t do nearly as much as it could. Given you claim to represent the will of God and act as a special witness of Jesus, the Mormon church should be doing more to help the world and its members with its wealth. Instead, I think the church has exploited its members and their need for hope to build temples, build shopping malls, cattle ranches, fund Ensign Peak Advisors investment funds, and own mortgage-backed securities, rather than alleviating human suffering in or out of the church.
I plead with you to consider the words of Jesus “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Thank you for your attention on this matter.
Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight,
Jeff Green
Disclosures: Legally, I am represented by Mark Naugle on this matter. Please contact him for any questions related to this request. This letter is my formal resignation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it is effective immediately. I hereby withdraw my consent to being treated as a member and I withdraw my consent to being subject to church rules, policies, beliefs and 'discipline'. I want my name permanently and completely removed from the membership rolls of the church. I have given this matter considerable thought. I am aware that the church handbook says that my resignation "cancels the effects of baptism and confirmation, withdraws the priesthood held by a male member and revokes temple blessings."
My resignation should be processed immediately, without any 'waiting periods'. I am not going to be dissuaded and I am not going to change my mind. I expect this matter to be handled promptly, with respect and with full confidentiality. After today, the only contact I want from the church is a single letter of confirmation to let me know that I am no longer listed as a member of the church.
October 25, 2021 - Sunstone Podcast 100th Episode
Sunstone is thrilled to release the 100th episode of the Sunstone Podcast.
With over five hundred thousand plays, the Sunstone Podcast has had an incredible first 100 episodes.
The Sunstone Podcast follows the Sunstone tagline, “More than One Way to Mormon.” Rather than approach Mormonism to either prove it false or true, the podcast seeks to engage the topic as it is. Mormonism is rich in complex, engaging, strange and often beautiful ideas about what it means to be human. The podcast seeks to explore all of the ways people are engaging Mormonism today in their way. Additionally, the podcast seeks to focus on healthy ways to seek after all different paths of belief.
Listen to the 100th episode and the rest of the podcast iTunes, Spotify, or on the Sunstone website.
The Sunstone History Podcast has released its 50th episode! Boasting nearly a million plays, the Sunstone history podcast has been a wild success to the Sunstone Podcast Family.
There’s the Mormon history you do know … and the Mormon history you don’t. Join Lindsay Hansen Park (Year of Polygamy) and historian Bryan Buchanan as they dig into all aspects of Mormonism’s astonishing 200-year past—uncovering the little-known stories that chronicle how a six-person church grew into a multi-billion-dollar religion. Episodes for this podcast are released every other week.
This podcast is heavily researched. For information on sources, and for additional reading for each episode’s topic, click here.
Listen to the 50th episode and the rest of this incredible podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or stream episodes right here on Sunstone.org.
Sunstone is saddened to announce the passing of one of our dearest friends, Curt Bench.
Curt was an integral part of the Mormon history, rare books, and Sunstone scenes for more than four decades. Not a symposium went by without Curt on hand tending Benchmark Books’ massive tables of new and used LDS books for attendees to peruse. He made his final appearance just a few weeks ago at the 2021 Sunstone Summer Symposium, where he memorialized the passing of D. Michael Quinn.
In that memorial, Curt said of Quinn, “If ever a description fit, it was ‘a gentleman and a scholar.’” We feel that Curt deserves the same description. His kindness and professionalism were unfailing; his love of books was unbounded; and his company was always stimulating.
As he wrote in a Sunstone article in 2007, “Although we can’t take the books with us when we leave this life (though if there is a way, I’ll find it), we can take the knowledge we glean from them.” We’re not sure yet if Curt found a way to take any books with him, but he certainly took a lot of knowledge. He also took a beloved part of our community. We will miss him.
"Just as with thinking, I say let there be too much reading rather than too little." –Curt Bench
Read Curt’s “Pillars of My Faith” article: https://sunstonemagazine.com/.../sbi/articles/145-20-24.pdf
Sunstone has brought on Student Representative Evan Jones to launch and operate the Student Association of Sunstone!
Mission:
We feel that this generation of young people across the Mormon spectrum is uniquely attuned to the mission of the Sunstone Education Foundation, which is to "sponsor open forums of Mormon thought and experience" under the guiding dogma that there is "more than one way to Mormon."
The Student Association of Sunstone exists to facilitate the crucial dialogue surrounding free Mormon expression and assist students in the challenges they face in their various faith persuasions by providing a source of community within which students can learn and grow. This association seeks to unite intellectually-curious individuals with the roots of their faith and give them opportunities to meaningfully explore their faith tradition.
Since the inception of the Sunstone Magazine, the Sunstone Education Foundation has used its platforms to amplify voices of people with various views on Mormonism, academic and professional disciplines, and personal backgrounds. These platforms have consistently been utilized for the advancement of ideas pertaining to anti-racism, women's liberation, LGBTQ equality, and ideological and religious pluralism, to which we at the Student Association of Sunstone are deeply committed.
Stay up to date on Student Association events and plans here.
April 22, 2021
Sunstone is sad to announce the passing of historian D. Michael Quinn. A major force in the study of Mormon history, Michael was known for his meticulous research, groundbreaking books, voluminous citations, and gracious character.
Michael participated in numerous Sunstone symposia over the past 40 years, presenting his own research and thoughtfully responding to the research of others. He published frequently in Sunstone magazine, his first article being “Echoes and Foreshadowings: The Distinctiveness of the Mormon Community,” which he published in 1978 while an assistant professor of history at BYU. https://sunstonemagazine.com/.../sbi/articles/009-12-17.pdf
His most recent article, in 2016, was “Background and Fallout of My 1985 Article: ‘LDS Church Authority and New Plural Marriages, 1890–1904.’” https://sunstonemagazine.com/background-and-fallout/
Michael will be remembered as generous, kind, and open, always willing to lend his expertise to a worthy project. His high scholarly standards and unique vision as a historian will have a lasting impact on Mormon Studies.
Sunstone is sad to announce the passing of J. Frederick (Toby) Pingree, who passed away Sunday, February 21. Toby chaired the Sunstone board of directors for six years and organized the perennially popular “Why We Stay” session at the Summer Symposium for eleven years.
Encouraged by both Quorum of Seventy member Marion D. Hanks and BYU professor Eugene England, Toby became a member of the Sunstone board during a financially difficult period for the organization. And he was a godsend. Through his accounting and tax expertise—and countless hours of volunteer labor—he was able to put the organization back onto firm footing. He also led the effort to make Sunstone into a non-profit educational foundation.
Toby was the founder of the “Why We Stay” session of Sunstone’s annual Summer Symposium. As he said in a Sunstone article, “One day I overheard a BYU graduate student opining that some people should either stop bellyaching or get out of the Church. I got angry. The Church was just as much mine as it was hers. So I put together a panel at the next Symposium where five participating, dues-paying, recommend-holding, faithful, but non-traditional members of the Church would state their reasons for not following this student’s departure wishes.”
Read Toby’s own “Why We Stay” speech here:
https://sunstonemagazine.com/.../sbi/articles/129-22-33.pdf
Above all, Toby was a kind, generous, peacemaking soul. He made the world, and Mormonism, a better place. We'll miss him.
Sunstone is thrilled to Announce the newest member of the Sunstone podcast family: The Sunstone Mormon History Podcast!
There’s the Mormon history you do know … and the Mormon history you don’t. Join Lindsay Hansen Park (Year of Polygamy) and historian Bryan Buchanan as they dig into all aspects of Mormonism’s astonishing 200-year past—uncovering the little-known stories that chronicle how a six-person church grew into a multi-billion-dollar religion. Episodes for this podcast are released every other week.
This podcast is hosted by the dynamic duo of Lindsay Hansen Park and Bryan Buchanan.
Listen to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or stream episodes right here on Sunstone.org.
SALT LAKE CITY — February 16, 2019
Sunstone Education Foundation Welcomes Three New Board Members
The Sunstone Education Foundation is excited to welcome Bob Ahlander, Blaire Ostler, and Karin Peter to its board of directors.
Bob Ahlander earned a BA from Brigham Young University in Spanish and anthropology. He is co-founder of BYU’s premiere a cappella group Vocal Point. Bob has spent most of his career in entertainment, including five years as head of Deseret Book Company’s music division. He also served for four years as bishop of an LDS family ward. He is currently Director of Events for a fashion company in Southern California.
Blaire Ostler is a philosopher and leading voice at the intersection of queer, Mormon, and transhumanist thought. She is a board member for the Mormon Transhumanist Association.
Karin Peter is president of the Fifth Quorum of Seventy and serves on the Council of Presidents of Seventy for Community of Christ.
Each of these new members bring essential qualifications and experience to help Sunstone pursue its mission of providing an open forum for public discussion of Mormon experience, scholarship, issues, and art.
Sunstone also wishes to honor outgoing board members Holly Alden and Jim Murphy.
Holly Alden did much to strengthen the relationship between Sunstone and the LGBTQIA community. She also helped to improve Sunstone’s conferences and physical facilities.
Jim Murphy, past executive director of Sunstone, greatly improved Sunstone’s efficiency and organization as a non-profit. He also spearheaded many new initiatives relating to Sunstone’s Salt Lake Summer Symposium.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT —On Thursday, 31 January 2019, the Sunstone Education Foundation will launch Sunstone Firesides, a podcast examining Mormon thought and experience from a female perspective. Episodes will be released on Thursday evenings.
The newest member of the Sunstone podcast family, Sunstone Firesides are named after the monthly meetings the LDS Church sponsored beginning in the 1930s to discuss gospel topics.
The podcast will be co-hosted by women whose beliefs and lifestyles span the Mormon spectrum, each bringing on a unique set of guests and perspectives. The hosts include Lindsay Hansen Park, Cristina Rosetti, Kimberly Anderson, Blaire Ostler, Kalani Tonga, Shirlee Draper, and Malia Halstvedt.
Following Sunstone’s motto, the hosts of Sunstone Firesides recognize that there is “More than one way to Mormon.”
“This podcast was specifically developed to expand the viewpoints of both the audience and the hosts,” says Lindsay Hansen Park, Executive Director of the Sunstone Education Foundation. “We want to display the diverse experiences that can operate within a Mormon framework.”
“This new podcast goes beyond creating a female-friend space, beyond providing a counterpoint to the prevalent male view” says John Larsen, host of the Sunstone Podcast. “It’s an environment where women generate their own avenues of investigation and expression.”
To support the Sunstone family of podcasts, please donate at:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sunstone Announces New Podcast
SALT LAKE CITY, UT — In January 2019, the Sunstone Education Foundation will launch a new weekly podcast hosted by John Larsen. Previously the host of Mormon Expression, Larsen is a veteran podcaster who served as executive director for the Whitefields Foundation.
Following Sunstone’s motto, “More than one way to Mormon,” the podcast will cast a wide net, engaging with thought leaders throughout the Mormon tradition regardless of their affiliation or faith status. It will focus on ideas and movements that shape Mormon theology, history, and culture.
“Both Sunstone and I believe that the Mormon tradition draws its richness from its many flavors and iterations—from the L.D.S. Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, to the fundamentalist colonies in Mexico, to the ex-Mormons living throughout the world—and, of course, everyone in between,” says Larsen.
“During polarized times like these, it is especially important that there is a forum for addressing the issues members of the Mormon community are most concerned about. Sunstone feels that John’s reputation for hard-hitting, intelligent, and fair commentary will help frame that conversation we all need to be having, and even kick it up a notch or two,” said Bill McGee, chair of Sunstone’s board of trustees.
“This is a match made in the Celestial Kingdom—though probably in one of its lower levels,” quips Lindsay Hansen Park, executive director of Sunstone. “Both Sunstone and John share a commitment to rigorous inquiry, constructive dialogue, and expanding what it means to be Mormon.”
SALT LAKE CITY — October 11, 2018
The Sunstone Education Foundation is pleased to announce that Cristina Rosetti has been hired as Sunstone’s news office manager and archivist.
Rosetti comes to Sunstone as a promising religious studies scholar with a background in archival practices. She has an M.A. in religious studies from the University of California Riverside, and is currently working on a Ph.D. in religious studies. She is under contract to write a book on Mormon fundamentalist leader Joseph White Musser for the University of Illinois Press.
As Rosetti takes over the office, Grace Pool will take on more duties related to Sunstone’s worldwide conferences, the largest of which is held in Salt Lake City each summer. Pool’s new duties will free up executive director Lindsay Hansen Park to focus more on strategic planning and fundraising for the foundation.
“Being Catholic, Cristina brings an essential ‘outsider’ perspective to Sunstone,” says Park. “But at the same time, her knowledge of Mormonism is deeper than most people’s.”
“With Cristina’s addition to the staff, we’re going to see even more robust offerings from Sunstone in the years to come,” says Bill McGee, chair of the Sunstone board of directors.
SALT LAKE CITY — April 26, 2017
Dear Sunstone Family,
On April 24th, the Sunstone Board received a letter of resignation from Jim Murphy, which we have formally accepted. We want to express our gratitude to Jim for his years of service to the Sunstone organization as its Executive Director.
Jim stepped into this role from his seat on the Board of Directors to help guide the Sunstone organization through a period of both transition and growth. We have experienced Jim’s warmth and kindness during his tenure, and appreciate the administrative skills he brought to the role. Jim leads with integrity and compassion.
The Sunstone Board has now voted unanimously to promote Lindsay Hansen Park to the position of Interim Executive Director, effective immediately. Jim has graciously offered to work closely with Lindsay to ensure a seamless leadership transition.
Lindsay has been a catalyst for the transformation of Sunstone over the past few years, both in widening our audience and expanding the scope and scale of our message. She has earned the respect of leaders and participants across the Mormon spectrum. Lindsay’s efforts have paved the way for Sunstone to more effectively fulfill its mission of creating opportunities for examining and expressing the rich spiritual, intellectual, social, and artistic life of the entire Mormon community.
Please join us in extending our gratitude to Jim, and congratulations to Lindsay in this new role. We are confident the next phase of Sunstone’s mission is in good hands.
Sincerely,
The Sunstone Education Foundation Board of Directors: Bill McGee (chair), Michael Stevens, Robin Linkhart, Andrew Spriggs, Chelsea Shields, Holly Alden, Kim McCall, Kaimipono Wenger
SALT LAKE CITY — August 31, 2016
Recently an anonymous individual or group sent a packet to many people and organizations involved with Sunstone and Mormon studies noting that Wikipedia articles were quoted from but not cited in two recent Sunstone articles: “An Overview of Mormon Fundamentalist Groups” and “Does ‘Mormon’ Still Equal Polygamy?” This was an editorial oversight. The main author had informed us that portions of the articles included material from Wikipedia, but we neglected to cite them appropriately. We deeply regret these lapses; it is our standard that credit be given where it is due. We will print corrections in the next issue of Sunstone so that they can be a matter of record. We appreciate being made aware of these mistakes. In the future, anyone who has questions, comments, or concerns regarding any aspect of the work being done by the Sunstone Education Foundation is invited to contact our office directly: 801-355-5926.
For more information, contact Sunstone Executive Director Jim Murphy: jmurphy@sunstone.org
On June 11, 2014 the New York Times broke a story about church disciplinary councils for two “activists,” Kate Kelly of Ordain Women and John Dehlin of Mormon Stories (also a former Executive Director of Sunstone). Kate Kelly received a letter from the bishop of her congregation in Virginia informing her that a disciplinary hearing had been set for June 22, 2014 to discuss the possibility of church discipline. John Dehlin received his letter from a local church leader in Logan, Utah, on Monday, giving him until June 18 to resign from the faith or face an excommunication hearing.
This is the first high-profile example of excommunication proceedings since 1993 and the famed, “September Six.” That year the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints disciplined six Mormon writers, scholars and feminists.
Sunstone provided a critical forum for open discussion of the events of September 1993 and the ripples through the Mormon community afterward. Below is collection of SUNSTONE magazine articles and Sunstone Symposium audio recordings discussing the September Six, other high profile excommunications, and the effects of excommunication in the larger LDS community:
This is Sunstone’s original report of the September Six proceedings and the follow-up piece.
Sunstone Editor Elbert Peck wrote an editorial on the events here.
Looking Back-
Here are the reflections of the six 10 years after the events:
Lynne K. Whitesides’, “The Dance of Love.”
Paul Toscano’s, “An Interview With Myself.”
Maxine Hanks’, “Exile and Return.”
D. Michael Quinn’s, “Apologia Pro Mea Via.”
Lavina Fielding Anderson’s, “A Decade on Thin Edge.”
Audio on the Events:
A Decade of Excommunications: A 1966-75 Profile by Lavina Fielding Anderson
Tidying Up Loose Ends?: The November 2000 Excommunication of Margaret Toscano with Margaret Toscano, Daniel H. Rector, Robert A. Rees
Set Apart and Silenced: One Family’s Story of Excommunication and the Struggle to Heal panel with Mary Ann Luke, Lisa Scheid, Beth Luke, and Marybeth Raynes
While LDS beliefs often focus on eternal unity, when differences of belief arise in LDS families, estrangement is too often the result, especially when the differing beliefs involve controversial issues such as apostasy, excommunication, inactivity, joining another faith, and sexual orientation. This panel consists of counseling professionals who deal regularly with estrangement issues, and with those who have experienced belief-related estrangement in their own lives.
When Beliefs Lead To Estrangement panel with Carolyn Campbell, Ardean Watts, Morgan Smith, Julian Hatch, Duane Jennings, Dennis Higley, Rauni Higley, Alex Nibley, Marybeth Raynes
December 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of Sonia Johnson’s excommunication. Many younger Mormon women know little about the 1970s battle over the ERA. Some have picked up negative associations about Sonia Johnson and Mormons for ERA from parents or others who felt that speaking out publicly against the LDS Church was inappropriate. We’ll review Sonia’s outspoken support of the ERA, how it led to her excommunication, and explore whether she had lasting influence on women in the Church—or on the Church itself. We’ll also discuss whether there are differences between Mormon feminists today and 1970s activists and whether Church rhetoric about women has shifted in the 30 years since Sonia made headlines.
Sonia Johnson: Mormon Feminist Role Model or Cautionary Tale? with Kay Gaisford, Nadine R. Hansen
The Church Handbook of Instructions explains in detail the mechanics of excommunication but says little about its theological import. Our panelists, several of whom have been excommunicated, will explore the theological and spiritual ramifications of this ultimate Church sanction. Why does excommunication not require a ritual? If blessings are “restored” to an excommunicated person who returns to the Church, what became of those blessings in the interim? Is it reasonable that God would give fallible human leaders the power to separate people from him or their families in eternity? How does excommunication impact a person’s relationship with the Savior?
Eternal Perdition? Bureaucratic Limbo? The Theological Ramifications of Excommunication with JANICE ALLRED, LAVINA FIELDING ANDERSON, MARVIN RYTTING, MARGARET TOSCANO, PAUL TOSCANO
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Thank you for sharing!
Wow. This is the most ridiculous response to a complaint of a child abuser being highlighted and glorified on your website. I find it hard to believe that when you sent that out, you didnt realize he was one of the 3 couples being highlighted. When I search his name on your site I get over 300 hits. I read some of the articles and listened to some of the episodes and none have a “disclaimer” highlighting that the person is actually a predator. “Keeping content from problematic presenters publicly available will allow them to be further analyzed in hopes that such analysis will make Mormonism and Sunstone safer, healthier places.” How can this happen when you don’t paint a clear picture all over your website that this “problematic presenter” is a monster that sexually abused children? How am I supposed to be informed to “analyze” him as a random person engaging in your website? This is pathetic and a poor excuse. Take true accountability and action. I’ll be sure to not engage on your website and content moving forward. I may be listening to a murderer or rapist and have no clue. You want to talk about integrity? You actually know this was a terrible person and you’ve just carelessly left all of his content in your archives with no explicit trigger warnings or identifiers. That is a lack of integrity. Absolutely disgusting.
It is VERY CLEAR that LHP has had no problem using my name …
You are also WELL AWARE that I’ve requested an apology
THIS ARTICLE is the result of ME requesting an acknowledgment…
This article could just be re-written to say “News: we are still promoting the abuser and silencing his victims… even when we have ALREADY PROFITITED from this story in many ways… even when we know EXACTLY WHO the victim is… we just aren’t going to acknowledge her at all because we don’t really have to. ”
YOU SAY it was a mistake…. if it was a mistake, it would have been REALLY EASY TO CONTACT ME SINCE I’M OUT HERE BEGGING TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED AND YOU KNOW IT.
And I’m still waiting for an apology. I was not named in the article, so I cannot assume it was to me. Especially when NOT ONE OF YOU has contacted me in ANY WAY
So I guess I’ll find refuge here on your comments… where I belong, I guess
Ick. Preserving the words of a sexual predator, instead of honoring the journey of a survivor is so gross.
Who wrote the letter? Four people signed it and “oversight” is a weak excuse considering that at least 3 of the letter’s signers are intimately aware of Tom’s decades of abuse. In fact, some of the signers are friends with victims of his abuse. So, who wrote it? Who thought it was ok to write a letter highlighting a well-known abuser in order to solicit money.
If the writer is one of you, the moral move would be to step down after a sincere apology to the victims.
This whole thing is not what I expected from people who claim to be a victims’ advocate.
Make this make sense, Sunstone representatives. Make this make sense.
Kelly McAfee (former spouse of T Kimball)
I’m confident mine wasn’t the only complaint you received. But here it is in case you all happened to somehow miss it in your inboxes. (Except Lindsay, I know better than to bother seeking accountability from her)
Sunstone Board
I am writing in regards to your fundraising letter that was recently mailed out.
You have decades of material to pull from, and you chose to highlight a session involving a known child sexual predator? As a method of soliciting monetary donations? Surely you could have chosen something less damaging to victims. Surely.
My dear friend, Dayna Kimball, is one of Tom Kimball’s victims. Her bravery and courage in speaking out and exposing the harm he did is admirable. Sadly, she has suffered additional harm due to the fallout of people and organizations who value a (false) “good image” and profits over people.
Last summer Dayna made a very reasonable request on her social media page, asking that those who had podcasts and other representations of her predator Uncle’s work posted to remove them. She even made a very generous offer to re-record these works since it appeared that a big part of the “draw” to Tom’s work was the fact that he is a direct descendant of Heber C. Kimball, and she is as well. She didn’t demand it. She didn’t try to contact all content creators. As a victim, she simply made a request that people stop elevating the voice of a man who did so much harm to so many.
As a result, people who care about her started reaching out to content creators and sharing her request. Many of us also shared links of podcasts, etc., that we were aware of where Tom was a guest or presenter. Unfortunately, not all content creators responded in a positive way.
Lindsay Hansen Park was one of those who was, shall we say, less than kind in her response. She made excuses and painted herself as the victim in the scenario. Others, gratefully, did the right thing.
I have had bad experiences with Lindsay in the past. Both through your organization as well as outside of it. Her approach to other people’s pain is to use it for her own purposes, dragging out people’s suffering for attention with no attempts to then provide support for the renewed harm caused by reliving those experiences. She minimizes the suffering of victims, often elevates those in power who were instrumental in the victimization of vulnerable people, and then says things like that she doesn’t know if “evil even exists.”
Well, lucky her I guess because some of us absolutely know without a doubt that it does.
I am extremely disappointed to see that your organization seems to be taking the playbook of the church and applying it to your own organization. Exploiting the vulnerable, depending on the emotional labor of supporters and volunteers to provide content, and then putting profits and money above the lives, wellbeing and safety of people.
Dayna has made a very well-written public post on her Facebook page, explaining the continued pain and heartbreak that she is being dragged through after receiving this fundraising letter in the mail. She is asking for, and richly deserves, a public apology and a plan for how you will be addressing the issues. As an organization you should be actively working to elevate the voices of survivors and out the predators for who and what they are.
I understand. You feel that Tom Kimball created content that has value. Everyone does something that has value, but that doesn’t undo or outweigh the amount of harm he has done. If you value integrity and the basic humanity of vulnerable people, you will take this seriously.
At best, this was a choice made in very poor taste. At worst – and I hope this isn’t true – it is a vindictive jab at Dayna because of her vocal efforts to hold people accountable for supporting and elevating the voices of predators. Sadly, I cannot say that I believe Lindsay is above that because I have been on the receiving end of too much vitriol at the hands of her minions.
I hope to see this addressed soon.
Brenda Nicholson
Sunstone and board: thank you for taking some pieces of my feedback and adding a disclaimer about Tom Kimball: The Rapist to your posts and articles featuring his work. I found his poem, The Dove and The Serpent particularly enlightening and educational to my historical study of a mormon rapist and what to watch out for. Had you not preserved his work, I never would have been so blessed to cringe and feel deeply troubled by that eloquent poetry that he wrote. It is great to see an organization take immediate action to provide a link reference to this post on a rapists works. I can’t wait to read the article or listen to the podcast detailing what it is like for your community followers to engage with your website and find link after link to this post and know they’re engaging with a Rapist and abusers work. Now that’s an article I’d find fascinating. Since the board seems to be unable to do so, I’d like to publicly apologize to Dayna and Kelly for Sunstones lack of public acknowledgement on their page. And their insensitive use of their abusers content. It seems they’re not wanting anonymity but for some reason are being granted that. Anyway, thanks for taking my feedback and adding somewhat of a disclaimer. But you missed the part where you called him a rapist.
Thanks Sunstone, looking forward to your historical evaluation and findings.
There is nothing more disgusting than an organization that just can not be bothered to remove content of child abusers. “More than one way to Mormon ” huh? Just another disgusting organization that protects rapists… sick. Get better content and then you can delete the garbage. While you’re taking out that trash get rid of the leaders that are just too put out to clear their good Ole buddy the abuser’s work! What a shame, Sunstone. do better.🖕🏻
Lindsay, I was there when you went into Dayna’s home and pretended to be a friend. You put on quite the show but You very clearly just wanted the tea on TK for content. Big mistake when that meant you’d be held accountable for removing his content that you have gained from. The hypocrisy is baffling. You know better. Because I heard you preach it from your mouth. But now you’re inconvenienced. You don’t need to preserve his work to learn from it. What a joke. That letter was a “mean girl” stunt. I believe you did it on purpose to be mean. It makes ya’ll look like idiots so im here for that at least. I hope no one else trusts your fake kindness ever again! She’s using you for content, people!
You also talked obsessively about your “enemies” I thought that was super odd but now I see that you’re an internet troll and people don’t like hypocrisy 🤔
The summary I got from this apology…
Survivors of SA – please stop celebrating my abuser and take his content down.
Sunstone- Well here at Sunstone we talk about Mormon history and so what’s more “on brand” than pedophilia and rape? I think we’ll keep it up. We were all buddies with this guy and removing his content would be a long and boring job. Here at Sunstone the way we like to Mormon best is by celebrating abusers and treating their victims like trash. 👍🏻