Sunstone Magazine

For several generations, a canonical mischaracterization of God the Father has blinded Latter-day Saints to God the Mother, altered perceptions of the relationship between the mind/spirit and body, and fostered the political conservatism ascendant in Mormonism. This paper deals with the disparity between the concept of deity currently dominating Latter-day Saint conversation and the concept presented in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15275.mp3 Jimmy Jones

The Church’s history with adoption and foster care is gray area. Efforts like the Indian Placement Program and sometimes-coercive and secretive practices of LDS Social/Family Services were guided by wrong-headed ideas about the superiority of some familiesÑwhite families, wealthy families, temple-sealed familiesÑover others. Mormons who become foster parents are vulnerable to some of the same false ideas. This panel will discuss best practices for foster and foster-adopt parents by sharing personal experiences and answering audience members’ questions. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15123.mp3 Amanda Farr-Knickerbocker, Ana Nelson Shaw, Jo Overton, Marisa McPeck-Stringham, Brittni Scott, Heather Young, Desiree Miller

St. Paul’s missionary years were not easy. There was trouble among the followers of “the Way” in CorinthÑsquabbling, back biting, and playing “holier than thou.” In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul examines some critical questions in a way that can help us modern-day followers navigate the daunting theological and social issues facing the contemporary Church. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15201.mp3 Frances Menlove

While searching for my great grandmother’s origins, I discovered my mother’s unknown ethnic heritage, and learned about a part of early Utah history I had known nothing about. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15114.mp3 Tonya Reiter

FEMWOC is a Mormon-themed blog that started in 2015 highlighting the voices of women of color in the church. Come learn about the women behind it all. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15262.mp3 Gina Colvin, Bryndis Roberts, Jennifer Gonzalez, Natasha Smith, and Kalani Tonga

Terry Read is the chair of the Community of Christ World Church’s human rights team with members in Africa, South America, Australia, Canada, and the United States. He will discuss how the human rights team has addressed the issue of immigration. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15131.mp3 William Russell,Terry Read

The paradox of being thoughtful while being faithful is a spiritual practice that has failing currency in Mormonism. As the host of A Thoughtful Faith Gina has had the opportunity to interview those at their most spiritually troubled who are seeking a middle-way that feels authentic, honest, faithful, and Mormon. In this audio/visual presentation she will talk about what it means to be in dialogue with troubled conversation partners as they discover and share their emergent wisdom with thousands of friends listening in the wilderness. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15132.mp3 Gina Colvin, Paul Malan, Nathan McCluskey, Katie Langston

Few concepts are as foundational to world religions as sin. But what is sin? Is it a violation of eternal law? A heart turned in on itself? Behaviors that create negative karma? An action? A state of being? This interfaith panel will explore sin from a variety of theological perspectives and will tackle not only what sin IS, but what people of faith are supposed to do about it. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15236.mp3 Katie Langston, Robin Linkhart, Caru Das Adikhary, Fatimah S. Salleh

While most white Mormons today would never think to tell a black Mormon that he or she will become “white and delightsome” in the next life if righteous enough, how many would tell their LGBT brother and sisters they can become heterosexual and/or gender-conforming in the next life? Spriggs, a fringe black Mormon, shares how he came to appreciate “white and delightsome” theology as a compassionate, grace-full (though misguided) response to the social reality of race in America. He argues that its loss is a backward step for Mormon racial understandings. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15263.mp3 George Andrew Spriggs

In the early church, talk of building Zion and becoming a Zion people was everywhere. Then, twenty-five years ago, following the publishing of Hugh Nibley’s essay collection, Approaching Zion, and then an iconic “Plotting Zion” conference co-sponsored by Sunstone the following year, “Zion” seemed poised to once again rise up as a vital and energizing concept. But today, we hear much less about it. Has Zion simply become a vague thought, something we strive to practice only “within our hearts”? Are there arenas in which it still holds relevance for how we organize our lives and communities? http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15155.mp3 Boyd Petersen, Jim Smithson, Rachel Whipple, Ron Madsen, Warner Woodworth

Through the use of ethnographic investigation, personal interviews, and theoretical research, this paper seeks to understand the role of testimony within the community of young single adult Latter-day Saints of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It explores the way members with same-sex attraction have voluntarily removed themselves from the LDS community by assuming a diasporic identity, as well as how those members view themselves in regards to the Church and its doctrine. This paper argues that temporality is understood as being both static and fluid which allows church members, through ritualized acts, to move both backward and forward in time to moments of “rupture” and “forever.” http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15133.mp3 Keven Lewis

This paper explores stories about William LawÑJoseph Smith’s one-time second counselor who became co-editor of the Nauvoo Expositor. These sometimes dubious narratives, such as those found among the descendants of Charles Stoddard, serve to elevate the family’s status by disparaging Law who quickly became a villain after the death of the Prophet. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15264.mp3 Tom Kimball, D. Michael Quinn

In 2015, Amber Whiteley was a contributing author for a book chapter for the American Psychological Association. Titled Conflicting Identities: Sexual Minority, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming Individuals Navigating Between Religion and Gender/Sexual Orientation Identity, the chapter discusses various religious identities. Whiteley advocated for Mormons to be included in the chapter. This presentation will discuss the findings from the chapter, and what the implications are for both mental health workers who help the LDS community as well as LDS sexual minorities. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15134.mp3 Amber Whiteley

Mormon Fundamentalism is often unfairly conflated with dangerous behavior. The reality is that Mormon Fundamentalists are a very diverse group of people with a variety of life experiences and practiced beliefs. Using personal experiences, this panel will explore the spectrum between practicing fundamentalist tenants and becoming a religious extremist. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15154.mp3 Lindsay Hansen Park, Trevor Jeffs, Kristyn Decker, C. Jane Kendrick, and Stan Shepp

Postpartum mood and anxiety disorders affect hundreds of thousands of women. In addition to providing a basic overview of PPMD, this session will explore how LDS culture currently makes it difficult for PPMD sufferers to seek help. We’ll also discuss ways Church leadership, organizations, and members can promote PPMD education, combat its stigma, recognize its symptoms, and offer support to women and families who are surviving, or have survived, PPMD. http://sunstonemagazine.com/audio/SL15223.mp3 Esther Dale