In Episode 14, we discussed Mormon beliefs and intellectualism, and guess what? Intellectualism makes us think! Keen minds that we are, we wanted to learn more about one of the popular forums for this type of discussion so we turned to Dan Wotherspoon, editor of Sunstone Magazine.
Dan graciously agreed to join the Potluck Dudes for an introduction to the Sunstone Foundation and its banner publication. Join us as we learn how the magazine got its start, how the editor views the magazine’s role in understanding Mormon beliefs, its sometimes bumpy relationship with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and what kind of topics you can expect to see among the pages of Sunstone Magazine.
Also in the episode, we review current events, discuss a recent survey regarding religious affiliation, and as a public service to you our valued listener, we bring you this week’s (Mormon) American Idol report.
Hungry for knowledge, get in line… there’s always room for one more at the Mormon Potluck Podcast!
View Show Notes for the episode, including links mentioned in the show at:
http://wiki.mormonpotluck.com/ShowNotes/Episode024
Tags: american idol, intellectualism, sunstone
March 5th, 2008 at 9:41 am
[...] Games Online wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt In Episode 14, we discussed Mormon beliefs and intellectualism, and guess what? Intellectualism makes us think! Keen minds that we are, we wanted to learn more about one of the popular forums for this type of discussion so we turned to Dan Wotherspoon, editor of Sunstone Magazine. Dan graciously agreed to join the Potluck Dudes for an introduction to the Sunstone Foundation and its banner publication. Join us as we learn how the magazine got its start, how the editor views the magazine’s role [...]
March 6th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Good discussion on Sun Stone. Makes me want to check it out. The guy should have offered a special mormon potluck trial or subscription!
March 6th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
The Sunstone community saved my church life. Thanks for the discussion. Dan and Dehlin have done a great job of bringing it back to its former glory. Dehlin has a great podcast.
March 6th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I would love for you guys to do an episode on the Book of Abraham. Dan made reference to it. Of my friends who have left the church this is their main concern. I know that when I found out that the papyri found in 1967 after having been translated by Egyptologists had nothing to do with what Joseph Smith wrote in the Book of Abraham. It was very hard to deal with. I also appreciate the fact that you talked about Van Hale’s view of the Book of Mormon. I share his view now that DNA data has confirmed that there is no Hebrew blood in Native American communities. FARMS doesn’t seem to answer either of these issues. Apologists for the Church are an embarrassment. They have to go so far off course to answer hard questions. I.E. Horses and steel in the Book of Mormon.
March 8th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Dan mentioned the MMI (mapping mormon issues) project. I think it would be interesting to add an update on the project weekly. Some research might be needed. As I see it there are great changes taking place in the church as they pertain to early church history and doctrine. You guys could act as a bridge between the apologists and the historians. It is so important at this time of change to bridge that gap. To start it might be helpful to check out the following links.
http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_Abraham.shtml
vs.
http://www.irr.org/mit/lboa-youtube.html
That is a start, go from there.
April 6th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Every week I look forward to downloading the latest Mormon Potluck episode. You guys are a hoot!
The last episode, however, seems to have taken the production in a different direction. What disturbed me was Dan’s comment that Sunstone makes no effort to persuade nor dissuade its audience to believe in Jesus Christ or his church. That troubles me as Christ is the source of all truth. I have lost friends in the gospel to such ‘intellectualism’ not because they entertained articles from the Sunstone, but rather they failed to turn to the Final Authority for an answer.
I enjoy listening to Mormon Potluck not because it is a sermon or a rehash of an elder’s quorom lesson, rather it is fun and even uplifting at times. I hope that same flavor continues.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Thanks for the feedback Thanerd. I want to assure you that we’ll be getting back to the balance of fun stuff soon. With episode 24 we didn’t mean to imply that we would be changing to a focus on ‘intellectualism’ at all. That was just one aspect of the Mormon community that we had the opportunity to explore with a credible source and we thought we would run with it.
We’ve also had quite a delay with getting the latest episode out. You can rest assured that it will be out in the next day or so. We’re also recording a new one tonight that should be out in short order as well. In our last couple of gatherings we discussed the fact that we might be getting into a bit too much of the heavy stuff and we put together a plan to keep things more balanced like we did in some of the earlier episodes.
So your comments were very timely. It is honest direct feedback like yours that helps us get a good feel for how our audience is enjoying our material. We’re all about having a good time on the Potluck and look forward to keeping that vibe alive and well. Thanks again for taking the time to speak up.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Here, here, Thanerd – I totally agree. Trusting in the views of men, especially those who are blatantly anti-LDS (e.g. irr.org – give me a break) is very dangerous. The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has always been to turn to Him to receive light and truth. That is done through study, prayer, personal revelation, and listening to and following the counsel of those whom He has chosen as His servants (i.e. Prophets & Apostles). I enjoy exploring and thinking about “intellectual” subjects as much as anyone, but I also know that we as mortal beings are not THE source of truth, no matter how many letters one might have behind their name (PhD, etc.).
Just a response to some of the comments above…the papyri fragments that were discovered in 1967 were only a minute fragment of what Joseph was reported to have in his posession. And we know that Joseph didn’t translate all of the papyri records in his posession, only a small portion. There is no way to confirm today that the pieces that survived were from the same sections that Joseph was able to translate.
On the other topic above, the only thing that DNA “evidence” (I use this term loosely based on the many sloppy “scientific” studies that many like to reference) has confirmed is that the use of DNA testing to make a 100% confirmation that an individual or group is/are related to another individual/group when separated by many generations and geographies is impossible using current genetic capabilities. Even the more sound scientific studies come to the conclusion that there are too many factors and complexities to come to a definitive conclusion – whether that be for or against the hypothesis.
Again, we as fallible mortals cannot answer such questions to scientifically prove or disprove such issues at this time. What we can do is turn to the Lord in all aspects of our lives. He will provide us with answers if we are willing to put in the effort to search out real truth, study, think, pray, and receive answers from Him.
November 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
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