Sunstone Podcast

E209: From Villains to Heroes: Mormons in Italy’s “Tex” Comics

Polygamists, Danites, and guns! The Italian cowboy hero Tex has met with them all over the course of more than 75 years of comic book stories. But the portrayal of Mormons in the series has changed significantly, as presented by Michael Homer in this episode. https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SLP-209.mp3

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,” in this episode of the Sunstone Podcast. https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SLP-208.mp3

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 Smith as he practiced polygamy. https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SLP-207.mp3

E206: How Sunstone Cartoons Saved the LDS Church from Itself.

Is it blasphemous to publish a cartoon about Angel Moroni? How about Jesus? How about God? Sunstone has been exploring the limits of what LDS culture is willing to laugh at for decades. Using many hilarious (and possibly blasphemous) examples, Stephen Carter talks about the times when Sunstone ran afoul of sacred sensibilities, and also how its cartoonists subtly changed the Church—right up to the Church Office Building. https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SLP-206.mp3

E205: Perfectionism: Mormon Style.

Is your life a sermon? Do you imagine your every action being narrated by a general authority? In this episode, Stephen Carter dives into perfectionism, showing how it manifests in people’s lives, and proposing a few odd ways to escape it. (Hint: Not through fasting and prayer.) https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SLP-205.mp3