Does this mean that Sunstone subscription is part of the three-fold mission of the church? Will we soon be seeing mission callings extended to the Sunstone Symposium Mission? (Is that a foreign language mission?). “You have been called to the Sunstone Symposium mission, feminist-speaking. . .” (For many church members, that might indeed be a foreign language!).
This reminds me of the Grondahl cartoon where a man is introduced as the Elders Quorum’s “token intellectual.”
I was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting in my current ward for the first time about 3 1/2 years ago. I ended up forgetting about my talk until the morning of. I figured I would have to improvise, but I needed something to use as a catalyst for ideas, so I decided to snatch an issue of Sunstone lying on the desk as I left for Church. Fortunately, the issue had some really good Lowell Bennion excerpts on the back page, and I was able to use them throughout my talk. Saved by Sunstone!
Aaron B
P.S. Of course, if Margaret Toscano had been on the back page, it might not have gone so well…
Everytime I read a post here that references Sunstone, it seems shrouded in a self-gratulatory “Aren’t we unique, superior, and wonderful for reading Sunstone” aura.
That may or may not be the case but it feels like the tone. Yes, Sunstone readers are a minority within the church. But it doesn’t make said readers any more or less intelligent than the rest of the members. It doesn’t mean there aren’t others who think long and hard about doctrine and simply draw different conclusions.
Renee, I really don’t think that’s a fair assessment. There is a difference between recognizing the humor of being different in a fairly homogenous group and bragging.
Aaron, Did you hide the Sunstone behind another book, or just come out of the closet right on the stand? :o)
Of course Karen doesn’t think that is a fair assessment. Though, really I don’t either. I occasionally feel that way about comments related to sunstone, but I also feel that way about comments related to people who read blogs.
And what about dialogue? Are dialogue readers just out in the cold?
Renee, I was really kidding, as I hope my faux-testimonial final sentence made clear. My point (lame though it may have been) was only that it was very odd to have reading Sunstone be seen as a positive, since it’s often a somewhat suspect activity. I was aiming for something like self-mocking, rather than self-congratulatory–apparently I missed. That internet tone thing again.
Renee: you’re to far off the mark.
Let me correct that.
Renee: you’re *not* too far off the mark.
Kristine: it sounded like Renee’s comment had a more general application and was not directed at you personally.
Am I wrong?
Me, I’m not a big Sunstone fan, and naturally I don’t admire people who are proud of reading Suntone. But Kristine was just being funny. Or rather, God was being funny and Kristine was part of the joke.
“Of course Karen doesn’t think that is a fair assessment.”
Hey, Karen may be a Streisand-loving, raving liberal peacenik, but there’s no reason to label her as some sort of Sunstone-reader…
“Of course Karen doesn’t think that is a fair assessment.”
Hey, Karen may be a Streisand-loving, raving liberal peacenik, but there’s no reason to label her as some sort of Sunstone-reader…
“Kristine: it sounded like Renee’s comment had a more general application and was not directed at you personally.”
Jack, I’m sure you’re right–some of us just haven’t quite gotten over some bad experiences in jr. high…
:)
Suntone?
Sorry. Yeah, I was speaking generally. I’ll try to put on my humor filter more often when I read without benefit of a plethera of emoticons. ;)
The LAST thing I want to do is give anyone jr. high flashbacks. That’s just painful and wrong! :(
“Everytime I read a post here that references Sunstone, it seems shrouded in a self-gratulatory ‘Aren’t we unique, superior, and wonderful for reading Sunstone’ aura.”
Having done a quick read through of our Sunstone-related posts (gathered by Nate here), I don’t really see it. They are more critical of Sunstone than anything.
wow…it’s fun to see what people assume about you. For the record, the only time that I ever read a Sunstone magazine was in Aaron Brown’s living room. And I was pretty shocked, I thought he was a nice Mormon boy before that.
Also, Barbara Streisand scares me….something to do with her hair–and her oddly serene demeanor during fawning interviews on news magazines.
I have never read Sunstone, but would like to, so anyone have any back issues lying around in their recycling bins that they might want to donate to me?
Karen,
I’m glad to hear I get credit for corrupting you and enticing you into my sinister and self-congratulatory cadre.
Yes, folks, send me your children and I’ll be glad to initiate them into the world of Mormon liberal elitism!
Aaron B
sid: How about the “all the presidents men” scope on the GA’s conference talk that was edited for the Ensign? There’s a fun one. I could almost see Redford and Hoffman fiendishly pushing their story through for the early morning press.
” Margaret Toscano ” — how are the Toscanos doing?
I knew one (by marriage, BYU Law School, class of ’82) and my heart goes out to the travails they seem to be going through. Haven’t had an update for, hmm, almost ten years.
Anyway, I know, I know, kicking against the pricks, etc., etc., but one wonders about old classmates and wishes them well. Though, now that I think about it, I can’t think of anyone from my law school class I would not wish well.
I’ve only read Sunstone on three occasions. The first time was in high school, when a friend who later went to Columbia Law School with Greg and Kaimi brought me an article to read. The second time was in a Salt Lake public library. The third time was in 2000 when Aaron Brown lent me an issue on the condition that I promptly return it.
I’m sure if I dig through my office I could find it here somewhere . . .
Sunstone magazine? Ranks right up there with the rest of the materials I don’t buy from Deserted Book.
Actually, my current state of poverty prohibits the acquisition of too many extracurricular reading materials. Aside from the EnSun, I only read books written by foaming-at-the-mouth conservatives. :-)
Oh, shoot. Now where did I put my John Bytheway book….