Sunstone: Secular or Religious Organization?

I always considered Sunstone a secular organization, albeit one with a focus on a particular religious tradition. I still think it is (and should remain) a secular organization. I base that opinion on several things. First of all, there's that italicized sentence at the end of the "about us" stuff: Sunstone is an independent organization, and does not have any official ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Likewise, Sunstone has no creed people must adopt in order to be included in the community, which is the measure of devoutness in most Christian churches. Why on earth would it? Similarly, it does not have or even actively advocate a set of rituals or practices one must engage in to achieve spiritual worthiness--in fact, there is considerable difference of opinion about what really helps to achieve that goal for those who have it. Sunstone doesn't have, either through its own auspices or through the authority of the Mormon priesthood, official priests or clergy who claim to speak for god or to know god's will, offer spiritual advice or absolution, or perform sacred ordinances on behalf of the lay people in the community. (Though I am beginning to think that there might be some people who see themselves as "unofficial" Sunstone priests.)

Sunstone isn't even a religious organization in the way that Brigham Young University is, where faculty, students and other employees know that there's this silly dress code and that you can get kicked out if you live with someone outside wedlock or advocate apostate positions. Instead, I think of Sunstone more like a religion department at any university (public, private or religious) that cares about its intellectual reputation and the reception of its scholarship in the world at large (in other words, not BYU). At such places, it's understood that people who study religion generally care about it, but approach it from many different perspectives. In such contexts, far-reaching inquiry trumps (or should trump) discourse that reinforces dogma, and flexibility and openness (should) trump rigidity and narrowness.

But let's say that Sunstone is "not secular" in the way that some Jesuit universities are "not secular." Still. The more respect a religious college or university wants in the world, the more it tries to appear secular and the more it frees its faculty and students from adhering to the directives of the sponsoring institution.

Frankly, I consider this person's statement that "we certainly don't want to do anything that would give the impression that Sunstone is a secular organization, that it isn't overall trying to be a constructive community within the LDS church" fatuously naive, given how few people actually believe that Sunstone is "overall trying to be a constructive community within the LDS church." Mainstream Mormons and the hierarchy look at the fact that Sunstone happily, bravely and consistently promotes conversations about the erroneous, damaging nature of the church's position on homosexuality; provides a forum for members of polygamist or fundamentalist branches of the church to discuss their experience; facilitates many, many discussions about how women should get the priesthood or the way LDS gender roles hinder and hurt women; has helped to air reports about sexual abuse in Mormondom, etc; and think, "People who go to Sunstone are a bunch of apostate malcontents who want to damage the church's reputation and are actively working to undermine the Lord's work." Which is why faculty at BYU and so forth are told not to attend.

And this parochial fear of beverages this person suffers from.... OMIGOD. What makes the statement "Hence never a chance that we'd serve alcohol, coffee" so funny is that at the Sunstone banquet last month, coffee and tea were served. The Community of Christ (formerly the RLDS church) doesn't have the same dietary restrictions as the Utah church, and because the CoC was a large presence at the 2009 symposium, Sunstone proved itself to be an organization managed by grownups and simply accommodated their beverages preferences. it wasn't just that people from the CoC could stop at the Starbucks in the hotel's lobby and bring a cup of coffee up to the banquet; no, coffee, tea and iced tea were on the menu arranged by Sunstone.

Honestly, I am frankly heartened by the fact that this IMPOSSIBLE thing that occurred was, when it came right down to it, so easy and unremarkable, that its occurrence was easily forgotten. It makes me confident that it can and will happen again. Because the suggestion from this individual, that serving coffee at a Sunstone function will somehow violate the mission statement, is really quite ridiculous. Yeah, it might make the more sheltered Utah Mormons a little uncomfortable at first, but will it really fail to be "respectful of all people and what they hold sacred"? Evidently not, since it has already happened, without fanfare or much comment.

Furthermore, Sunstone has long invited speakers who are antagonistic to Mormonism, who think the basic theology is delusional and destructive, and that many of the practices are really damaging to human intellectual and emotional development. It even lets people voice such opinions in their presentations--I've heard plenty such statements and even made a few myself. Sunstone just doesn't let people discuss the details of the temple or suggest that everyone should leave the church tomorrow.

Anyway. I have asked for further clarification from someone else at Sunstone, about whether Sunstone is a secular or a religious organization. In the meantime, I'd very much like to know what my readers think. Those of you who have been to Sunstone or read the magazine: do you consider it a religious or a secular organization? Is the question even relevant? It matters to me and to this other person, but does it matter to anyone else? Why or why not?