Michelle Stone Bends The Knee

[consiglieri]

Looks like the big boys in downtown Salt Lake put the screws to Michelle Stone.

She bids a teary farewell today and says she will be taking down all her podcasts.

https://youtu.be/Kgku_Zn8eIE?si=7H0K0KPkKQlh2xEH

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Interesting that the church would put pressure on a polygamy denier to stop publicly denying polygamy. This is not something I was expecting to see. I guess this is a shot across the bow of every polygamy denier, to do so at their own risk.

Michelle's last video discussing that she was going to remove her podcast and discontinue all work as a podcaster, reveals a woman who is deeply hurt and very unhappy at being forced by some old men in Salt Lake to tell her what to say. The tears, the control, the sadness, the depression, the pain -- this is what the church offers women. Every day I am more disgusted by the decades I spent believing this horrible corporation.

Congratulations to the Mormon church! And they still wonder why women are leaving in droves.

[drumdude]

When people ask why the Mormon church qualifies as a cult, this is exhibit A.

[Dr Exiled]

Thou shalt not usurp the brethren's authority. They say what is and isn't and what should have a spotlight and what shouldn't. They just want to bury the issue and let it be replaced by vague denials and muddy water followed by changing the subject. There aren't any good answers to polygamy because it obviously looks like someone that wanted a lot of forbidden fruit couched in religious justification.

[Moksha]

This is a tricky thing for Mormons; they cannot openly embrace polygamy in the civilized world, yet denying it denies the essential core of Mormonism.

[I Have Questions]

Two years ago Michelle wrote a piece for the Church about doubting your doubts…

As a missionary, I used to look forward to Sabbath mornings, anxiously awaiting a chance to meet someone new, see one of our friends, or even just to hear from the members I knew and loved.

I never wanted to leave!

But ever since I’d come home from my mission, Sunday meetings seemed to have lost their magic. I wasn’t getting much out of them.

Growing up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints means that I have attended hundreds of Sunday meetings. As a child, I enjoyed going to Primary (you couldn’t find a more willing participant during singing time). As a teenager, I loved being a part of the Young Women program, and even as a young adult, I looked forward to attending Sunday School with my college friends while I attended my young single adult ward.

I married my husband soon after my mission and being a part of a family ward again was difficult. Since we don’t have children, we felt out of place in a ward full of mothers and fathers while we were still learning to be a husband and a wife. Moving to a new ward meant we hadn’t been given callings, and we sometimes felt as if we were invisible.

I started to have discouraging thoughts while I sat in the back of the chapel. Unfortunately, I focused more on what unimpressed me rather than on the Spirit. And when I finally gave up on listening, I would find the closest baby and play long-distance peek-a-boo rather than try to learn something new.

Elder Christofferson ended his talk with a powerful declaration:

“I belong in His Church and kingdom; ...”

“… I testify that you do belong.”4

And you know what? I do. This is where I belong. I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

Will there still be some meetings that seem to last forever? Sure. Will I still lose interest sometimes? Perhaps. But now I am going to focus on using this opportunity to truly repent, to change my heart and move toward Christ. I can be the one truly seeing those around me. And most importantly, remember the real reason I am sitting in that chapel—to be redeemed.

I don’t think Michelle will stayed cowed for long. Her brain simply won’t allow itself to be turned to sleep mode.

[I Have Questions]

I don’t understand the mental gymnastics behind the idea of denying Joseph Smith practiced polygamy. It’s well documented that he did. He penned a revelation to justify and legitimise it. Why do people like Michelle so badly want to believe that Joseph was a faithful monogamist?

Note: Michelle hasn’t taken her website 132problems.org down yet.

[slskipper]

So The Church (TM) is mandating that members champion the claims of the Nauvoo Expositor (as others have noted). It make my head hurt.

[Moksha]

So The Church (TM) is mandating that members champion the claims of the Nauvoo Expositor (as others have noted). It makes my head hurt.

Seems nice that the Church is finally acknowledging the accuracy of the Expositor, even if they will not apologize for destroying the newspaper.

Michele stated the reason for leaving her website up. I imagine it was too painful for Michele to acknowledge that her idolized view of Joseph was tainted by the odious practice of polygamy. She wanted him to be holy rather than a hound dog.

[consiglieri]

Aaaaaand last night a friend of Michelle’s claiming no knowledge by or permission from Michelle, is putting up all Michelle’s podcasts on a new channel called “132 Solutions.”

And the wheel turns…