Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

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_cinepro
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _cinepro »

Water Dog wrote:
JLHPROF wrote:According to the podcast they did tell her what to say. Well, at least they helped her write a couple of drafts to get the final product.
But apparently the whole thing was her idea.

podcast?


http://iliketolookforrainbows.com/2017/ ... ahs-story/

for what it's worth, here's a summary of her speech:

Hi my name is Savannah, and I want to share my testimony with you.
I believe I am a child of heavenly parents.
I don't know if they talk to us
but I feel in my heart that they made me and that they love me.
I believe I was made the way I am, all parts of me, by my heavenly parents.
They did not mess up when they gave me brown eyes or when I was born bald.
They did not mess up when they gave me freckles or when they made me to be gay.
God loves me just this way, because I believe that he loves all his creations.
I do believe he made me this way on purpose.
No part of me is a mistake.
I do not choose to be this way, and it is not a fad.
I cannot make someone else gay and being around me won't make anyone else this way.
I believe that God wants us to treat each other with kindness, even if people are different.
Especially if they are different.
Christ showed us this.
I believe that we should just love.
I believe I am good.
I try my best to be nice to each other and stick up for those that are hurting.
I know I'm not a horrible sinner for being who I am.
I believe God would tell me if I was wrong.
I hope someday to go on dates, go to school dances, to hold hands, to go off to college.
I hope to find a partner and have a great job.
I hope to get married and have a family.
I know these dreams and wishes are good and right.
I know I can have all of these things as a lesbian and be happy.
I believe that if God is there, he knows I am perfect, just the way I am.
and would never ask me to live my life alone or with someone I am not attracted to.
He would want me to be happy.
I want to be happy.
I want to love myself and not to feel shame for being me.
_Jersey Girl
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _Jersey Girl »

Sanctorian wrote:It's a disgusting religion that censors the youth.

https://youtu.be/o_0nhyP6dU4


And how much courage did it take for her to do that? She'll never forget the response for as long as she lives.
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.
Chinese Proverb
_Jersey Girl
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _Jersey Girl »

candygal wrote:Ultimately this is what it means..."we love you"...but..Shut Up! No matter whether the parents are involved..they are accountable..but it was this young girl at the pulpit. Courage.


Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.


Unless you're gay. If you're gay then you can shut the hell up and get out of our sight because screw charity.
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.
Chinese Proverb
_moksha
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _moksha »

This was both interesting and sad. Given the past postings of the person recording this video, it seemed like a set up to provoke a robotic response from any presiding TBM, and but the forthcoming robotic response illustrated the gulf between the ideal as taught by Jesus and the reality of our Church. It could have been worse and the speaker afterward didn't try to shame her, but instead seemed conciliatory.
Cry Heaven and let loose the Penguins of Peace
_I have a question
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _I have a question »

Savannah, a 12-year-old girl, is giving a speech at her Utah church but is interrupted when an official at the church cuts off her microphone and tells her to sit down. He apparently did not like the fact that she was saying that God loved all parts of her.

"‘I believe I was made the way I am, all parts of me, because of my heavenly parents...They did not mess up when they gave me brown eyes, or when I was born bald. They did not mess up when they gave me freckles, or when they made me to be gay."

Although she didn't get to finish her speech in church, she does so here at the end of the video.

http://boingboing.net/2017/06/15/Mormon ... 12-ye.html

I agree with the penguin.

The fact that this girls talk was being videoed by a third party (parent?) suggests to me that it was set up to get a reaction, or was anticipated to be inflammatory and would draw a reaction, which could then be publicised. To use a 12 year old girl to achieve that is pretty low.


Edited to reflect my opinion changing in light of further information, posted later in the thread.
Last edited by Guest on Fri Jun 16, 2017 6:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.” (Mathew Syed 'Black Box Thinking')
_RockSlider
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _RockSlider »

Water Dog wrote:in my opinion, it's pretty child-abusey for a 12-year-old to have such notions in their head to begin with.

did you watch the last part showing the hand written notes?

The girl is a child and she's speaking over a microphone to an audience about her desire to have a romantic relationship?

And yet they indoctrinate them much younger than that the they must grow up and marry in the temple??
_moksha
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _moksha »

I have a question wrote:The fact that this girls talk was being videoed by a third party (parent?) suggests to me that it was set up to get a reaction, or was anticipated to be inflammatory and would draw a reaction, which could then be publicised. To use a 12 year old girl to achieve that is pretty low.

The Church leader did not have to react in such a fashion. The testimony (which seemed genuine) would have served the purpose of waking members up to what the young girl was trying to express, that God is accepting of her even if her Church is unaccepting. The "low" was the turning off her microphone and asking her to sit down, even if the testimony induced this overreaction. The presiding Stake Councilman had the free agency not to act as a censorious robot.
Cry Heaven and let loose the Penguins of Peace
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _I have a question »

moksha wrote:
I have a question wrote:The fact that this girls talk was being videoed by a third party (parent?) suggests to me that it was set up to get a reaction, or was anticipated to be inflammatory and would draw a reaction, which could then be publicised. To use a 12 year old girl to achieve that is pretty low.

The Church leader did not have to react in such a fashion. The testimony (which seemed genuine) would have served the purpose of waking members up to what the young girl was trying to express, that God is accepting of her even if her Church is unaccepting. The "low" was the turning off her microphone and asking her to sit down, even if the testimony induced this overreaction. The presiding Stake Councilman had the free agency not to act as a censorious robot.


All true. But we are talking about unprofessional volunteers "called" into roles and responsibilities without the training or personality to assess situations like this one on-the-fly. The one thing that comes out of this for me, is that the Church as an institution lacks the process, the principles, the guidance or leadership to support the unpaid lay clergy to manage the difficult path between wanting members to feel that Church is a safe and welcoming place whilst also needing to stand up for the Church's official agendas. In short, they have not the first clue what to do with things like this 12 year old girl giving voice to her innermost feelings.

For the record, I think the Church's treatment of gay members (and the children of gay parents) is nothing short of inhumane and it disgusts me to have had my name associated with it as a baptised member. I DO NOT sustain the General Authorities, I DO NOT support the Church, I DO NOT want people to consider me Mormon. I will talk against the Church until either it changes, or until the people I care about see those 15 charlatans for exactly what they are.
“When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.” (Mathew Syed 'Black Box Thinking')
_consiglieri
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _consiglieri »

I am of two minds about this whole situation.

First, should a member (even a 12-year old member) be free to express her beliefs in sacrament meeting? Yes.

Second, should a presiding leader at such a meeting be free to turn off the microphone if he feels what is being said is "harmful" in some way? Yes.

And maybe this gets to the crux of my issue--Is it reasonable for a church leader to believe that what this girl was saying was "harmful" in some way?

Unfortunately, given the current stance of the LDS Church, which the leader represents, the way this girl couched her beliefs was in terms of a challenge to the authority and position of the Church.

And I have to understand that this girl had already said quite a bit for several minutes, and there was no way the leader had of knowing when she would get to the end of her script. Also, given what she had already said, the leader had no way of knowing what she would say next, but I can understand him being concerned that it would get increasingly "worse."

Finally, the leader didn't have to be concerned only about what the adults in the congregation were hearing, but also what the young members were hearing.

Does the leader risk looking like he is condoning this type of speech by allowing it to go uninterrupted?

And maybe I am getting old, but what on earth is a 12-year old girl doing getting up and saying to her ward that she is gay?

I am not sure F&T meeting is the time or place for anybody of any age to be talking about their sexuality.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri
You prove yourself of the devil and anti-mormon every word you utter, because only the devil perverts facts to make their case.--ldsfaqs (6-24-13)
_toon
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Re: Little girl has her mic turned off during F&T meeting

Post by _toon »

Water Dog wrote:in my opinion, it's pretty child-abusey for a 12-year-old to have such notions in their head to begin with. The girl is a child and she's speaking over a microphone to an audience about her desire to have a romantic relationship?


Yet, at * years, the church expects kids to make what it claims is an eternal commitment.

And at age 12, they are taught lessons like this:

https://www.LDS.org/youth/learn/yw/marr ... y?lang=eng

Where the topics include temple marriage, chastity, standards during dating, etc.

When I was 12, a good portion of my waking hours (not to mention the little factory at night0 was occupied with thoughts of girls, romantic relationships, etc. I suspect that likely the norm, for both boys and girls. What's "child-abusey" about that?
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