McKenna Denson brings it; gets put down

[Harambe]

McKenna Denson was training as a missionary in 1984 in Provo, when she alleges Joseph Bishop, the Missionary Training Center’s president at the time, raped her in a basement room.

https://kutv.com/news/local/woman-w...ed-her-filmed-testifying-about-rape-in-church
https://kutv.com/news/local/woman-w...ed-her-filmed-testifying-about-rape-in-church
I've got some trouble here. And I have with the whole damn situation. I don't particularly care for her bringing it up in a Sacrament meeting. But if you consider public safety, it's more suitable than troubles at your job, or with your kid is, or your dog, and I used to see that every Fast Sunday when I went.

But I think I have more trouble with the statement from the church afterwards:

Once each month, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participate in a worship service that includes an opportunity for members to share their testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel. It is disappointing that anyone would interrupt such a worship service to bring attention to their own personal cause. Recording and posting of these disruptions on social media to seek public attention and media coverage, sadly, shows an unfortunate lack of respect for others. We respectfully request that those with personal grievances find other means to communicate their messages than disrupting the sanctity of a worship service.

Request; don't rape. Thx.

 

[JazzGal]

I don't think this is what I would do, but then again I haven't had to wait 30 years to get justice for a rape. The whole thing is horrifying, and I'm tired of men covering up other men's bad and criminal behavior.

 

[Jazz Spazz]

More context.
https://www.standard.net/news/educa...cle_f33da76c-4aae-57d4-975f-6727f4202799.html

 

[Jazz Spazz]

This one was interesting too.
http://ldsanswers.org/lessons-learned-mtc-president-sex-abuse-scandal/

I don't know what really happened, and what did not.
I do know that victims need to be protected, and allegations need to always be taken seriously and never glossed over.

 

[str8line]

But I think I have more trouble with the statement from the church afterwards:

Is that an official LDS response? If it is they are making a monthly meeting to "share" more important than a woman's rape.

 

[Harambe]

Is that an official LDS response? If it is they are making a monthly meeting to "share" more important than a woman's rape.

The article posted says that was the response from the LDS church. So if you can trust KUTV to tell the truth when they say it came from an LDS Spokemsan, then yes, it is the response from the MORMON church.

 

[Eminence]

Can someone explain these services to me?

 

[infection]

Is that an official LDS response? If it is they are making a monthly meeting to "share" more important than a woman's rape.

I think if someone here were to be assaulted or raped by another member of the forum and made a thread about it in the Jazz section, it would get moved to GD, if it wasn’t locked. In that case, I don’t know that I or anyone else would view it as prioritizing Jazz discussion over someone’s rape.

 

[str8line]

I think if someone here were to be assaulted or raped by another member of the forum and made a thread about it in the Jazz section, it would get moved to GD, if it wasn’t locked. In that case, I don’t know that I or anyone else would view it as prioritizing Jazz discussion over someone’s rape.

Fine, move it. But why come down on the poster for putting it in the Jazz section?

The church could have issued a supportive statement. Attacking her for the way she came forward about rape is so wrong.


"It is disappointing that anyone would interrupt such a worship service to bring attention to their own personal cause."

"worship service that includes an opportunity for members to share their testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel."

 

[Harambe]

"It is disappointing that anyone would interrupt such a worship service to bring attention to their own personal cause."

"worship service that includes an opportunity for members to share their testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel."


Why come down on the poster for putting it in the Jazz section? The church could have issued a supportive statement. Attacking someone for coming forward about rape just seems so wrong.

I think the argument can be made that no, in practice every first Sunday of the month, people don't talk about their testimony. Fast and testimony meeting is less about sharing your belief in God, and more about their goings on. It's a forum to bitch about however they got their feelings hurt over the last month, or once in a while whatever made them happy. And then they end it with "I know this church is true", or some derivative therein, and "I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen". Hell, a man(and Bishop) I respect deeply discussed that his care broke down on the way to Pocatello, and it forced him to have Thanksgiving dinner at Taco Bell. And that was God's will... I guess, somehow, and such a humbling experience.

An argument can be made that she would have ended her "testimony" the same way as everyone else. But she wasn't given a chance. It feels like relatively recently, they also had a young girl talking about her trouble with either her gender or her sexuality, and she was pulled off the stand, too.

 

[Harambe]

Can someone explain these services to me?

Sure homie. I don't want anyone feeling left out.

Every Sunday, members of the LDS church have Sunday sessions. It consists(or at least did when I was going) of Sacrament meeting, church studies, and then breaks off into I guess relief society for the women and priesthood meetings for the men.

A Sacrament meeting usually consists of an opening hymn, announcements, opening prayer, church business, a sacrament hymn, the actual sacrament, various sermons(also known as talks) given by members that the Bishop has previously asked to prepare, a final hymn, and a benediction. It generally lasts for one hour.

However, the first Sunday of the month is reserved for Fast and Testimony meeting. There's still an opening prayer, hymns, sacrament, but instead of having talks, they allow members to come up to the pulpit and bear their testimony of the church, the gospel, that they know its true(and hopefully an example of why). To be honest, half the time is generally someone's kid that doesn't know what they're saying at all, merely saying it to get praise. This is purely speculation, but it feels very culty to me.

At a fast and testimony meeting, McKenna decided that she was going to express that she was raped, and who she was raped by. I think this was in poor taste. But I also think her message was really not that far outside the practiced rules. And I certainly know it was more helpful than most "testimonies".

 

[infection]

An argument can be made that she would have ended her "testimony" the same way as everyone else. But she wasn't given a chance. It feels like relatively recently, they also had a young girl talking about her trouble with either her gender or her sexuality, and she was pulled off the stand, too.

I’d think if one were to speak up in an AA meeting that they’ve found a balance with drinking alcohol to a degree that they felt healthy, and felt that strict abstinence was not good for their health, they may find that open mic to be a little less open, and I don’t know that many people would find that all too surprising.