Counterpoint

I love to spend time with Mercedes so when she invited me to the annual Counterpoint Conference, I jumped on it. I had read about Lavina Fielding Anderson, Margaret Toscano and Janice Allred, all of whom were excommunicated for publishing research on Church History. Meeting them in person was heartwarming, awe inspiring, and tragic. You would think that someone who has been excommunicated from the Church would be different in some way. They were different. They were more lovely, articulate, intelligent, empathic, accepting and peaceful than most members of the Church. Not only that but they have continued to go to Church every week, participate in the Church activities that they are allowed to, and and to maintain a testimony of the Church that discarded them. They refused to let Church Priesthood leaders destroy their Mormon identities.

There was a panel in the morning entitled "Why I Left, Why I stayed." Two of the women left because they didn't get anything out of the meetings, they felt like Joseph Smith was not a prophet, they felt ostracized even in activity, they felt they weren't allowed to express their feelings freely.

Two stayed because they love the community of their ward, they need a spiritual venue, they felt it would be too disruptive to their families to leave, and just because they feel Mormon.

I thought it was telling that the ones who left were single, the ones who stayed are married.

Lisa Butterworth, an exuberant young mother, who started the Feminist Mormon Housewives blog, spoke of the fourth wave of feminism, which would target young mothers. Those mothers need liberated and I have faith that with the help of internet free dialogue and information, that wave will come sooner and easier than the previous three movements.

The free expression of true feelings was exhilarating. I felt blessed to be there with Mercedes.