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Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

Author: Donna Banta

My novels, "Open House," "Seer Stone," "Mormon Erotica," "False Prophet" and "The Girls From Fourth Ward," are available on Amazon.
Film

Heretic Review: If only…

Donna Banta, November 12, 2024November 12, 2024

I went to see Heretic on Sunday, along with some fellow heretics. A group that included one non- and five ex-Mormons, two of whom were returned LDS missionaries. We were not disappointed. The critics were a little. Manohla Dargis of the New York Times wrote: “Even as the movie dribbles…

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Humor

Another Mormon Horror Story

Donna Banta, October 8, 2024October 8, 2024

Horrors! Another Mormon-themed film is about to come out.  And this time it’s an actual horror story. Heretic, written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and starring Hugh Grant, debuted at this year’s Toronto Film Festival to mostly favorable reviews. At first glance, the film’s premise seems compatible with…

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Testimony

They Don’t Make ’em Like They Used To

Donna Banta, June 3, 2024June 3, 2024

Remember when going to the temple meant getting all dressed up for a trip to an Oz-like castle perched high on a hill above some of the most desirable real estate in town? Remember how the awesomeness of that pilgrimage actually lent an air of reverence to the strange rituals…

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Testimony

Still Sharing It With Our Husbands

Donna Banta, March 20, 2024March 20, 2024

Some thirty years ago, not long after I’d quit going to church, Mark and I moved out of the Dallas suburbs and into town. The move brought a dramatic change in both neighborhood and church dynamics. In the suburbs the directory for our highly active Mormon ward was a tidy…

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Feminism

It’s the Community, Stupid

Donna Banta, November 29, 2023November 29, 2023

It was over thirty years ago but I remember it like yesterday. Our daughter was sitting with us in the pews, watching the administration of the sacrament, when it dawned on her: Only boys were participating! That same day she asked her Primary teacher why girls weren’t also permitted to…

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Public Relations

In My Day it was Paul H. Dunn

Donna Banta, November 8, 2023November 8, 2023

Recently Mormonland has been crowded with stories about Tim Ballard, the LDS founder and former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR). Once a model Latter-day Saint and possible candidate for Romney’s senate seat, Ballard is now excommunicated and facing charges of sexual assault. Reports also reveal he frequented bars and…

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Mormon Doctrine

Mormonland!

Donna Banta, August 2, 2023August 2, 2023

Saw Barbie the other day. What a delight. It was cute, sparkly, hilarious, deliciously subversive, inspiring, relevant, and above all, PINK! Plus it made me nostalgic. Not so much for the doll. Although I did have a Barbie, also a Ken, a pre-pregnancy Midge, and a Skipper (flat-chested model). But…

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Romney

He Used His Powers for Good!

Donna Banta, February 19, 2023February 19, 2023

I like to say that Mormon satire writes itself. Take Senator Mitt Romney’s public scolding of Congressman George Santos at the State of the Union. “You don’t belong here,” Romney declared. Santos, who generally remains smug when confronted with his pathological lying and otherwise unethical behavior, appeared visibly shaken in…

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Mormon Alumni Association

A Seer Stone for Halloween

Donna Banta, October 31, 2022October 31, 2022

A magic rock, a spooky house, and ghosts conjured up from the Latter-day Saints’ colorful past. My new mystery novel, Seer Stone, might be just be the perfect read this Halloween. Not to mention a fun Christmas gift, or even just a vehicle for confronting one’s own demons. Mormon or…

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Abuse

Is the LDS Church Case Sensitive?

Donna Banta, August 30, 2022August 30, 2022

Recently, in her Religious News Service column, “Flunking Sainthood,” Jana Riess suggests there is a divide within Mormonism between the “big-C Church” and the “little-c church.” According to Riess, “big-C Church” is code for the suits working in the Church Office Building. Specifically, the Mormon PR team that issued a…

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Mormon Alumni Association Books

Latest Comments:

  1. termal kamerayla su kaçak tespiti on LDS vs LGBTQ:  Nathan Kitchen sheds false binariesJune 21, 2025

    termal kamerayla su kaçak tespiti Ekip çok organize, kaça?? an?nda bulup çözdüler. https://bence.net/read-blog/25188

  2. Cara B. Klein on My conspiracy theory #2April 26, 2025

    Wow, I had never thought about it in that way before You have really opened my eyes to a new…

  3. chanson on LDS vs LGBTQ:  Nathan Kitchen sheds false binariesApril 16, 2025

    The haiku at the end is lovely. Sounds like a great book!

  4. Donna Banta on LDS vs LGBTQ:  Nathan Kitchen sheds false binariesApril 14, 2025

    I imagine anyone who has tried to change the church from within will identify with Kitchen's story. I especially like…

  5. Johnny Townsend on LDS vs LGBTQ:  Nathan Kitchen sheds false binariesApril 14, 2025

    This was a painful review to read. For many years, I held the same hope, that the LDS church would…

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Awards

William Law X-Mormon of the Year:

  • 2023: Adam Steed
  • 2022: David Archuleta
  • 2021: Jeff T. Green
  • 2020: Jacinda Ardern
  • 2019: David Nielsen
  • 2018: Sam Young
  • 2017: Savannah
  • 2016: Jeremy Runnells
  • 2015: John Dehlin
  • 2014: Kate Kelly
  • 2013: J. Seth Anderson and Michael Ferguson
  • 2012: David Tweede
  • 2011: Joanna Brooks
  • 2010: Monica Bielanko
  • 2009: Walter Kirn

Other Cool Sites!

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