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…
Author: Donna Banta
My novels, "Open House," "Seer Stone," "Mormon Erotica," "False Prophet" and "The Girls From Fourth Ward," are available on Amazon.
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Is the LDS Church Case Sensitive?
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…
Revising Eternity: 27 Latter-day Men Reflect on Modern Relationships
Revising Eternity: 27 Latter-day Saint Men Reflect on Modern RelationshipsEdited by Holly Welker272 pp. University of Illinois Press, $19.95 “I always knew that ‘good Mormon boys’ did three things: they went on missions, graduated from BYU, and married in the temple,” writes Scott Blanding, a gay man who came of…
The Coffee or the cup?
A couple of years ago, I ran across an invitation to the reception for a couple who were to be married in the Provo Temple. In the obligatory picture, the man stood stone-faced, dressed in the usual church attire, while his fiancé was grinning ear-to-ear, kicking up a stiletto heel,…
But Does She Still Go to Church?
Four years ago I ran across an old Mormon acquaintance on Facebook. I’d always liked this woman. Back in the day (1990’s) she’d seemed relatively open-minded. A quick glance at her wall suggested she was still one of the “good ones.” Fourteen years ago, I wouldn’t have considered reaching out…
General Conference-Will it Ever Change?
Today the First Presidency announced that the Saturday evening sessions to the semi-annual general conferences will be discontinued. Traditionally, a Saturday evening session was held for priesthood holders in April and then women in October. Also traditionally, the priesthood session featured a lineup of male speakers, while the women’s session…
Send Me No Carnations
In the Spring of 2003, I was working as the minister’s assistant at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. One particular morning that Spring, in the Reverend Daniel Kanter’s office, I was alternating between sipping my coffee and offering up my opinion, both pleasures I never enjoyed while Mormon. Seven…
Sunday in Outerblogness: Moral Outrage Edition!!
In a previous post here on MSP, Jerry Argetsinger poses the question, “Where is the official moral outrage?” He is referring to the subdued statement issued by LDS Church leaders about the family separations at the border, a seemingly anti-family response that eventually leads him to conclude: Suddenly it hit…
The Ignorance of Defensive Mormons
The last time I attended a Mormon sacrament meeting was around two years ago. The principle speaker was a stake high councilman. Boasting success in his professional life, he credited his accomplishments to his compassionate approach toward the “less worthy.” “When I mix with my worldly colleagues,” he explained, “I…
A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Two LDS Romance Reviews
A DATE WITH DANGER By Kari Iroz 256 pp. Covenant Communications, Inc. $15.99 PRIDE AND POLITICS By Britanny Larsen 272 pp. Covenant Communication, Inc. $16.99 As I was adding finishing touches to my upcoming LDS romance novel, I picked up a couple of Deseret Book titles, curious to see if…