Blog Tag: faith journeys
627
Written by
14
Saving Sunday School, Gospel Principles 2 Style
I’ve been ditching Sunday School since I was released as a Gospel Doctrine instructor 3.5 years ago. It’s been nice, actually. I only live five minutes away from the church, so after Sacrament Meeting, I would drive home, enjoy half an hour or so in the quiet house without the kids, and then drive back to church for Relief Society.
Though I’ve enjoyed my alone time during the second hour of church, a part of me did wish we had a Sunday School class that addressed my needs. Gospel Doctrine just wasn’t working for me. I didn’t feel free to...
355
Written by
Instruction Manual
In a thoughtful attempt to domesticate me, my mother gave me a bread machine for my birthday when I was a sophomore at college. At the time I was eating mostly ramen noodles and raisin bran, so surely this would expand my repertoire. All you have to do is put the ingredients in the bread pan; so what could go wrong? Turns out a lot can go wrong. First, I would forget yeast or some other ingredient or I would not put the timer on right and a soggy mess would be waiting when i got to it. I...
511
Written by
Little Black/White Lie
Humans use story to understand and make meaning of their existence. Sometimes life happens in a way that shakes your foundational paradigms and they crumble, as mine did. As a Mormon child, the theoretical framework by which I understood my world was very black/white. I came by this honestly, as weekly indoctrination had taught this both implicitly and explicitly.
This talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland demonstrates the worldview I am talking about:
“Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is or this Church and its founder are false, fraudulent, a deception from the first...
396
Written by
Goddesses Weaving Fates
Looming large in this tapestry you’ve woven,
In the warp and woof of misdirection
That dangling thread.
I could be dead; will I keep my head?
I grasped the end and gave a pull;
Didn’t know it’d all unravel.
A prayer in a grove;
In vision, gods spoke above.
History of a golden book;
it’s messy. Dare I look?
I turn the pages–
The weft unravels through the ages.
Mortal prophecies misspoken
and onward my heart is broken.
Secrets and lies litter my memories of the sacred;
Over and under can’t repair this skipped thread
Buried pains, unanswered questions, springing loose from the loom.
Days and nights I spend seeking in my room
Forbidden knowledge;...
328
Written by
Guest Post: God the Gardener
By KDS
Luke related to Christ as a Physician. Elsewhere He is referred to as the Good Shepherd. But for me, God is a Gardener. I spent a summer during college interning at a tree care company. As a horticulture major, I had been in classes learning about soils, plant physiology, and even principles of tree maintenance, but did not yet have extensive hands-on experience. That was what this summer was for.
While I was up in one of my first trees, I was thinking about what I was about to do with this tree. As I had learned in classes,...
494
Written by
Guest Post: When Being a Mormon Girl isn’t Easy Anymore, and...
by Aly H
This post, which explains how Aly H maintains her Mormon identity and practice, is a continuation of Aly H's post yesterday.
Lesson 1: Taking ownership of my personal journey
First, one lesson I’ve had to learn is that I am ultimately the steward of my spiritual journey. Elder Christofferson put it this way: that “God will not… control us as if we were His puppets… nor will His prophets accept the role of ‘puppet master’ in God’s place… God intends that His children should act according to the moral agency He has given them… It is His plan...
482
Written by
Guest Post: We Fixed the Problem!
By Angie P.
I recently returned from attending a joint funeral for my grandparents, who were married for sixty years and passed away within two weeks of each other. One of my favorite stories from my grandmother’s life sketch was a journal entry read from their time serving a mission to the Philippines in 1988-1989. My grandparents’ role was to help build and support the church organization, as opposed to proselytizing. One week, they attended a particular branch. When the time came for the sacrament to be blessed and passed, several brothers and sisters stood up and helped performed the...
What is Exponent II?
Exponent II provides Mormon feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
Exponent II was founded in 1974 by a group of Mormon women in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These women were inspired by the original periodical, “The Woman’s Exponent,” to create a forum “posed on the dual platforms of Mormonism and Feminism.”
For 50+ years, Exponent II has shared women’s voices in its quarterly magazine, and members of the community have convened at an annual retreat. Our reach has expanded as technology has advanced: the blog, founded in January 2006, has reached millions. As we look to the future, we are focused on growth and building a more inclusive community.
