Read our series of blog posts on by Mormon feminists across the spectrum of belief
Relief Society
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12
Paper Cuts
Sunday after church, my children occupied themselves by making paper airplanes with scraps of paper while waiting for my meeting to finish. Monday morning, while tidying up, I found one of their airplanes, made from a copy of the First Presidency's invitation to the General Women's Meeting later this month.
The first thing I noticed about this was the "To:" line. It addresses groups of men, from general authorities to bishops and branch presidents before Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary Presidencies. Then the letter starts, "Dear Brothers and Sisters:"
For an invitation to a General Women's Meeting, addressing men first seems...
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An (Out)Burst
Three Sundays ago in Relief Society we had lesson 1 in the Joseph Fielding Smith manual. It was the lesson on Heavenly Father. I had ended up on the front row with my knitting and my baby. The first discussion in the class included listing the traits of God on the board. I sat there wondering if I had something to add while everyone else put up all the phrases I was already thinking about: all the omni-stuff, loving, merciful, etc. And then,
"Male."
Male? Really? When "we are sons and daughters of Heavenly Parents" God is still male? Is Heavenly...
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When Teacher and Text Aren’t on the Same Page
I would consider it unethical to advocate spiritual principles that I didn’t believe or hope to be true. At the same time, I recognize that when I teach at church, I am serving as a representative of the institution. People do not come to church to hear my personal opinions. It would be inappropriate for me to contradict the text I am supposed to teach.
Stepping down, either by seeking a substitute or by asking for a release from a calling, may be a justified strategy to avoid teaching material that rubs the wrong way, but I have never used...
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Relief Society Lesson 24: Reflections on the Mission of Jesus Christ
Once upon a time, Brigham Young invited everyone's favorite brother and sister duo, Lorenzo and Eliza Snow, to go on a very special journey across the sea, with George A. Smith and a few other individuals.
The group would begin in Europe and visit places like Vienna and Rome, before very purposefully ending in Jerusalem, the Holy Land of holy lands. A letter from President Young and one of his counselors explained the reason: the city was to be dedicated and consecrated.
The responsibility was accepted and the group set off. They were gone for some time, and much of their...
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Relief Society General Broadcast: Thomas S. Monson
LDS Church President, Thomas S. Monson, beautifully discribes symptoms of situational depression and anorexia in a young mother who is overwhelmed and unable to cope. A gift of grace - a loaf of home made bread from a stranger - provides evidence of God's love for her.
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Relief Society General Broadcast: Linda Reeves
Linda Reeves began her talk with an anecdote of a recently baptized woman who walked through mud for two miles to get to church. In choosing to become a member, this woman gave up her boyfriend, was trying to live the Word of Wisdom, and quit her job which had her working on Sunday. Just as this woman would come to church and wash off all the mud from her clothes, the atonement cleansed her spiritually and physically.
I thought it was nice that Reeves began her talk with a woman's experience. Since leaders rarely quote women leaders and since...
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Relief Society General Broadcast: President Linda K. Burton
One thing I really like about this Relief Society General Presidency is that they pick themes each year for the sisters of the church to focus on. Last year was furthering our knowledge and understanding of the atonement, this year's theme is becoming better covenant keepers. President Linda K. Burton conducted the meeting and gave the first address.
There seems to be a divide in our rhetoric surrounding covenant keeping. We focus on what it means to make and keep sacred covenants for ourselves but also what it means to be a covenant keeper in a community of saints. This...
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What I first learned about Heavenly Mother.
Once upon a time, I had the rich opportunity to research Heavenly Mother full-time. For BYU. I had just finished my BA in philosophy, when one of my professors invited me to work for him that Spring and Summer before I headed East for grad school. He had received a grant from the Women's Research Institute. My answer was a resounding, "Yes." I remain sincerely glad that it was, despite the fact that the thing that I remember most from that period was that I was exhausted–spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. This may be because the thing that I remember...
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The Spirit of Fear
“Wow, that scares me to death but please connect me,” I replied when I was invited to connect with a new group that would “unapologetically advocate for women's ordination in the Mormon church.” That group became Ordain Women.
Openly advocating for women’s ordination breaks a taboo that has been prevalent even among Mormon feminists. My first, reflexive feeling about it was fear of censure and discipline. Almost immediately thereafter, a scripture came to my mind:
“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Why do I fear the people I love? Why do I fear the church I...
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Ordination is the Answer to Correlation
In 1906, Joseph F. Smith initiated the first churchwide correlation effort, with the goal that there would “not be so much necessity for work that is now being done by the auxiliary organizations because it will be done by the regular quorum of the Priesthood.” At the time, the church auxiliary for women, the Relief Society, had "a wide and extensive sphere of action," that included activities in the areas of welfare services, agriculture, merchandise, medicine, politics, publishing, education, real estate, and supervising the Young Ladies Retrenchment Association and Primary programs.
In 1909, “the physical housing of the Relief Society and Church auxiliaries with the Presiding Bishopric was one manifestation of emerging...
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.
