Blog Tag: Relief Society
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Ladies, Illuminated
This post comes to us from Molly Hadfield, the brilliant illustrator of "Illuminating Ladies: A Coloring Book of Mormon Women."
When I was quite small, heroines came in red, white and blue, had sweet boots and fantastically amazing hair! They also came in white or brown, but still wore boots and had spectacular hair! I knew Wonder Woman and Princess Leia weren't real, but I also knew I wanted to be like them. According to legend, I would appear in boots and cape and announce that I was "Chubby Wonder Woman." (Apparently my body image issues started early). It's not...
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Illuminating Ladies: A Coloring Book of Mormon Women
In honor of the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society, Exponent II is thrilled to release a coloring book celebrating the lives of Mormon women from the Restoration to the modern day.
Illustrations include figures of pioneering women who are both familiar and less well known, like Jane Manning James, Amy Brown Lyman, Julia Nompi Mavimbela, Emma Smith, and Eliza R. Snow.
Production is nearly complete and we are now taking pre-orders for the books which will mail in mid-March. To place your pre-order, visit our Exponent shop at exponentii.org/shop. All pre-orders placed before March 5th will receive a...
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February 2017 Visiting Teaching Message
In this month’s Visiting Teaching Message we are invited to reflect with our sisters on the Atonement of Jesus Christ as evidence of the love of God. This lesson includes a scripture question essential to understanding how to accept the atonement in our daily lives: Who shall separate us from the love of God?
Romans 8:35, 38-39 states:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? …
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate...
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January 2017 Visiting Teaching Message
How do you increase your faith to heal? What examples of women healing, guide you in developing your own spiritual gifts?
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How Your Faith is Like Your Childhood Bedroom
Picture your childhood bedroom.
In your mind, look around that room. What do you see? What did you use or touch or see every day?
When I taught Relief Society last month, I started my lesson with that mental exercise.
When asked to share, the sisters in my ward offered interesting, specific details: yellow shag carpet, wallpaper they hated. One woman had plastered her bedroom with posters of Donny Osmond (and said she would still decorate that way if it were socially acceptable for a grown woman).
The concept of a childhood bedroom contains some standard features:
a bed, maybe a closet, window,...
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July 2016 Visiting Teaching Message: Our Potential for Parenthood
This month’s visiting teaching message addresses a topic that might be hurtful to some sisters, if not framed carefully.
The lesson opens with this quote from Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In light of the ultimate purpose of the great plan of happiness, I believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.
Carefully consider the appropriateness of sharing this quote. Particularly if you are not an expert on the parenting or reproductive history of the sisters you teach. Did your sister have all of the children she wanted to have?...
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Hope for the Relief Society
I’ve long been a fan of Neylan’s idea of giving a “major task” (within the church structure) to the Relief Society organization. See Neylan’s article – here.
I think is type of idea would be a great step in making the Relief Society (and its women) more solid, more spiritual, more whole and more equal.
The Relief Society certainly has tasks (ie: teaching gospel lessons, building community, serving food, visiting teaching, coming closer to God), but there is nothing concrete and focused that requires infrastructure within church hierarchy, specific direct action, and unifies the sisters under a single banner.
Having such a...
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April 2016 Visiting Teaching Message
This month’s visiting teaching message, builds on the message from last month that we are made in the image of a gendered God. It states:
The scriptures teach us that “we are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29). God referred to Emma Smith, wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as “my daughter” (D&C 25:1). The family proclamation teaches us that we are each “a beloved spirit … daughter of heavenly parents.”
We are daughters of Heavenly Parents! Every spirit has both a Heavenly Father and Mother. Of course we all feel we have a Heavenly Mother, but it is nice to have it...
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An Interview with the Editors of the Book, The First Fifty...
Kate Holbrook and Matt Grow, editors of the new book, The First Fifty Years of Relief Society, graciously agreed to answer some questions I had about the book and its content.
What is the reasoning behind compiling this book? Why do you consider this an important project?
Matt: The intent of this book is to make available key documents in the history of the Relief Society—including the detailed minutes of the society from Nauvoo and 77 other documents over a fifty year period—to a broad audience. Documentary histories allow historical actors to tell their own stories in their own words. This book...
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February 2016 Visiting Teaching Message
The February Visiting Teaching message reviews the principle that marriage is between a man and a woman before coming to the crucial question, “How am I individually and steadily striving to “come unto Christ”?
This question reminds me of Sister Chieko Okazaki’s 1993 talk, Strength in the Savior where she stated,
“If I were to ask you what the Church teaches about strengthening families, I know that you would say things like “spend time together, have family prayer, hold family home evening, and regular scripture study.” In addition to these important things, I want to talk about building stronger families...
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.
