Blog Tag: Relief Society
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January 2011 Visiting Teaching Message: The History and Heritage of Relief...
by Spunky
In what can only be described as a strange academic journey, I began to study the history of the Relief Society and fell in love. I do not profess to be even a good amateur Mormon historian, nonetheless, with the direction to focus on “understanding the history of Relief Society”, I was excited. I loved readingWomen of Covenant, because it made me realise how powerful these early Mormon women were. After initial disappointment that the history would only be recognised in Visiting Teaching, therefore only aimed at women, I decided to be happy with that minimalist nod of recognition for...
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When the Bishop Stops by and You Look Like a Deer...
It's been two months now since the Bishop stopped by my house and asked me to serve as Relief Society President. It was completely unexpected. I think I'm still in shock! Well, the shock was followed by fear, and now peace, but you get the idea. I still picture this as something my mother would do. Also, I think I was under the impression that there was some sort of "hierarchy of holiness" in the ward with the most spiritual people being asked to do these sorts of callings. That left me feeling pretty safe. Well, at this...
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Guest Post: The Hope of Suffragists and History
by Spunky
Spunky is a busy post-graduate who enjoys Exponent II and church women's history when not obsessing with research associated with her study. She is married, tutors special needs children privately and has a very, very spoiled dog.
I am a strange LDS feminist, if I am even considered an LDS feminist. The reason is that as a rule, I do not like the Relief Society. On the very few and rare occasions when I have voiced this, I am greeted with shock, belittlement, and even anger. So I am quiet and keep it to myself and tend to avoid Relief Society, unless I am...
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Gospel Principles 14: Priesthood Organization
One of our readers, Alyssa, emailed us her idea of how to approach this lesson. (Thank you, Alyssa!)
She writes:
When I've taught this lesson in the past, I usually do most of it straight---basically following the outline of the manual. Since I came from an all-girl family, I personally found most of the specific information about the roles and duties of each priesthood office to be rather eye-opening. I had never been taught that information very explicitly up until the time that I taught this lesson---which probably speaks a little bit to the gendered nature of instruction in the church....
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Gospel Principles 9: Prophets of God
This lesson provides a wonderful opportunity to have an open and enlightening conversation about prophets. This is one of the most basic principles of the gospel, one that gets taught from the earliest days in Primary. That being said, the topic of prophets has a rich historical and theological background and can provide for a fascinating lesson. Instead of giving a lecture about who prophets are and what they do, I would open each topic for discussion by class participants. Prayerfully consider the questions provided in the lesson manual, where they can be expanded and how they might enrich...
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The Platinum Rule
by Alisa
"Do not do unto others as you would expect they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same." - George Bernard Shaw
"The golden rule is a good standard which is further improved by doing unto others, wherever reasonable, as they want to be done by." - Karl Popper
"If the cat were you, and you were the cat, would you like that to be smashed flat, flat as a mat by a great big cat? The Golden Rule says no!" - Carol Lynn Pearson, My Turn on Earth
Ever since I was a little girl singing along...
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Gospel Principles 5: The Creation
Guest Post by Vada
The Creation
I love the opening of this lesson, and would probably read it verbatim. Say that we’re talking about God’s plan for us, and ask the follow-up question about why we needed to come to the earth. You’ll probably get the standard answers of needing to receive bodies and needing to progress and learn so we could be like our Heavenly Parents. Then go on to read the paragraph that follows, as well as its follow-up question.
God’s Plan for Us
• Why did we need to come to the earth?
When we lived as spirit children with our...
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Exponent II Classics: The Public vs. the Private Image
Dahlia
Originally uploaded by mira_foto
A piece by our very own Deborah's mom. Such fun!
The Public vs. the Private Image
Gladys Clark Farmer
Vol. 7, No. 3 (Spring 1981)
Recently a new set of visiting teachers came to my home. As one sister began the lesson, she became obviously embarrassed, hesitated, then said, “You don’t need this. You and your family already do these things.”
I blushed a little at her sincere compliment and reassured her that I did need and appreciate the Relief Society lessons. But as she left, I felt a little uneasy. I sensed that she and others in the ward based...
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Relief Society Lesson 40: How Glorious Are Faithful, Just, and True...
“Friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of ‘Mormonism.’ … It unites the human family with its happy influence.” –Joseph Smith
When I’m preparing a lesson, I like to begin with the end in mind: when the women leave class today, what will they have to take with them?
This is a great topic for discussion among adult women. By the end of 40 minutes, I would hope to help generate . . . memories of acts of friendship that have been sustaining, a discussion of the spiritual and practical nature of friendship, and a renewed desire to reach toward...
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Relief Society Lesson Chp 39: Divine Organization of Women
by Lynette at Zelophehad's Daughters
This is a lesson I find rather challenging, so I’m going to suggest a couple of ways to approach it.
The first part of this lesson talks about the founding of the Relief Society. One way to focus the lesson could be historical—most Latter-day Saints are familiar with (and can possibly even recite) all the presidents of the church, but we don’t generally know as much about what different Relief Society presidents have done, and I think that could be fun to learn. A possible source could be Derr, Cannon, and Beecher’s Women of Covenant—please feel...
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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.
