Blog Tag: testimony
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Guest Post: Response of a Home Teacher to my Coming Out...
Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility and we are sharing a guest post from Linda Gifford which documents her home teacher's (HT) response to her coming out, and her reply. She shares an article with him and a Facebook post, the latter of which is shared here in full, with permission.
by Linda Gifford
16 Sep 2017
HT: “I have prayed for many days, racked my soul, went to the Temple of my God to find these words to share: I love you as a brother. I have been your home teacher for 10 years. I have testified from the pulpit...
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My Father’s Path, My Mother’s Path, and Mine
I knew, throughout Primary and Young Women, that I was a child of my Heavenly Father, that my soul was one of the noble and great ones, and that I was on a path to become like Him. Sure, kind of arrogant, and it did lead me to be kind of self-righteous until I mellowed in adulthood, but I knew that Heavenly Father loved me at least as much as any other person. The Young Women theme affirmed to me every week that I would become like Him, and it was my sacred duty to live up to those...
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The Lone Flower: Voting “Yes” for Marriage Equality while Mormon
Guest Post By Amelia Christensen.
Amelia likes podcasts, ripping up gardens, and whale watching. She has two beautiful, curious, and emotional boys with her husband, and aspires to work in the mental health sector. Her heroines are Daria, Emma Smith, and Audrey Hepburn.
When I was a little girl, my mind always thought in shades of grey. As bold statements were made with fury and fire about “good” and “bad”, a voice would whisper, “but what about this?”
In my almost 30 years this hasn’t changed, and whilst the greys are a well providing empathy for others, which I drink deeply from, it has...
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Blessed Sacrament
This is a long weekend for most people in (at least my part of) Germany. Thursday was a public holiday, and many people take the Friday off, to enjoy four days of family time and good weather. The supermarkets are all advertising grilling season, and the neighbours’ cherry tree is growing ripe and heavy.
Fifty days after Easter (two weeks ago), we celebrated Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit envelopes the followers of Jesus). In Germany (or this part, at least), it signals the beginning of spring festivals and outdoor activities. The weather is getting warmer, and there are a lot...
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Travelling towards intersectionality
I don’t remember the moment I identified as being a feminist. Rather, I have gradually become more aware of the power structures around me and ways I’m excluded from institutional authority. Over time, I have become better at noticing the ways I’m included that I have taken for granted, when others are excluded. This intersectional awakening has included aspects of class, race, education, age, sexuality, ability/illness and religion as well as gender.
When I was 10 years old, I insisted that mum not sit me at the children’s table at Christmastime. I knew what kinds of conversations I wanted to...
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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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Book Review: We’re With You: Counsel and Encouragement from Your Brethren
One of my favourite books recently is Letters to a Young Mormon by Adam Miller. Not even “favourite church books”, or “favourite non-fiction”, it’s so wonderful. So, when I heard there was a new publication from Deseret Book called We’re With You: Counsel and Encouragement from Your Brethren, I was excited to review it.
Rather than the letters to youth that I expected, though, this book is comprised of excerpts from addresses given at various venues by members of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles and the First Presidency. Sometimes, the way that passages have been excerpted gives them a disjointed...
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The Women of Easter
“Throughout His mortal ministry, the Savior showed special love and concern for women. In many parables, He told stories of women engaged in ordinary activities. He demonstrated deep familiarity with women’s lives.
Women exercised faith in Jesus Christ, learned and lived His teachings. These women became exemplary disciples and important witnesses in the work of salvation.
Women journeyed with Jesus and His Twelve Apostles. They gave of their substance to assist in His ministry. After His death and Resurrection, women continued to be faithful disciples. They valiantly participated in the work of saving souls, temporally and spiritually.” (from Daughters in my Kingdom...
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Zion Mormonism
Guest post by Dana
I spoke these words during my ward’s fast and testimony meeting on December 6, 2015, in the wake of the LDS handbook change that excludes the children of parents in same-sex marriages from essential ordinances and labels their parents apostate. The New Haven Ward is diverse by many metrics. On more than one occasion, doctrinal disagreements in Sunday School have become explosive conflicts. I was nervous to share this testimony, but overjoyed to be embraced by people who disagree with my views on the policy even before I reached my seat. Although this is a moment...
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To say what is truth?
I have not been able to stop thinking about an essay I read a few months ago: "Oh Say What is Truth? Understanding Mormonism Through a Black Feminist Epistemology" The author argues that in Mormonism truth is acquired through feeling, citing D&C 9:8, as well as through lived experience; these are the ways we "find out for ourselves." These methods of determining truth are part of a black feminist epistemology set forth by Patricia Hill Collins, and the essay argues that her ideas are very close to Mormon methods of determining truth.
Taking feelings and lived experience a step further,...
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.
