Blog Tag: testimony
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Here’s to Hoping
I want to bear my testimony. I hope this church is true, for the most part. I also hope that a few bits of it are not. Some people are knowers and others are believers. I am a hoper.
I hope that the seeds of faith I have planted will grow, but my seeds of faith aren’t pine seeds—they don’t grow into a tree that becomes bigger and stronger with time. They grow more like perennials—ever changing with the seasons. Sometimes faith completely disappears in frigid weather but it’s still alive under the ground, waiting to spring up again. I...
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Relief Society Lesson 11: Revelation from God to His Children
Let me start with some honesty.
I volunteered to write this lesson plan because of the title. I thought it would be full of ideas of how to invite the Spirit in your life and recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
It isn't. At least not at first.
As I read the lesson, I continued to feel let down: I would read a heading and get excited at what might be next, to read something completely different in the following paragraphs. I found a lot of the quotes to be prophet-venerating, divisive "us vs. the world," and threatening. Though, if you...
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Why don’t you just leave?
I've seen this question posed multiple times in the threads and forums of Mormondom. I've had friends who have run into this question in their families and wards.
And it's heartbreaking. It is never ok to question someone's testimony. That is bullying. It's why this and so many Bloggernacle blogs have a policy against such accusations and similar questions. On the receiving end, it makes the person feel disposable: "That Zion we learn about at church? Don't want you there." "That eternal family thing? Yeah, doesn't apply to this relationship. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
It's...
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Relief Society Lesson 4: The Prophet Joseph Smith, God’s Instrument in...
I abbreviated George Albert Smith to GAS in this lesson. So, when I was rereading the lesson, I chuckled at (and reworded) a question, "Why did GAS choose young Joseph Smith?" I think this is proof that I hang with the elementary school crowd a little too much.
See the complete lesson here. Everything from the manual is in regular font; my additions are in italics.
From the Life of George Albert Smith
...Several years later, while George Albert Smith was serving as President of the Church, some books were published that attempted to defame Joseph Smith. In a general conference...
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I am a Cafeteria Mormon, and You are too.
"Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break," Elder Nelson taught last April.
So in an attempt to keep every commandment from our leaders, I'll do just that: you are going to encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. In fact, those "people" aren't a faceless, amorphous blob. They are you.
In the winter of my freshman year in college, I had an experience that shook me to the core. I had to face my demons, and they told...
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Why should we think to earn a great reward?
This past month, our Relief Society was able to do a chapel session with the temple matron. This was my first time going to the temple after the birth of my son over a year ago, and the first time doing an endowment session since before that pregnancy. Sitting stagnant for a couple of hours while pregnant? No, thank you.
So it had been a while. I was nervous about some of the feminist issues that have been brought up here in the past, but decided to go with an open mind. At one point the temple matron, emphasized that...
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Of Baby Blessings and Love
A year ago this month, mr. mraynes and I were driving home from a trip to Costco where we had stocked up on what I hoped would be some of the last diapers we would ever buy. Our two children were about to embark on potty-training, I had recently emerged from a serious depression and had just been accepted into a graduate program. Life was looking up.
I remember saying to mr. mraynes, "I feel like our family is complete, like we have the two spirits we're supposed to have and we can move on with life." A week later...
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Baptism, or the Anniversary of my Arranged Marriage
by Alisa
Twenty-two years ago this month, I sat in my bishop's office with my parents for my baptism interview. My bishop asked me, "Do you feel you're ready to be forgiven of your sins and be baptised?" I sat confused at the question, and then, a little lightheartedly, told him, "Well, I'm still seven, so I don't think I have any sins to be forgiven of."
I giggled a little as I gave him my answer, and my parents responded in shock at my apparent mockery of the interview. I guess I don't blame them. They were the ones who...
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Relief Society Lesson#43: "He Was a Prophet of God"
by Alisa
Contemporaries of Joseph Smith Testify of His Prophetic Mission.
As an overview, this lesson is divided into four main sections that I've summarized below:
Like his contemporaries, we too can have a testimony of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was an example of developing a Christ-like character
Joseph taught the Plan of Salvation with Clarity and Power
We can treasure the words and live the principles Joseph Smith taught
My main objective is taken from the subtitle of the lesson, which is about Joseph Smith's prophetic mission. The theme that I see woven throughout the different sections is the way that Joseph Smith was called...
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Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear: A Look at Motivation
by Alisa
In Relief Society last month, the teacher said we should encourage our kids "to only marry someone who comes from a family where both parents have stuck it out together, so that our children will be encouraged to stick through whatever trials their marriages bring." Not having read the General Conference talk she was speaking of, I was unsure whether that was her counsel or the counsel in the talk. Either way, I cringed as I quickly counted that at least 20% of the women in that room had been divorced at some point, and wondered what...
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.
