Blog Tag: testimony
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Sometimes Finding God at Church Takes an Awful Lot of Effort
I hope that this post is useful as a gentle example of why faithful people sometimes struggle with church.
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My Testimony of Mormon Feminism
The kinds of creative navigation of choices that I have seen discussed and modeled in Mormon feminism have served me well in life. I can acquiesce to expectations, I can resist expectations, I can create or find other options that allow me to preserve my integrity.
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Come Follow Me: Job “Yet Will I Trust in Him”
Reading Hebrew Poetry
With Job, we read the first of a series of Biblical books written almost exclusively as poetry. The poet introduces the plot of this epoch poem by imagining a dialogue between God and Satan that should not be taken literally.
The opening chapters of Job are intended to emphasize Satan’s role as our adversary or accuser, not to describe how God and Satan really interact.
—Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022: Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42
This fictional version of God brags to Satan about how terrific Job is.
8 And the Lord said unto...
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Guest Post: A Faith Too Expansive
Guest post by Anonymous. The writer has experienced being a female in the church for four decades and is trying to make a space in the world where her daughters don't feel like being female is a flaw.
My ten-year-old daughter walked up to the pulpit in her black pants and blue button-down shirt. Her outfit was finished with two braids I had twisted for her that morning and a necklace that boldly declared, “I Am a Child of God.” She had sat on the edge of her seat, legs shaking, while the bishop gave his testimony and she stood...
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Guest Post: Why I Stay #ReconstructingFaith
Guest Post by Tasha. Bio: Tasha mothers four children and chooses the beauty of a mixed-faith marriage. She works in a library, craves plants, and runs in the dark of the morning.
Why do I stay? Why do I continue to attend Sunday service, weekly activities, and serve in callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? The answer is decades-long, decades of redefining, discoveries, and experiences. And even now my faith is evolving and moving. But I will try to capture it into words for a moment.
For me, one of the most helpful discoveries concerning faith is...
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Personal Truth, Scientific Truth and Latter-Day Misinformation
Personal truths are gained through personal revelation. Scientific truths are discovered through the Scientific Method. Latter-Day Saints who use the process of personal revelation to verify scientific truths instead of the scientific method risk being mistaken and may mislead others.
The traditional worship experience for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints includes a monthly testimony ritual. Any member in good standing may speak at the microphone and profess their beliefs and the truths of their heart as witnessed to them by the Holy Ghost. These Testimony meetings are a way for members to share their faith...
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Guest Post: People Prefer Respect, Compassion, and Love
By Louise
In the past 11 years, I've given thousands of hours to this church. I've attended meetings, I've prayed for inspiration, I've taught countless lessons, born my testimony, and paid tens of thousands of dollars in tithing to the betterment of the church. My husband and I held many callings, and there were times when we held multiple callings simultaneously because other members wouldn't accept callings and things needed to get done. Our kids were dressed and ready for church early on Sunday mornings, and because my husband played the organ, we learned to be 20 minutes early to...
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Guest Post: God’s Song Sings Within Me
By Louise
My relationship with God is ever evolving. I allow it to grow and change and become whatever it is supposed to become. I relate to God through the earth, through tactile experiences with my children and husband, in sacred ways through meditation and music, and through appreciation of Their divine presence in my life.
My relationship with God started when I was a little girl. My cousin and I would attend our Marmar’s church. She would wet down and brush our hair into tight (hurting!) side pony tails. It was the late 80’s. All I really remember from that...
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Guest Post: Seeing
By Maureen Edgerly
Today I listened to an interesting story on Noah Rasheta’s podcast, "Secular Buddhism." He had been communicating online for over a year with a work associate in China named Chris, whom he had never met in person. On a trip to China, Noah made arrangements to meet Chris. Arriving at the location but not seeing Chris, he walked around a bit, returning to the particular table where they were to meet several times. Eventually he sat down at one end of the table. Two women were sitting at the other end. One of them spoke asking him,...
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Knowing, Believing, and Hoping: Going Beyond the Usual Testimony Words
A couple of weeks ago, in our awesome Gospel Principles 2 class, we talked about the first chapter in the manual which focused on the existence of Heavenly Father. Gospel Principles 2 is a class our ward constructed to give people who were at different places in their faith journeys a place to openly and honestly discuss their questions. We are about 15 classes in, and I am loving it.
We went around the class and each discussed where we were on that issue of knowing that there is a God. Being the closest person to the teacher, I kicked...
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.
