“Human Agency and the Inner Sea”

Human agency is a core tenet of faith for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Indeed, the concept of agency reigns as the supreme theological actor in the Latter-day Saint story, from the reconceived creation narrative through the understanding of the human condition, theodicy, and eschatology. Yet the Latter-day Saint conception of agency is often confused and confusing, wandering between claims to perfect free will, unlimited choice, and ultimate human responsibility for action and consequence. I suggest that the conflation of symbols and meanings associated with agency have muddied the Latter-day Saint waters. In particular, the oft-heard […]

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“To Know”

You walked under the trees of the garden Fingertips touching each braille of bark You Paused, Listening so carefully to the breeze moving every branch, that you began to imagine the Unthinkable, the not-yet-real. Your partner had his head down, reverently laying bricks over the Outlined Path But you! Oh glorious Eve You heard a whisper not yet Spoken, Saw colors not yet given a Name And with cut-throat honesty and a dripping heart You chose to Bite To Chew To Step To Fall Did you see Each of us Swirling, Plummeting When you chose to break the beauty you […]

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“Evaluating Art Choices”

Is the 2022 Come, Follow Me manual diverse and inclusive? I often talk about the intersection of art, religion, gender, and race. I believe we

“Creating Words With a Sheet of Paper” — Interview with Susana I. Silva

Silva was the recipient of Exponent II’s Award in the 2021 Certain Women Art Show in Salt Lake City. You were trained as a painter, and now you use paper cutting as your technique. Why the shift? Actually, I went to paper gradually and without intending to — around 2010. I was attending a weekly workshop 25 km from my house to paint and experiment a little with other techniques. I traveled to the workshop by train and subway. I painted in large formats, and it ended up being very cumbersome to arrive with the work intact in crowded subways. I think the […]

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“Creando mundos con una hoja de papel” — Entrevista con Susana I. Silva

Silva recibió el premio Exponent II en el 2021 Certain Women Art ShowTe formaste como pintora y ahora utilizas el corte de papel como técnica. ¿Por qué el cambio?En realidad, pase al papel de forma paulatina y sin proponérmelo, fue en 2010 aprox.. Iba semanalmente a un taller a 25 km de mi casa para volver a pintar y experimentar un poco con otras técnicas. Llegaba al taller en tren y en subterráneo, pintaba en grandes formatos y terminaba siendo muy incómodo llegar con la obra intacta en subtes atestados de gente (lo hice mientras fui estudiante haciendo malabarismos con […]

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“Eve’s Choice / My Choice”

“Sister, would you read this passage and share your thoughts with the other members of the presidency? I think this should be our theme for the year.” I glance down at the quote on obedience that the Primary President slips me. “Well,” I hem. “Obedience is important to teach the children. Do you think it is the most important principle? Should we instead focus on teaching them to be discerning, or prayerful, or,” I catch another sister’s eye, “loving?” It feels like ice descends around us, and no one responds for a few beats. Then the president launches into her testimony […]

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“Truth Over Comfort”

The evening began in a typical fashion. I entered a home filled with happy chatter and a kitchen counter laden with “girls night out” fare. After the predictable 30 minutes of meet-and-greet, the host invited me to the front of the main gathering room, where couches and a hodgepodge of chairs and benches from throughout the house had been dragged in for the occasion: a real-talk about womanhood, psychological growth, and spiritual development.As an LDS relationship therapist with advanced experience in sexual health, trauma recovery, and midlife identity crisis, I had done many, many similar gatherings. The topic of sexual […]

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“Communion”

I lay my hands on your head To give you a blessing. Like my ancestors. My three times great-grandmothers Who kneaded dough and then healed. Calling out for god Ministering at bedsides Birthing children Blood and bread All callused knuckles and templed fingers — a cool, soothing touch. You pull my palms down Pushing them into your chest Asking me to reach into you — through you. You cup your hands over mine You breathe in deeply. But this is where it hurts, you say. My heart. Not my head. So we pray over this wound together. That sacred place […]

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Highlights From the Blog

Weaponizing The Why Heavenly Mother is Essential: Part 2 of 7BY MCARTHUR KRISHNA | NOVEMBER 4, 2021https://www.the-exponent.com/guest-post-why-heavenly-mother-is-essential-part-2/I knew some things about Heavenly Mother before I started digging into this topic. . . But I started to wonder about other ways that Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father interact and found a model that was literally life-changing. . . Susa Young Gates said, “The divine Mother, side by side with the divine Father, [has] the equal sharing of equal rights, privileges and responsibilities.” The divine model is EQUALITY. . . Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife said, “Partnership in marriage does not mean dividing up tasks equally. Real […]

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“Are We NOT All Mothers?”

It was a Saturday night and, like so many others, I’d tuned in to the scheduled session of General Conference. There was a familiarity to it all: meticulously groomed flowers flanking the podium, women and girls in their Sunday best filling the seats in the conference center. A choir of fresh-faced adolescents, singing in front of the biggest audience of their lives, poured out their hearts in earnest song. General Relief Society and Young Women Presidency members kicked off the program. First Presidency members, including a new — and energetic — prophet, wrapped up the program. The whole evening was […]

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Magazine Issue: Spring 2022

RESULTS

“Human Agency and the Inner Sea”

“To Know”

“Evaluating Art Choices”

“Creating Words With a Sheet of Paper” — Interview with Susana I. Silva

“Creando mundos con una hoja de papel” — Entrevista con Susana I. Silva

“Eve’s Choice / My Choice”

“Truth Over Comfort”

“Communion”

Highlights From the Blog

“Are We NOT All Mothers?”

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