Exponent II's Blog, page 103
August 5, 2022
Guest Post: Old Testament Resources from my Non-LDS friends
Guest Post by Ann. Ann has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and recently earned a second one in Accounting. Contrary to what some people told her, she has been able to use the degrees while raising her four children.
Here we are. Halfway through this year of studying the Old Testament at a breakneck pace.
Do you feel like you’ve gained a deeper understanding of the Old Testament with the new Come Follow Me Curriculum? Or does this feel like the same sprint we do every four years?
For me it feels the same as always. We spent a disproportionately long time on the Creation and the Garden of Eden stories, and we’ve been zipping through the rest of the content. This curriculum feels like I’m on a pogo stick- jumping from book to book and chapter to chapter. Never stopping long enough to really get to see where I am, but just keep jumping, jumping, jumping. After all, we have a lot of material to cover.
I’ve often wished that we could slow down our study of the Old Testament. Perhaps split the book over two years instead of one. I think our study of our other books of Scripture would benefit from a deeper understanding of the Old Testament. After all, New Testament authors constantly refer back to the Old Testament. Jesus himself quotes extensively from it. The Book of Mormon narrative arises in the Old Testament. And Joseph Smith was obviously inspired by the Old Testament as he organized the church.
It’s a shame we spend such a proportionally small amount of time there.
Last year I joined a women’s Bible Study group with a local nondenominational church. (Studying the Doctrine and Covenants was not giving me the spiritual nourishment I craved.) My friends in this study group have impressed me with their knowledge of the whole Bible. They don’t talk in the vague platitudes that you often hear in LDS Sunday School or Relief Society classes. They quote actual scriptures. They’ll talk about Psalms that have touched them recently or bring up something Jesus said. I’ve been impressed by their knowledge.
Over the last year the women in my Bible Study group have provided me with resources to better understand the Bible. I’ve incorporated them into my study of the Old Testament with wonderful results. I feel like I’m actually learning things about the Old Testament.
I’ve compiled a list of four resources I’ve found most helpful. I’d like to share these with you in case you are also looking for additional resources as you study the Old Testament this year. These resources aren’t meant to replace the Come Follow Me Curriculum, but to help enhance your study. There will be times that these resources don’t line up with LDS teachings. You are spiritually mature enough to work out your own understanding when the differences arise.
ESV Translation of the Bible – The first new resource I added was a copy of an English Standard Version of the Bible. Reading the Bible in the King James Version is hard for me even though I went to seminary in High School and I have two bachelor’s degrees. I really struggle with all those Thees, Thous, and Thines. It takes me so long to figure out what the scriptures are even saying that I never move on to figuring out what they mean. So switching to primarily reading an ESV Translation has helped immensely. As an added bonus, the Student Study Version is full of helpful footnotes.
I bought my copy from Christianbook.com. I was amazed at all the options for layout and cover designs available. I’m so used to the limited cover options at the Distribution Center that picking out a sky blue leather cover with cute details seemed liberating.
Women of the Word by Jen Wilken. This little book was loaned to me by my friend and later I bought my own copy. It is full of helpful advice for how to study scripture. Most of my scripture study habits were developed when I was a busy teenager. I found this book helpful in showing me what scripture study could look like for a grown woman. You can find a copy at christianbook.com or Amazon.
Bible Talk Podcast – If you are craving a deep dive into the Old Testament, this is the podcast for you. Hosted by three Baptist pastors, each episode covers just a few chapters from the Bible. This is the exact opposite of the Come Follow Me race to the finish line. This is a long journey where you stop every two minutes to examine cool things you find along the way. The hosts have been doing this show since 2020 and are only just finishing Deuteronomy.
I especially recommend the seven episodes on Leviticus. If you only listen to one episode it should be Episode 42 on Leviticus 26-27. This episode ties the Old and New Testament together in ways I’d never known before. You can listen to Episodes on 9Marks.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Bible Project YouTube Channel. This YouTube Channel has put together brief overviews of every book of the Bible. The episodes are about 7 minutes long. They have a narrator drawing pictures that show the major themes and events of each book. My friend introduced me to these in March, and they’ve become an integral part of my family’s scripture study routine. Each episode is full of great insight. Recently, my family found the Overview of Ezra-Nehemiah to be especially helpful for explaining the themes of these often overlooked books.
These extra resources have helped me gain a deeper understanding of the Old Testament as I’ve tried to keep up with the Come Follow Me Curriculum. I hope they are helpful to you as well. I’m always looking for more resources so I’d love to hear about the resources that have enhanced your study of the Old Testament.
August 4, 2022
Mormon church sex abuse: AP investigation | AP News
TW: sexual abuse, child pornography
This is not an easy article to read. I have included some less distressing bits from the piece in this post. Should you choose to click here and read the entire article, please do so with awareness. Please do not read this if your mental health cannot take it.
In summary, this investigative piece by the Associate Press which is considered a centralist view (neither predominantly left or right politically leaning) in their work. In summary, the article highlights a handful of horrific child sexual abuse cases wherein LDS leadership (predominantly bishops) refused to report the abuse, even when the law allowed or required them to do so. Further, the article addresses the bishop’s hotline as being a poor resource for these bishops as the caller is only identified by first name, so state law or any legal issues (such as if the state that they live in requires them to report the abuse to the police) cannot be addressed.
It is a shocking look at how wickedly and poorly children in the US church are protected by the church, and how well the policy can enable abusers.
Less distressing points from the article:
“Who’s really responsible for Herrod not disclosing?” McIntyre asked in an AP interview. “Is it Herrod,” who says he followed the church lawyers’ instruction not to report the abuse to authorities? “Or is it the people who gave him that advice?”
The lawsuit filed by three children accuses The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and several members, including Bishops ABC and XYZ, of negligence and conspiring to cover up child sex abuse to avoid “costly lawsuits” and protect the reputation of the church, which relies on proselytizing and tithing to attract new members and raise money.
“The failure to prevent or report abuse was part of the policy of the defendants, which was to block public disclosure to avoid scandals, to avoid the disclosure of their tolerance of child sexual molestation and assault, to preserve a false appearance of propriety, and to avoid investigation and action by public authority, including law enforcement,” the suit alleges. “Plaintiffs are informed and believe that such actions were motivated by a desire to protect the reputation of the defendants.”
Very few of the scores of lawsuits against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mention the help line, in part because details of its operations have been a closely guarded secret. The documents in the sealed court records show how it works.
“The help line is certainly there to help — to help the church keep its secrets and to cover up abuse,” said Craig Vernon, an Idaho attorney who has filed several sex abuse lawsuits against the church.
Vernon, a former member, routinely demands that the church require bishops to report sex abuse to police or state authorities rather than the help line.
The Protocol instructs those staffing the help line to tell callers they are to use first names only. “No identifying information should be given.” Under the heading “High Risk Cases,” it also instructs staffers to ask a series of questions, including whether calls concerned possible abuse by a church leader, an employee, or abuse at “a church-sponsored activity.”
The protocol advises those taking the calls to instruct a “priesthood leader,” which includes bishops and stake presidents, to encourage the perpetrator, the victim, or others who know of the abuse to report it. But it also says, in capital letters, that those taking the calls “should never advise a priesthood leader to report abuse. Counsel of this nature should come only from legal counsel.”
(my livid, indignant emphasis is added in bold)
“There is nothing inconsistent between identifying cases that may pose litigation risks to the church and complying with reporting obligations,” church lawyers said in a sealed legal filing.
But one affidavit in the sealed records which repeatedly says the church condemns child sexual abuse, also suggests the church is more concerned about the spiritual well-being of perpetrators than the physical and emotional well-being of young victims, who also may be members of the faith.
Bishop ABC, in his recorded interview, said church officials told him he had to keep what [the abuser] told him confidential or he could be sued if he went to authorities.
Scathing investigation of #LDS Abuse Help Line by Associated Press
“The Associated Press obtained thousands of pages of sealed court documents that show in detail exactly how the church’s ‘help line’ can divert abuse complaints away from law enforcement, leaving children in danger.”
Abuse survivor MJ and her adoptive motherRead the full article here:
4 takeaways from AP’s Mormon church sex abuse investigation
Michael Rezendes, The Associated Press, August 4, 2022
August 1, 2022
Congratulations Jenna Carson, first #Mormon woman endorsed by #LDS church to be a military chaplain
Jenna Carson, first female Latter-day Saint military chaplainThe Church News reports, “Other Latter-day Saint women are currently candidates to become Church-endorsed military chaplains. Carson may be the first Church-endorsed female military chaplain, but she will not be the last.”
Making history: Church endorses its first female military chaplain, Church News, July 29, 2022
We have followed the journeys of Latter-day Saint women chaplains at the Exponent for a long time. Here are some stories of trailblazing hospital and prison chaplains from our Exponent community:
After 25 Years, Female Chaplain Endorsed by LDS ChurchAfter 25 Years, Female Chaplain Endorsed by LDS Church
Guest Post: God’s Inconvenient CallGuest Post: God’s Inconvenient Call
A Thousand Ways to PrayA Thousand Ways to Pray
Singles’ Wards Are Against My Religion
It’s rather peculiar that in the church adults are segregated by marital status. There are entire wards (and in some more densely populated LDS areas, entire stakes) just for the unmarried. And I don’t like it.
When I was a teenager at church, I noticed that there were a few elderly widows and the full-time missionaries but that I never saw any other single adults at church. I was taught in my YW lessons that a husband would be the inevitable reward for living a righteous life. It was whispered that occasionally some people might not marry, but it was always an afterthought. It was never really expected that it would happen to any of us. It only happened to “other people”.
Then I grew up and became other people.
I’ve visited singles’ wards on occasion for things like missionary farewells and homecomings or friends giving talks or performing special musical numbers, but I’ve never been a member of a singles’ ward. I was subjected to pressure to attend when I was younger, but I resisted, preferring to worship in a non-segregated setting. As I got older, the pressure lessened and then abated, presumably because after a certain age, I’m seen as a lost cause.
I live in a wonderful ward now where single adults are treated like adults. I’m a person who happens also to be unmarried, rather than being The Single Person. A few years ago, a neighboring stake started up a single adult ward for unmarried adults ages 30-45. Someone asked me if I was planning on joining that ward and I said no. They asked me why, and I somewhat flippantly responded “Singles wards are against my religion.” Sacrament meeting started so I didn’t get a chance to elaborate on my answer, and honestly I don’t know that I would have wanted to in the moment anyway.
Now that I have a blog platform to do so, I’m going to expand on my answer. Here are six reasons why singles’ wards are against my religion:
1. Singles’ wards show the youth of the church that there’s no place for them if they don’t marry.
Teenagers at church observe the adults around them to see what their future in the church will be like. With the popularity of singles’ wards, what they see is that upon adulthood, single people are sent away from the congregation and are permitted to return when they either have done the respectable thing and gotten married, or when they have failed at that task and are kicked out of the singles’ ward to return in disgrace.
Half the adults in the church are unmarried. If teenagers could see single members participate in the life of the ward and stake, then when they grow up to be single adults, they would see that there is a place for them in the church, and fewer of them would feel unwelcome and leave.
2. Singles’ wards perpetuate the notion of single people as “other”.
This is related to the first point. The church has a default assumption that adults are married. Any deviation from that state is seen as an aberration. I can’t even begin to count the number of Relief Society lessons that just assume that everyone in the room has a husband and 4.5 small children underfoot. I’ve been in wards who have referred to the Relief Society as “the mother’s group”, and I was in one ward that didn’t allow single people to hold callings. I was invisible because I was different. If singles’ wards didn’t exist, there would have been dozens of people like me in the congregation, and there is strength in numbers.
3. Singles’ wards deprive single members of opportunities to experience a diverse congregation.
In a singles’ ward, everyone is roughly the same age and in roughly the same stage in life, especially given that singles’ wards are, in addition to segregated by marital status, also segregated by age. The Apostle Paul (who, incidentally, was single himself) when using a metaphor of the body to describe the church, reminded us that
For in fact the body is not a single member, but many. If the foot says, “Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. And if the ear says, “Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell? But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided. If they were all the same member, where would the body be? So now there are many members, but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:14-20
Diversity is essential to the proper operation of God’s kingdom. God made people of all ages and all marital statuses. By segregating our congregations, we diminish God’s creation.
4. Singles’ wards deprive the rest of the church of the talents of single people.
Six days of the week, single adults are treated in our workplaces, schools, community organizations, and social circles as adults. But on the seventh day, we are treated as overgrown adolescents who need to be supervised by married people. We have jobs. We have bills. We manage a household without the help of a partner. We are leaders in our communities. We would be assets to our wards if given the opportunity.
My current ward and stake are fantastic about this. In the 7 years I’ve been in the ward, single people and married people have been equally likely to be the president of an auxiliary. Single people teach the youth and are on the high council. We have many things to add to the ward and stake. And wards and stakes that exile their single members are depriving themselves of a large talent pool.
5. There isn’t a separate Jesus for single people so there shouldn’t be a separate church for single people.
Ephesians 4:5 reminds us that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” We’re all in this together. There’s only one Jesus who saves, and He saves all who repent and follow Him.
6. Singles’ wards distract from the purpose of church.
The purpose of church is to bring people to Christ. The purpose of singles wards is to get people paired off. If people are sent to a ward whose purpose is to find a spouse, it’s easy to get distracted from finding Jesus. I’m not opposed to having ward or stake activities geared toward allowing single members to socialize (just like there are activities allowing other groups of members to socialize), but that needs to be a balanced part of a well-rounded diverse ward, not the purpose of the ward.
July 29, 2022
Mental Health: A Response to the Liahona Article
Content warning: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, mental illness
This is in response to the Liahona Article “New Hope for Deeper Healing from Depression and Anxiety” by Jacob Hess, PhD
Since my teen years I have coped with depression and anxiety. Reading back on my journals from high school this pain is evident to me now, though at the time I didn’t realize it wasn’t just typical teen angst. It was only as a Freshman in college that I realized something was seriously amiss with me. I found myself deeply wanting to cut my wrists with a razor, or to throw myself out of my fourth floor dorm window to end it. I also was very drawn to trying to overdose with pills. It was scary. My immediate coping strategy was to promise myself to get in bed and not get out again until that feeling ebbed to keep myself safe. I lived across the street from the University Health Center and was (miraculously, considering the paucity of resources) able to get a regular appointment with a therapist. My rigidly orthodox teen thinking led me to interpret these feelings as a temptation from Satan that I had to learn to fight and overcome – that they were in some sense sinful because wanting to kill a person is a sin. So I also went through the repentance process that I had learned in Church. Things got better after awhile. I thought I had “overcome” – the narrative at Church is one where trials come, you endure righteously, and then they go away and a different thing happens to you. So I thought I was done.
I served a mission. I now see that throughout my mission I was struggling with depression and anxiety. It manifested itself in rigid adherence to rules, hoping that would ease my psychological pain, and feeling physically sick in ways that were (clearly, in retrospect) psychosomatic. I just didn’t want to face another day. I did, I forced myself to try to be exactly obedient. But it was really really hard. But I had overcome the trial, right? All that Freshman stuff was a situation specific trial, so I was not depressed anymore!
But I was struggling mightily with depression. And in graduate school there was no denying it to myself. Eventually I joined a group session for Cognitive Behavioral Restructuring, then I was able to see a therapist again for about six months. She was really helpful to me coping with some traumas both past and present, and helping me reframe some of my thinking. I still reflect on some of our conversations today, a decade later. Things got a bit better. But honestly I look back on graduate school/my twenties as a time of feeling really bad. I remember once having a conversation with the other doctoral students about suicide, and what would be the best method. It immediately became clear that everyone in that room had given a lot of thought to this question and, in fact, had a plan. This speaks to an issue with graduate school that should probably be addressed…
After completing my doctorate, I was pregnant with my first child and the depression was overwhelming. My suicidal ideation went beyond thinking, beyond generally planning, to active intent and timeline. The depression was not situational. I wanted to have a baby and all other circumstances in my life were fine. Fortunately before I acted I called my best friend, and she told me to hang up the phone and call my doctor immediately, and that she would be following up. So I did, and (to my surprise, though it shouldn’t be) my doctor wanted to see me immediately. She prescribed anti-depressants and worked her magic to get me in to a therapist immediately. The therapy wasn’t a good fit at that time, but the fluoxitine? It was like magic. I felt like I could function, like I could experience happiness and excitement and a normal range of human emotion. I didn’t curl up and sob on the floor for hours at a time. Since that time I have consistently been on anti-depressants for the last eightish years, and it has changed my life. I periodically have to adjust dosage, switch medications etc., and the side-effects are no picnic, but it beats what my life was like before. I am here today because of medication. I had honestly thought for many years that I would inevitably die at my own hand. That my goal was to hold out as long as I possibly could but that I would not be able to hold on for seventy years.
Now my mental health regimen is as follows: I go to bed and get up at the same time every day. I make sure that I am outside in direct sunlight for at least 20 minutes every day, ideally much more. I aim to exercise vigorously six days a week, with moderate exercise on Sunday. I take several anti-depressant/anti-anxiety meds. I am keenly aware of my “canary in the coal mine” red flags for when my meds are not working and try to respond quickly by reaching out to my doctor to work on adjusting them. I have found that seeing a psychiatrist is my best fit because having someone who specializes in mental health medication has worked better than conversations with my general practitioner. I do not read sad books or watch sad movies. I do not go to parties or other unnecessary events that will cause me to have an anxiety attack. I’m doing okay.
This is my context. Today I read the article “New Hope for Deeper Healing” in the Liahona. It struck me as really problematic and tone deaf. Perhaps for some people who have a situation-specific form of mental illness that will go away over time it is helpful. Certainly parts of the advice are also part of my mental health tool kit. But the author does two things that I believe are the wrong approach.
First, the author really deemphasizes the professional help available to people who are suffering. In the final suggestion (7. Increase Your Capacity and Resilience) the author mentions seeking outside supports including “qualified medical and mental health professionals offering medication or counseling” which is the only reference to this key part of responding to mental health issues. This is in the same sentence as family, friends and the Church’s emotional resilience course. The emotional resilience course is led by random members of your ward who likely do not have a professional mental health background, and includes whoever the Bishop suggests, regardless of what mental health issues they might have or not have. I’m not saying it’s useless. I’m saying it is not an appropriate resource to equate to professional help for severe mental health issues. The author doesn’t even endorse seeking help, he only says that some people do. Barely mentioning a medical response to a medical condition is deeply troubling. Many Church members see what is printed in the Liahona as gospel truth and act on it accordingly. It is irresponsible to give so little space to something crucial, and hide it late in the article.
Second, I strongly object to the overall tone of the article, that the goal is “long-term healing” – that is to say, that you “overcome” mental illness and it becomes a trial with a tidy bell-shaped curve that you can dust off your hands and say you’re done. The author repeatedly uses language suggesting that mentally ill people should focus their hope on having mental illness completely eradicated. He uses phrases like “lasting relief,” and “lasting healing.” He also says “Many with mental illness have been told their condition was permanent. This was based on the belief that the adult brain doesn’t change. We now know better… fundamental shifts are possible, including for those facing mental illness. The possibility of profound changes shouldn’t be surprising to those who believe in Christ.”
I have a testimony of Christ. I believe that Christ can heal all afflictions on earth. But I also know that for most people, a miraculous complete healing is not part of God’s earthly plan for us. Christ healed several people who were blind. It was miraculous. Billions of people with vision problems across millenia have not been healed while on this earth. I wear glasses. My son has a congenital vision issue that will be part of him for the duration of his life on earth. These facts do not in any way diminish the reality of Christ’s power, nor do they negate my own faith. But it is reality that though Christ can heal all things, for most of us He doesn’t right now. The phrasing the author used implies that people with faith in Christ should frame their experience of mental illness around an expectation of complete and permanent healing. The logical inference then is that if you don’t anticipate relief in this life, you must not have much faith in Christ.
It is not realistic for people with a genetic predisposition to mental illness to expect to be cured for life, no longer requiring medical intervention. It is dangerous to suggest this. If I suddenly stopped taking medication, I would return to the mental place that I was before. I know this because anti-depressants lose efficacy over time and need to be adjusted, so about every year or so I get reintroduced to what my brain is like when it isn’t getting help. I can go for vigorous walks in the sunshine until my legs fall off and it won’t change the fact that my father is mentally ill, my grandfather was depressed, and my great-aunt took her own life. Genetically, the odds are not in my favor.
I also think it is demeaning to suggest that “permanent healing” means some kind of end destination where there is no more affliction. I prefer to think of “permanent healing” as an ongoing state for the rest of my life. I will permanently be in need of healing, of mental care, of succor. I will be in an ongoing state of mental fragility requiring help and vigilance. That isn’t something to be ashamed of, or to see as some kind of failure. To we castigate people with diabetes for not “overcoming” their insulin issues through faith? No, that would be ridiculous. Diabetics will need insulin for their lives. I am depressed. I will need serotonin and dopamine for the rest of my life. And that’s okay. I’m not falling short either in my efforts to heal or in my faith in Christ by admitting that I have a chronic condition. Rather, by admitting it will not go away I’m able to consistently care for my body in a way that allows me to thrive and live a meaningful, happy, faith-centered life. I no longer believe I will inevitably die by suicide. I imagine myself being able to live to old age. I don’t see my goal as “well, I’ll try to stick around until my kids are adults but then I can’t take it anymore.” This was where my brain was. Now my brain is in a place that says “I’m doing okay. And I’m going to keep working hard doing what I know works to be okay.”
For Christmas my husband got me a little sign that says “It’s okay if you fall apart sometimes. Tacos fall apart, and we still love them.” And that’s the truth. Being mentally ill is not wrong, it is not a trial to overcome, it is not a sign of lack of faith. We do a great disservice to people with genuine medical problems to offer exactly the same advice as we would to someone dealing with deep disappointment about losing the student body election, or being dumped by their dating partner. Being temporarily blue and being mentally ill are different things that deserve a more thoughtful treatment from a publication that many see as a source of guidance endorsed by God’s chosen spokespeople.
July 28, 2022
Guest Post: EQ and YM Curriculum Wish List
Guest Post by Darci. Darci is a mom of 2 boys and 2 cats with a master’s degree in public policy. She enjoys reading, eating desserts, and researching gender dynamics and politics.
I grew up with feminist leanings that have deepened with years of research, knowledge, and personal experience. After having sons, I started studying what it’s like to be a boy and man in America. And I have been appalled at how much the patriarchy harms them too.
A common theme throughout the books, podcasts, and documentaries I have researched is loneliness. Access to a safe space for meaningful discussions with other boys or men has proved most beneficial in overcoming this challenge.
The church already has the infrastructure to help more men heal from and avoid patriarchy’s damaging effects on their health and relationships — but I don’t think we’re effectively using it. Here is my wish list for one year of Elder’s Quorum and Young Men’s lessons:
January Topic – MasculinityKey Point: There is no one way to be masculine.What is the difference between a “real” man and a “good” man? This activity comes from Michael Kimmel in which participants name qualities that describe a “real man.” Then they name qualities defining a “good man.” There is usually an interesting discussion on the discrepancy between these lists and which one Jesus is most aligned with. What do we think men are expected to be like versus our authentic selves? Man Box activity: This activity comes from A Call to Men. Draw 2 boxes on the board; label one “woman” and the other one “man.” Read a list of adjectives in rapid-fire succession and ask participants to say which box the adjective fits in. Then have students write down 5 adjectives describing themselves; it helps them realize you limit yourself when you try to fit in a box. Helpful ReferencesLDS Living: How Jesus Christ Shows Us What Masculinity Truly Means
February Topic – BraveryKey Point: Many types of bravery exist, such as being brave enough to be vulnerable.What are different types of bravery (e.g., going to AA meetings, seeking help to stop being abusive, mental health support, speaking up for harassed people)?How can we be brave enough to be vulnerable?Helpful References
LDS Living: What I’ve learned about the role of vulnerability and brotherhood in preparing myself for Zion
Cultivating Meaningful Connections
March Topic – PressureKey Point: Everyone feels pressure, and you’re not alone.What pressures do we face from culture at large, church culture, family, and self?What and how much of those pressures are helpful? Which are harmful? How can we deal with the harmful pressures?Helpful References
That Your Burdens May Be Light
Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Emotional Resilience
LDS Living: The Surprising Way the Book of Mormon Can Teach Us About Emotional Intelligence
D&C 121: 39
Power’s Reality, Power’s Illusion: Policy at the Intersection of the Two Kingdoms by Valerie Hudson
LDS Perspectives Episode 100: The Myth of Redemptive Violence with David Pulsipher
Endowed with Priesthood Power by Sister Jean B. Bingham, Sister Sharon Eubank, Sister Reyna I. Aburto
Maxwell Institute Podcast #134: Proclaim Peace with Patrick Mason and David Pulsipher
July Topic – Female Role ModelsKey Point: Being called feminine should not be considered demeaning.What can we learn about and from Heavenly Mother?Which inspirational women from scriptures and church history do we know, and what can we learn from them?Helpful ReferencesGospel Topics Essays: Mother in Heaven
BYU Studies: A Mother There by David L. Paulsen and Martin Pulido
Women in the Scriptures
At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women
How to Set Boundaries for Well-Being
LDS Living: How to Handle Rejection as Christ Did
Matthew 25:40
Equal Partnership in Marriage
Equality of Men and Women
Friendship: A Gospel Principle by Marlin K. Jensen
Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments by Jeffrey R. Holland
The Body, a Sacred Gift by Diane Spangler
Saving Lives by Alton L. Thygerson
Alteristic Green Dot
Be Strong and of a Good Courage by Thomas S. Monson
Mosiah 18:9
July 27, 2022
Immigration, Privilege, Humility and the “Great Refusal to Work”
Over the past few months, I have seen via social media, or heard in discussion, references about the “Great Refusal to Work” thing going on. It’s not a new topic, but an ongoing point of light conversation from, “the welfare is so good that no one wants to go back to work,” to “teenagers are too lazy today and won’t work fast food, so I had to wait twenty minutes for fries.”
I find that whenever the blame-game starts, there are some underlying issues that people don’t want to consider. And with the month of July being all-hot and sparkly with patriotism, and Pioneer Day being it’s own kind of regional and cultural nationalistic celebration, I thought it a good time to consider what is going on.
As for the “welfare is so good” thing. Um, nope. That’s not it. As Roberta Matuson, a workplace strategist puts it, “It’s not because they don’t want to work, they just don’t want to work for you.” One only needs to google to see thousands of employees who have been treated horribly during the pandemic for simply asking a customer to wear a mask. What is even more sickening is that these videos are so readily available to watch for their perverted entertainment value. We may applaud as the police finally arrive to remove the un-masked shopper, but the real hero, and one with emotional scars, is the employee who stood firm, after being yelled at, sometimes physically attacked, and still had to finish their shift.
Indeed, even among professional industries, (often those dominated by women, and therefore are typically lower paying), the poor behaviour of their clients was a key factor in considering, or ending employment. “Lack of respect for authority” as well as inadequate “basic social skills,” was reported as top issues for those in the teaching profession over a decade ago. “Abusive patients” was a key factor for nurses leaving the industry before COVID, and it’s only gotten worse. Are we really surprised that so many people no longer want to be employed in “service industries,” especially those that once touted the motto of “the customer is always right”?
In other words, it is a privilege to not be in a position to need to work at an entry level job. Privilege is very much the correct term. “the majority of people who hold these jobs are women, people of color, and recent immigrants.” Indeed, most service industry food provider employees are “at the lowest end of the wage pay scale and receive no benefits.” They are in the job for the experience, and the money to be sure, but they get very little compensation for the amount of work and time they provide.(1)
One social media friend (white, male, born in the US, university graduate) stated that he didn’t want his daughters to work in the fast-food industry after school because they had heavy academic high school loads, and played competitive sports: he was worried about them being too tired to “do it all.” That statement is fair enough.
But what’s even better—and I submit—what is even more Christlike, is to recognise that this is a position of privilege. There are immigrant, students, un-educated or under-educated women, and more who do not have a choice, and need the puny remuneration of entry level employment to purchase their own school shoes (like I did back in high school) and could not afford the instrument rental fee to be able to partake of the “free” flute lessons offered at private school.
Quite frankly, there is a LOT to unpack pack there between nationalism, racism, and sexism. But for the moment, I am only going to focus on immigration. When Mr. Trump entered the White House, he came with bold promises to reduce “illegal immigration.” Suffice to say, he failed. What he did do is reduce LEGAL immigration. He reduced the number of green cards issued to people by over 400,000 and the number of non‐immigrant visas by more than 11,000,000.(2) I was personally hurt by this and I still struggle to talk about it without bursting into tears.
To be fair, there is a small argument that COVID had a part to do with this reduction in immigration, but the real issue was with Trump’s anti-immigration policies. The backlog of immigrant applications from the Trump era is still being addressed, and processed, slowly and methodically for the millions of worthy immigrants –skilled and unskilled– who would bless the US if allowed to enter. (3) These are not people who “refuse to work because welfare is so good.” These are people who seek a better life in the US by mopping floors, preparing fast food, and stacking the shelves of your local Wal-Mart at night.
The problem is, this slow immigration roll out isn’t fast enough to fill those entry level jobs that many of my conservative friends and family members are complaining about. Sadly and erroneously, they are blaming welfare. The real problem is the crappy attitude of privileged consumers who refuse to do those kinds of jobs themselves (privilege), and the backlog of immigration (insert many unkind words— I struggled to settle on just one, but the term “racism” is adequate).
So if you like your grocery stores fully stocked, having been delivered by long-haul drivers, thank an immigrant. If you like your floors cleaned by magic elves in the middle of the night, thank a single mother. And if you like your fast food in a hurry, thank a person of colour who is fighting to keep a roof over their head.
Mostly, be nice. Welcome immigration. Don’t fight with entry-level or even managerial employees. Leave your politics at home. They aren’t getting paid enough for that.
And open the borders. It’s time for America to be America again. You know– that great country built by immigrants.
(1) From Betty Crocker To Feminist Food Studies, Avakian And Haber Eds. University Of Massachusetts Press, 2005, Pg 177
(2) State Department, “Immigrant Visa Statistics”; State Department, “Annual Reports of the Visa Office”; Immigration and Naturalization Service, “Annual Reports”.
(3) My personal experience. I am an immigrant, as is my husband.
July 26, 2022
Who is the Teacher? Teaching, Part 1
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co..." data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co..." width="1880" height="1204" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co..." alt="strict female teacher with book pointing at scribbled blackboard" class="wp-image-53777" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co... 1880w, https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co... 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co... 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co... 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.co... 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com“Who is the teacher?” is often the first question people ask about a class whether it’s a kid’s school class, a class at a gym, or a class at church. At some level people recognize, to paraphrase the late Haim Ginott, that it is the teacher who is the decisive element in the classroom, the one who creates the climate, and is the one with power to create a class of torture or inspiration. If you have ever wished classes at church were better, welcome! While the church does have a teacher training manual, it has gaps. This is the first in a series of posts attempting to distill a bit of teaching theory and practice into digestible pieces applicable in a church setting.
Why this series? It is because I know good people who are asked to teach and it can be tough. The teenager working at the nearest fast food joint likely received more training than the person teaching at church. While many people don’t have an issue with church classes, others may be bored, some may be lonely, some may have questions. Many others of us have been harmed in church class settings or have loved ones for whom a church class is not a good place to be. This. Must. Change.
PowerA Teacher’s Awesome Power by educator, author, and activist Mary Ann Raywid was the first reading assignment of my graduate teaching program. Consider the power of a teacher and how that power is used. Is this something you have thought about before in the context of a church setting? Raywid adeptly identifies the ways in which the power a teacher uses in the classroom can be a benefit or detriment to the students. While this essay is directed towards professional teachers in formal educational settings, the power and obligations discussed are as applicable to a religious setting as they are in an academic setting.
Raywid states that teacher power is awesome with regard to establishing and controlling the social environment of the classroom. Examples of this type of power in a church setting include:
Who gets to ask questions? The teacher, the class members, or both?Will some class time be spent learning each other’s names and getting to know each other?Are class members shamed for asking questions or expressing different opinions?Are children treated with respect or seen as a group to control?Do teachers recognize the emotional power they hold over class members, especially over children and teens, to influence that person’s experience and perception of church, God and their value as a human being?The existence of the power of a teacher is an important one to address. If it seems like a big concept to wrap your mind around, that’s ok. As Raywid points out, it is most important to maintain our awareness of the existence of power. Simply being aware that there is a power differential between a teacher and class members is a significant first step because power differentials are often not openly acknowledged at church.
Obligations“Teachers’ awesome power seems to impose heavy obligations. Extensive moral responsibility flows from the power to benefit and to harm.”
Mary Ann Raywid, educator, author, activist
With great power comes great responsibility. Whether you are a fan of Spider Man, the French Revolution, the Sword of Damocles, or the Parable of the Faithful Servant, this phrase has stuck for hundreds of years because it illuminates a truth vital for effective teaching. The church’s teaching manual identifies this responsibility as loving everyone in the classroom. Raywid expounds upon four obligations that come with the power of being a teacher.
First, a teacher’s obligations extend to every class member. You might like some kids and adults more than others and yet you are obligated to every class member. So much pain and harm can come from not recognizing the importance of this obligation. Many people leave church because they feel like they don’t fit in. Fitting-in isn’t the goal. People need belonging. Belonging and fitting in are opposites. Read Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown to learn more about belonging or watch this 30-second clip.
Second, teachers have an obligation to at least try to get to know their class members. For adult classes, simply getting to know everyone’s names and helping class members learn each other’s names would be an improvement. Do not assume that people know each other because they attend church together. If you feel like doing an experiment, try seeing if you can name everyone in your next class.
Third, teachers have an obligation to share their power. Not sure what this looks like? Try holding a discussion at the beginning of a class to find out what people would like out of their class. Small groups? Visual presentations? Hands-on projects? Open discussion about hard topics?
Fourth, and most important, teachers must maintain an awareness that they do hold power. Many of us can remember church class experiences that shaped for better or worse how we felt about ourselves, our family situation, our future, our sense of being loved, and other perceptions. Often these stick with us, again for better or worse, well into adulthood.
One last thought about power. Power over is domination. Power with is partnership. At church I typically encounter people working from a ‘power over’ mindset of ‘I am in charge so I get to make the decisions’ as opposed to asking ‘how can I use my power to make church a more spiritually life giving place for those in my care?’ Imagine what would change if the second question were asked.
Power and the ways it is used is a passionate topic for me. Also, understanding power is the foundation for a discussion about trauma which is the next topic in this series. For me, it is easy to maintain a recognition of power because at church I am mostly without power. (As a woman at church I drop lower every decade and expect to disappear sometime in my 50’s.) It is a stark contrast to professional settings where I can exercise my expertise to work collaboratively with colleagues. This contrast combined with a lifetime at the bottom of the church power rung has proved to be a rich, painful, valuable education in power.
What are your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with power in church class settings?
July 24, 2022
Christian Shaped Objects
We own a Mason and Hamlin grand piano. It is 90 years old, with many scratches and injuries to the finish. But the make is an excellent one, on par with a Steinway. A friend who tuned, repaired and maintained all the pianos for BYU was able to find this one for us 30 years ago, and rebuilt the interior so the quality of sound and touch is gorgeous. We feel fortunate to be able to have such a fine instrument.
Some years ago, I hired a repairman to work on it. Relatives had been visiting, and their children had dropped heavy items into it, damaging some keys. Phil, the repairman, expressed appreciation for the quality of the piano, and carefully dismantled the keyboard. I watched as he pulled out the sections, gradually separating the parts to get to the broken mechanism. I was surprised to see that the workings were comprised of finely carved wooden pieces that fit together in intricate ways, each piece causing the next to move and adjust with the slightest variation of pressure.
I commented to Phil how surprised I was to see this fine workmanship in the pieces of the piano that were never seen, yet were the reason for the beautiful sound this instrument made.
He responded with an almost reverent tone, saying that a well-made piano is a piece of art. He showed me how all of these pieces of carved wood fit together, even with tiny wood pins, and the way they could respond to the different touch and movement of the pianist’s fingers on the keys.
Then he said something that really stayed with me.
“This is a real piano. It doesn’t matter how the finish has been scratched and damaged. The inside is beautifully made, and the workings will create beautiful sound. Too many people just get a P.S.O. – a piano-shaped-object. They get something that is shiny and fancy looking, and it is the correct shape for a piano. But they are often made with inexpensive materials in a climate and altitude that is nothing like it is here. Then they are shipped in and sold on clearance so people can put them in their living room in front of their picture windows so they look like they have a nice piano where everyone can see it and admire it. But no matter how shiny and pretty it looks, the insides are not well made, or are made of materials that can’t adjust to different climate and pressure. People have me come to tune it and expect me to make it sound better. But no amount of tuning will make the inner workings create a sound that matches the shiny finish. The inside does not match the outside, and it is not a real piano. It is only a piano-shaped-object. It is taking up space, and pretending to be something it is not. It will never inspire or move people with the glorious sounds that can come from a finely made piano like yours.”
I have often thought of this in the decades since then. Mostly as a reminder to myself. When am I someone who is more focused on appearing to be something, but my thoughts, my heart is not even close to that.
When am I being a mother shaped object – more concerned with looking like I am being a good mom than I am with creating a world where my children can live deeply and thrive?
When am I being a pioneer shaped object – dressing up or looking the part of a ninth generation mormon for a holiday that denies the blood and sins of my ancestors, when I might not be willing to step out into the unknown when it is not convenient or easy or scripted. When I am not willing to take countless steps needed to confront and own what is not working in this world, and seek and create a new world where all can belong.
When am I being a Mormon shaped object – more worried about appearing to accomplish the “checklist” of correct actions, and having the “right” kind of family and home than I am with living the core essence, the most inspiring and compelling aspects of the restoration gospel – that of bearing each other’s burdens that they may be light, mourning with those that mourn, never abusing influence or power, and being present to each moment being another step on this incomprehensible forever journey of one-ness with divine beings with whom I have co-existed, and with whom I will co-exist, forever?
More than anything else, when am I being a Christian shaped object – more focused on only serving the “right” people in the “right” way than I am on learning to breathe each breath in the awareness that every thought, every action, every moment is an opportunity to be present to the presence of God in every being, as the least of these? When am I waiting to be assigned, or called and told by someone or something else – how, when, where, and whom to offer my time, talents, and all God’s blessings…while there are those hungry and lonely and outcast everywhere, pleading, crying out in pain and need?
When am I willing to see that God does not weep just because someone thinks, speaks, looks, believes, loves, exists different than myself. God weeps when Their children hate, hurt and kill each other.
The term “Christian” has been used as a weapon to justify hating, hurting and killing for as long as the term has existed.
And, no, this is not a Christian problem. It is a human problem. Humans will weaponize any word that they think will help them insist they are right and others are wrong.
Right now, any rhetoric that uses this word “Christian” to justify controlling and condemning others whose appearance, thoughts, choices, circumstances, beliefs, or existence is different from one’s own, while claiming an inherent right as a Christian to do so – that is a hard core level of being a Christian shaped object.
Anyone claiming the name “Christian” while doing anything that denies or diminishes the existence and connection we all share, does not have inner workings that sing the song of redeeming love.
Someone doing so might be able to pull off an appearance, a look of being shiny and happy and saying the right words and claiming the authority to declare who is in and who is out.
Someone might be able to convince people, as they stand at their lecturn, or podium, or court, or high office, or scripted video, and demand, or preach, or insist they have the authority to say who can and who cannot exist and breathe.
But at most, they are taking up space and making noise that does not have the power to inspire or change hearts.
The terrible thing is, in the hollow, tinkling noise they make, fearful minds react with harmful actions.
And many hearts die, pierced with deep wounds.
God weeps.
I cannot tell someone to be anything, or to not be anything.
I cannot demand that evil not exist, that harmful words and actions not occur.
I can only do what I can do.
From the guidance of scripture, where God tells us that we cannot destroy evil, we can only overcome it with good – to the guidance of the deep moments with God in any way They are with me, and They tell me there is nothing to fix, there is only connection and love – I seek to set aside the constant need to appear in the happy, shiny shape. I seek to find the working parts of God in me.
No longer a Christian shaped object, but a being that exists in connection to all.
I think of the countless hours, and years my children spent playing scales on our piano which had a chipped and scratched surface, but exquisite inner workings – and the glorious music they learned to play on it.
This is a lifelong practice, being more than an object that is only focused on appearance.
Sometimes, the practice is easy.
The God in me sees the God in you.
Sometimes, it is a gut-wrenching wrestle.
The God in me.
The God in me sees.
Sees the God in you.
Sometimes, the practice takes everything…takes me to the edge and I don’t think I can breathe.
The God in me.
God.
God in me.
Sees the God.
God in you.
Sees God.
In you.
God in you.
Me.
You.
God.
Sees.
God.
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