Exponent II's Blog, page 192

Guest Post: Take what you love and leave the rest ….The deception beyond the perception

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By Melissa Malcolm King

What does it mean to be a saint? To be perfected? To be like God? To truly love others without condition?

Often times in our quest for holiness, we lose sight of the reason for our worship. We become so consumed with the desire to look righteous that we forget that it is an action not an attitude.

I have witnessed well -meaning, kind hearted and devoted members of the church express sentiments that attempt to justify prejudice, bias, racism, homophobia, and more. The perception is that they are simply trying to live a Christlike existence. The deception is that their actions speak louder – the  language of hate, condemnation and persecution.

Christ’s Mission went beyond the miracles he performed or the lessons he taught. What made him the Savior to the world was his ability to not only minister but to love unconditionally. He associated with people who were cast out of society and deemed less than human. The society in Jesus time felt more compelled to show their worship of God by playing the “who is more worthy” game.

This worthiness game divides people into categories: those who are chosen to follow Christ, and those who are not. It places importance on those who appear to have outwardly have made commitments to be saints and condemns those who do not. It enforces the ideal that our worth is a good as our product. Not only is this thinking false, it is devoid of love, acceptance of ourselves and others. It builds walls where bridges should be. It tears apart families and breaks down society. These attitudes and actions take the good news of the Gospel and turn it into elite society for cis-gender white folks.

Jesus himself said “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”  Yet in our meetinghouses, people are stoned with ignorance and injustice. Members stand in holy places yet create thorny paths for others. The solution is simple: If you claim to be a follower of Christ, follow him. Do not follow half-way. Do not follow in the shadows. Do not follow in silence. Do not let others dictate how you should feel or act when others are treated with injustice. Follow him.

Jesus left the 99 to find the one. I believe that this story goes beyond teaching us about missionary work and bringing more souls to the flock. I think the bigger message was that even though the sheep didn’t follow the pack, it was still wanted, loved and had a place with the flock. I think our call is much the same. In this case, to leave our comfort zone of loving the 99, and embrace the one. That person may be someone who doesn’t fit into the “Mormon Mold” like single mothers, People of color, the LGBT+ community,  friends and family of other faiths, and those who do not believe in a higher power at all.

To begin this process, we must be willing to look within ourselves and accept our feelings about ourselves and others, good, bad, and indifferent. We have to rewrite the messages we have been given and stand up against hate in all forms.

To illustrate this, here are examples of the messages I have received throughout the years and what can be done to correct the course:

“Take what you love and leave the rest/Put it on the shelf and walk away”

When a marginalized group expresses pain, shame and /or sorrow we are often asked to pick out the best and leave behind the rest. I should not have to leave anything behind or endure the burden of inequality. Just like you, I should be free to enjoy all that the gospel has to offer with no strings attached. Along these lines, I was often told that the gospel is not a buffet line where we cannot pick or choose. In essence, we are welcome to the entire feast and the blessings. Why should I have to leave mine by the way-side and be satisfied with table scraps?

“If you had enough faith ,you would be willing to accept what is being taught”

Faith is an action. It requires doing something without knowing all the facts or the outcome. Faith is an individual process of connection, love, and the ability to go beyond ourselves to serve others. Regardless of my religious affiliation, I have to right to bask in my faithfulness. I do not have to accept what I know is wrong to demonstrate my faithfulness to man. I do not have to bow down and comply with any standard that makes me feel unsafe. My Faith is sacred and my own. It it is not up to you or anyone else to dictate how I should develop my faith or what it should look like. Faith is not about how I follow the teachings and principles that tell me I am less-than, not wanted, or that my life role is a narrow submissive one. Don’t believe me? Have a little faith.

“You must have not kept the commandments for that to happen to you.

If only your testimony was strong enough”

The God I serve is just, loyal, kind, compassionate, and loves me unconditionally. Our willingness to follow commandments and principles, or to make promises does not mean we are devoid of pain and sorrow. Just as you would not accuse a person with cancer of making themselves sick, it is impossible that a lack of devotion would cause more strife in a person’s life. The God I serve knows that heart of each person and would not want them to take on more than they can bear. The God I serve would not chastise a person for not accepting a calling, staying home on a Sunday to rest, or say no when asked to provide a meal last minute. We are called to serve, not to entangle ourselves in a web of despair. Our worship should not weigh us down, make us feel guilty or make us feel we are not doing enough. Otherwise, It becomes a millstone around our necks and deflates our souls. The God I serve wants the best for me as their child and doesn’t add to my turmoil, but lifts me up.

“When you sin, it’s just another a mark on your pegboard, you are like this chewed up piece gum, you are like a dented can.”

As a survivor of sexual child abuse and rape as teenager, I was raised believing I was sinner. I now know that the above analogies are wrong, but I still carry the scars with me today. I have to come to hold these 2 principles in my heart : When people choose to hurt and/or abuse there is nothing that we did or could have done to prevent it. We are not suddenly separated from God, cast aside or worthless . We are beautiful people who need healing spaces, therapy, and to regain the voice we lost in our trauma. We must remember we were born great – simply because we were born. It is as simple as that. We make mistakes so that we can learn and grow from them. We make mistakes in order to process the world around us. Making mistakes does not make us broken. It makes us human. It gives us the power to create new things and explore uncharted territories. The God I serve made me to have mistakes and loves me just as I am. I am not expendable, I am priceless and no matter what I do, the God I serve loves me even still.

“When will you______________________? You need to start work on______________.”

In the church walls, people often focus on the next step inside of focusing on the here and now. They get the privilege of only hearing or experiencing a mere page or two of a person’s life. These folks do not ever get to read the full story or even a chapter, yet they feel they can decide what the next best step is for others. When will you have kids? You need to start working on that family. When are you putting your papers? When are you going to start working on finding that eternal companion? You need to work on becoming a mother instead of focusing on school. The list goes on and on and on and on. No one should live a checklist life nor should they impose their expectations on others. You should be grateful that a person feels welcome and wants to be part of the flock. Our focus should be how we can love, support and give a voice to the voiceless. Please do not attempt to rewrite a story you have never gotten the privilege to read or experience. Please stand with me even if means others will stand against you. Let love enter where judgements exists. Please do not dilute my life into a meaningless checklist nor do the same with yours. Let love in. Let it begin with you.

“I could love you only if _______ I could only accept you when___________.”

Unconditional love comes when two parties cast aside personal basis, self-doubt and persuasions of others. Unconditional love includes allowing others space and time to be their best authentic self.  At times, we are so engrossed and entangled in what we feel is devotion that we forgot the reason we became devoted in the first place. Find a way to let love in and let the rest work itself out. Unconditional Love is a process that takes place within. That said, let us not forget to nurture and love ourselves first. To do so is not selfish or self-centered, it is an act of humanity. It is impossible to have someone over for dinner if we have not eaten for days. Likewise, it is imperative that we love ourselves before unconditional love can happen with others.

May your pathway to discipleship be paved with unconditionally love and the desire to leave the 99 and serve the one. Take a moment, a minute, days if you need, and decide what you can do personally to rewrite the scripts you have been given. I have found that the greatest thing about life is that we can continually recommit ourselves to do better and to find a better way. We can strive to do so much more than just standing idly by. Will you do something more than walk with me? Hold me up when the ground is too painful to stand on and I will do the same for you. I believe that the most Christ-like thing we can do is to carry each other when cannot go any further. In my perspective, the footprint in the sand story includes each of us holding ourselves up following Christ down the sand. Let the journey begin and let it begin with you.

Diversity is a Necessity, not a Nicety

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This year I started working as a writer and media specialist for the Utah Women & Leadership Project at UVU whose goal is “To strengthen the impact of Utah girls and women through informing, engaging, and developing their voices, confidence, influence, and leadership.” It’s been a pleasure to dive into our research and get a crash course in gender and leadership.

The research I’ve read variations of again and again that keeps me awake at night is about the benefits of diversity. There are tons of studies about boards just comprised of men versus ones where women are present and listened to. Companies with more women on their boards outperform those with few or no women.  Susan Madsen, the Project founder, asserts, “The research globally, nationally and in Utah continues to say that when men and women both work together, the decisions made are more innovative. They’re creative. You have more options of things on the table when you bring people that are from different perspectives together.” It’s not just nice when “the boys include the girls,” it’s smart and productive.

Of course we women of the Church have always believed this. When a meeting house has the bathroom super far from the primary room, we automatically think, clearly no woman was consulted on the blueprints. And when the bishop announces the young men get to kayak down the Snake River while the girls stay home and quilt, we know who wasn’t included in funding distribution decisions. But it’s one thing to intuitively know something and another to read Harvard Business Review and Forbes and pages and pages of research that validate the simple truth that all of us benefit when women are part of the conversation and suffer when they aren’t. It makes it harder to watch bishoprics and stake presidencies make decisions without the input of people who mirror more than half of the congregations being affected. As I scroll Facebook and see headlines about Mormon clergy gone horribly wrong, I wonder if those men would have been put in their positions of power if A SINGLE WOMAN HAD BEEN CONSULTED about his character. When a stake is getting a new president, the local bishops are consulted, General Authorities weigh in, etc. But not a single woman is asked, “How do you feel about Brother X. Does he have trouble working with and taking counsel from women? Does he have a creeper vibe? Does he ask inappropriate temple recommend questions?” Things that most men, no matter how feminist or enlightened, would have no clue about. Men can behave perfectly for other men but turn into entirely different creatures when interacting with women.

But this diversity is not just about gender. This principle of improved decision making and creativity holds true when you vary factors such as age, ability, race, sexuality, etc. One recent study in Forbes showed that diverse teams make better decisions 87% of the time. And they make those decisions faster and with half the meetings. HALF THE MEETINGS. Imagine how people of color feel when coming in to a Church where every representation of the Savior is blue eyed and fair. It never occurred to me how ridiculous this is until I spent a few Sundays in Botswana and South Africa and found myself longing for a Black Jesus that would reflect the faces of the saints there. Similarly it wasn’t until a dear friend developed ALS that I went full on accessibility warrior and hunted down the area seventy to make sure plans were made to install an elevator in our local building. I’d attended that ward for two decades, and while I noticed there was no elevator, I’m ashamed to say I took no action until the situation affected someone in my inner circle. And while I may really think someone is enlightened and ready for a calling, as a white het cis able bodied woman, I have no idea how they’d treat a trans member etc. My point? The Church needs to actively create decision making bodies that are diverse and better representative of the folks in the pews, or the folks we want in the pews.

Bottom line, while sameness may make us feel more comfortable, it is the enemy of growth. Diversity is not the enemy of unity, but a prerequisite. As it say in Corinthians 12, “For the body is not one member, but many… there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” Zion can never be achieved until we understand that acknowledging and promoting the value of our differences will benefit the whole.

Book Review: Ina Coolbrith: The Bittersweet Song of California’s First Poet Laureate

Ina Coolbrith was named California’s first Poet Laureate in 1915. A century later, Aleta George published her biography, which I recommend you all find copies of and read.

Ina grew up as a child in Los Angeles, published her first poem in the Los Angeles Star at 15. She married at 17 there, lost her only child, divorced by age 21, and moved to San Francisco. When her sister Agnes, died, she supported her niece and nephew while also caring for her mother who died 2 years later. As a prominent writer and editor, she hosted many California writers and artists in her homes in San Francisco and Oakland: Mark Twain, John Muir, Mary Austin, Warren Stoddard, Isadora Duncan, George Sterling, and many more. She was Oakland’s first public librarian and spent grueling long hours there and also encouraged the voracious reading of young people such as Jack London.

She was also the daughter of Agnes Moulton Coolbrith and Don Carlos Smith, Joseph Smith Jr.’s younger brother. After Don Carlos died, Ina’s mother married Joseph as one of his plural wives. She felt neglected in her relationship with Joseph and after his death, left the Church and took her children to St. Louis where she remarried before traveling west to California.

Ina took her mother’s maiden name and kept her connection to the Latter-day Saints a secret, probably because after the news of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, it was not safe to be a Mormon or associated with them. However, there are some letters between Ina and her cousin, Joseph F. Smith, whom she corresponded with until his death.

I would love to share all about her life: her accomplishments, her many and unrelenting troubles. Joaquin Miller left his daughter with her to raise while he wandered Europe as many (male) writers did at that time. Trying to support her extended family, she worked 14 hours a day in the Oakland library for 2 decades until the library’s board fired her. She lost most of her life’s work of creating a literary history of California in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire. In her later years she was taken advantage of monetarily by a young pianist who used her as his patron, causing her to borrow against her life insurance policy to support him. But you should all read the book instead.

Despite the honors granted to her: honorary degrees and the title of Poet Laureate of California, she did not have a headstone at her burial place in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland until the Ina Coolbrith Circle, a literary society in honor of Ina, raised money for one in 1986.

I did not know about Ina Coolbrith until reading this book and I am overwhelmingly impressed with her. I also learned more about the conflicts between East Coast literary publications and West Coast in the early 20th century, about Oakland history, and more about a bit of Mormon history.

I really recommend this book. At the very least, read her wikipedia page and learn about the most influential former Mormon poet in history.

Do you know, you were the first one who ever complimented me on my choice of reading matter. Nobody at home bothered their heads over what I read. I was an eager, thirsty, hungry little kid — and one day, at the library, I drew out a volume on Pizzaro in Peru (I was ten years old). You got the book & stamped it for me. And as you handed it to me you praised me for reading book of that nature. Proud! If you only knew how proud your words made me.

Jack London

[image error]Second from the left is Ina Coolbrith as part of the “Champions for Humanity” sculpture at the Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park in Oakland, CA.

Other reviews and interesting reading:

Ina Coolbrith: The Bittersweet Song of California’s First Poet Laureate, a ReviewPublisher’s Weekly ReviewIna Coolbrith: The Bittersweet Song of California’s First Poet LaureateAllen: New biography of Ina Coolbrith, Oakland’ first librarian and California’s Poet LaureateCalifornia, by Ina CoobrithIna Coolbrith at the Poetry Foundation (links to 2 of her poems)Links to more of her poetry at PoemHunter.com

Relief Society Lesson: Power to Overcome the Adversary

Link to the Talk by Elder Peter M. Johnson

Link to Elder Peter M. Johnson’s bio at the Church website

[image error]Elder Peter M. Johnson

First, let us all celebrate that this is the first talk by an African American General Authority in the history of General Conference. That is both really great and also really disappointing that it took over 40 years since the reversal of the priesthood and temple ban for this to happen.

As I was reading this talk, one of the things that really stood out to me was Elder Johnson’s very affirming statements. A sampling:

“Thank you for your goodness. You are wonderful; you are beautiful.”“You are elect sons and daughters of God. You have the power to overcome the adversary.”“My dear friends, please do not let anyone steal your happiness. Do not compare yourself to others.”

Elder Johnson outlines 3 “D’s” that the adversary uses to keep us from reaching our full potential: deception, distraction, and discouragement. For this lesson, I’d probably draw 3 columns on the board with these headings.

Deception

Elder Johnson tells the story in Moses where Moses is told he is God’s son and then Satan comes and calls him “son of man.”

The Lord’s words to Moses apply to you and to me. We are created in God’s own image, and He has a work for us to do. The adversary attempts to deceive by having us forget who we truly are. If we do not understand who we are, then it is difficult to recognize who we can become.

Discussion Questions: Have you experienced times in your life where you feel like you’ve lost understanding of who you are? How do you remind yourself of your divine nature? How can you help others feel their own divinity?

Distraction

In our day, there are many distractions, including Twitter, Facebook, virtual reality games, and much more. These technological advances are amazing, but if we are not careful, they can distract us from fulfilling our divine potential. Using them appropriately can bring forth the power of heaven and allow us to witness miracles as we seek to gather scattered Israel on both sides of the veil.

Discussion Questions: How have you used technology to “bring for the power of heaven?” Have you been a witness to miracles from technology?

Discouragement

We may get discouraged when we compare ourselves to others or feel we are not living up to expectations, including our own.

Discussion Questions: Theodore Roosevelt said that “Comparison is the thief of joy.” To what extent do you find that true or false in your life?

Overcoming the 3 D’s

So how do we do it? How do we find this peace, remember who we are, and overcome the three Ds of the adversary?

Elder Johnson answers that question with:

“Remember that the first and great commandment is to love God with our heart, might, mind, and strength.”“Second, pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus Christ every day, every day, every day.”“Third, read and study the Book of Mormon every day, every day, every day.““Lastly, prayerfully partake of the sacrament every week, every week, every week.”

Discussion Questions: Have these helped you in your life to remember your full potential? Are there other things you’ve done that have help you? How can you help your ministering sisters to also feel the love of God and their divine nature? Your neighbors?

The Gospel of Thomas

[image error]The Gospel of Thomas is an early Christian text that was found in an urn, in a cave, in the desert of Upper Egypt during WWII in 1945.  Fragments of the text have been found in other places, but in 1945 the complete text, along with other texts were found in the Nag Hammadi region of Egypt.  

The records were written on papyrus and bound in leather. The language is Coptic, an ancient Egyptian language written with the Greek alphabet.  The papyrus found in Nag Hammadi date back to the late 4th century. Scholarly analysis dates the content of the Thomas record to the 2nd century or even late 1st century.

Why were these records stored in an urn, in a cave, in a desert in the 4th century? Most likely because they didn’t make the cut for the first editions of the New Testament.  The early Christian church was actually Christian churches. During the first four centuries incredible variety, diversity and plurality existed. The church that was established as the Master Story of Christianity came down from Peter and Paul, while the other churches were wiped out, or fled to the deserts.

The Gospel of Thomas consists of 114 logia, which are short, Koan-like are teachings of Jesus to his disciples. They are often in question and answer format.  Much of the Gospel of Thomas overlaps with the canonical gospels and will be familiar to readers. However these teachings are more edgy and transformational–more Eastern—more mindful. 

There are many reliable books exploring the history of the early church and the records found in Nag Hammadi.   I would suggest works by James M. Robinson (Claremont), Elaine Pagels (Princeton), April DeConick (Rice), and Karen Leigh King (Harvard).  The following website has the logia listed with several translations of each logia and commentary: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas/

Below are a two logia.

Logion 2 translation by Layton

Jesus said, “Let one who seeks not stop seeking until that person finds; and upon finding, the person will be disturbed; and being disturbed, will be astounded; and will reign over the entirety.”

Logion 3 translation by Blatz

Jesus said: If those who lead you say to you: See, the kingdom is in heaven, then the birds of the heaven will go before you; if they say to you: It is in the sea, then the fish will go before you. But the kingdom is within you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will know that you are the (children) of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty, and you are poverty.

Discussion:  

Are you familiar with the Gospel of Thomas? Would you like to see more logia in future posts?

The papyri can be viewed on-line or in-person at museums.  What do you think about the physical existence of these records versus the Book of Mormon records?

Does Logion 2 speak to current ‘troubling’ information we find as we are seeking? Does Jesus instructions to not stop seeking encourage you to carry on, knowing that eventually you will have peace?

Logion 3: A bird’s kingdom is the sky.  A fish’s kingdom is the sea. A human’s kingdom is within us and around us. What does it mean to truly know yourself?  What are your thoughts on poverty of spirit? Can you tie this in to the Sermon on the Mount?

Internalized Racism Hinders Family History Work

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By Michelle Franzoni Thorley

Today I want to continue our discussion about family history for people of color by addressing  how shame prevents us from engaging in generational healing and family history.  This post is for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) but anyone is welcome to learn more about family history for people of color.  What is internalized racism, as it relates to BIPOC? For people of color, or people of indigenous or African descent, internalized racism may lead to racist and shameful thoughts or feelings about themselves or their ancestors.

Many BIPOC people who struggle with internal racism may identify as white, even when their DNA and family history shows ancestors from a mixed race heritage. They may unconsciously think being black or brown is dirty, evil, ugly, or bad. ie. “I am not those things, so I am white.” BIPOC suffering from internalized racism may think that white people, or those of European descent, are superior to people of color.  These thought processes about the supremacy of whiteness are very damaging.

For my ancestors who were colonized by white Europeans, embracing whiteness over their indigenous heritage was like a racial version of Stockholm Syndrome. They developed psychological alliances with their captors during captivity by coming to believe the lies about white supremacy.  They were  subjected to the cast systems set up by the European colonizers, which privileged whiteness in their communities.  Unlearning these beliefs about the supremacy of whiteness is one way we heal the wounds our ancestors carried for generations.

Internal racism can be conscious, but in my experience it is more often unconscious. This is the case in my own family, as with many Latinos and Afro-Latinos.  Both of my paternal grandmothers were indigenous Mexicans.  My grandmother denied this and always said that she had “sangre puro” – pure blood – from Spain.  It seemed she hated the indigenous part of herself so much, she was in denial about the complete picture of who she really was. She was taught to feel this way about herself from her own mother, also indigenous Mexican.  I suspect her mother was taught by her mother before.  This is an example of how intergenerational racism and beliefs about the supremacy of whiteness are passed on in families.

I was recently talking to my friend whose family is from the Dominican Republic.  He has dark beautiful skin and afro-textured hair.  He says his family firmly believes that they have no African ancestors.  He was chastised for even bringing it up. He is starting to research more into his family history.

The cold hard reality of generational internal racism is shame.  The shame of being the descendant of the impoverished, the uneducated, the slave.  In many religions it is taught that to be white is to be delightsome and righteous.  To be anything other than white is evil. Even interpretations of LDS scripture, including  verses in the Book of Mormon, have claimed that literal whiteness comes as a result of righteousness.

“Shame is really easily understood as the fear of disconnection:  is there something about me that, if other people know it or see it, that I won’t be worthy of connection?” –Brene Brown

High scores on internalized racism have been repeatedly correlated with a variety of poor psychological and physical health outcomes among sample populations including African Americans, Filipino Americans, non-American Pacific Islanders and latinos.

This shame will continue to keep many individuals and families away from their family history as long as “white is right” narratives continue.  The only way to combat this is with education, empathy, therapy, and self care.  To any BIPOC reading this, YOU ARE WORTHY.  YOUR ANCESTORS ARE WORTHY. You have all the power to stop this cycle of shame and embrace your authentic family history story.

“If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.” – Brené Brown

Michelle Franzoni Thorley is a family history and plant enthusiast. You can follow her extraordinary work about family history, race, generational trauma, and art at @flora_familiar on Instagram.

Feminism and Fall

Feminism came upon me like autumn happens to summer. I couldn’t have predicted this change any more than I could have predicted the colors or the cold or the pumpkin pie spice. And yet, here I am; solidly in autumnal colors, wrapped in a warm scarf and holding a fragrant cup of spiced cider.

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It has been many years since my feminist awakening; I have climbed mountains and given birth since then. I have met with other wandering feminists and held their hands as we looked at the sky in wonder. I could not have predicted the sisterhood, nor the moments of trust as we held each other’s pain.

There are people who knew me before that don’t trust me now. Somehow, there is this thing between us – my feminism, my disdain of patriarchy in all it’s forms. My interests are second-guessed, my motivations critiqued, as though I am a viper in white clothing. Sometimes I walk quietly; tiptoeing, suppressing my heartbeat. ‘Harmless, there is no threat here”, I telegraph silently. “It’s just me. I’m a friend”. Maybe I am making up for baby feminist that plod through china shops of carefully held ideals.

I have been surprised to find that sometimes the moments of trust and the moments of distrust happen with the same person, oscillating from moment to moment. Sometimes I am given pain with one hand, and the other is held back. Sometimes I carry both secrets and vanity.

People, all people, are walking contradictions. Life and feminism both have taught me this. No human is entirely consistent with every part of themselves. They have changed, too. I know that we are different people throughout our lives

It’s probably better that I didn’t know this hidden cost of feminism, the skepticism with which my non-feminist loved ones would one day regard me. I might have resisted the journey. I find that I know better now how to interact with new non-feminist friends than I do with old ones; I’ve learned what not to say. But I didn’t know before.

I wouldn’t change anything; I wouldn’t go back and tell my pre-feminist self to run (though I might tell her to be more gentle). I couldn’t have prevented it any more than I can prevent the seasons from shifting. Finding new things is part of the joy. This change, which I have fought and embraced, which has brought joy and pain, has divided me from my past and from my past loves. Walking in the valley of sorrow, I find that loss is part of the game.

So, my fellow feminists, I hope that what you have found here has compensated you for what you’ve lost. Mother Eve ate fruit (an autumnal apple, perhaps?), and her eyes were opened. I wonder if Adam saw her differently.

Book Review: The Female Transformation of Narrative: A Review of Kiersten White’s The Guinevere Deception

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The Female Transformation of Narrative:

A Review of Kiersten White’s The Guinevere Deception

By Katherine Cowley

As a teenager, I didn’t notice that many of my favorite novels and movies had no female characters—or at least very few female characters with true agency, with desires of their own, and with the ability impact the story. Now, as I reread books from Lord of the Rings to Ender’s Game, the dearth of empowered female characters startles me: there is no character in these stories that represents who I want to be.

New York Times bestselling author—and Mormon—Kiersten White writes about this as part of her motivation behind her new young adult novel, The Guinevere Deception (released November 5th, 2019, by Delacorte Press). She says, “I’ve always been fascinated by the Arthurian legends, but I find the same problem there that I have with most classic tales: a stunning lack of compelling female characters…. I wanted a Guinevere who was more than the fickle, feckless love interest. A Guinevere with agency and longing, adventures and fierce friends. A Guinevere who perhaps isn’t Guinevere, but a mystery to everyone—including herself.”

White delivers, with a fierce, independent Guinevere who acts as a hero to Camelot at a time when civilization itself risks falling. While set in Camelot, the story can be read as a mirror of our own times and the issues women still face on a daily basis. In the opening chapter, as she journeys to marry King Arthur, Guinevere recognizes the objectification and commodification of women: she knows that those around her see her as “goods to be guarded and safely delivered to the new owner.” Later in the book, we read, “annoyed, she forgot to be a painting.” At other points she questions her own behavior: “Why did she constantly offer smiles when none were demanded?”

Women are expected to wield power in Camelot, and as the new queen, Guinevere holds extra sway, yet still she finds herself confined by the circumscriptions and bounds of that power, by the roles she plays that, while powerful, also limit her. Magic is not allowed, and every time she uses it, she risks losing everything she has gained. Of this power, she thinks it is “[b]etter to be small. Knotted. Contained.” At her lowest point, she believes this not only about her magic, but about herself. It is wearying to constantly fight for power in society, to fight for a place, to fight for notice, to fight to make a difference and realize that your contributions are less valued than the contributions of men.

Ultimately, Guinevere transforms the often-told narrative and is able to define herself and her power on her own terms. As this occurs, Kiersten White also transforms the reader’s experience of the classic tale. Instead of being a story of a man and his friends and their adventures, this is a story of a woman and her friends (several of them LGBTQ characters) and their adventures.

We need stories like this, books that take our history and our classic literature and show a multitude of spaces for women within. As science fiction author Kameron Hurley writes in a Hugo-award winning essay: “We have always fought.” Women have always fought, and Kiersten White uses fiction to provide a model for creating more possibilities for ourselves. The Guinevere Deception is a compelling, empowering story for young adults and adults alike.

Katherine Cowley is the author of the fairy tale retelling, “Tatterhood and the Prince’s Hand,” which is part of the anthology Unspun: A Collection of Tattered Fairy Tales. She is on the board of directors for the Mormon Lit Lab; her Mormon fiction has been published in Segullah and the Mormon Lit Blitz.

Guest Post: Toward a Gender-neutral, Gender-inclusive LDS Hymnal

[image error]by Bob Rees

“A hymnbook is as good an index to the brains and the hearts of a people’s as the creed book.”

—Alexander Campbell

One of the enlightened revelations of the Restoration is the sentiment that males and females “are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33), and yet this ideal has yet to be realized in the modern Church let alone in the contemporary church during a time when an awareness of the importance of gender-inclusive language, imagery and symbolism is greater than it has ever been in Western civilization. In Latter-day Saint religious practice, however, there are doctrinal reasons why, at least in terms of perception, women and men are not equal. Traditionally, men not only have had greater power and prominence because of the priesthood, but historically they have been privileged in areas that have nothing to do with gender—such as giving prayers in general conference, speaking in church, and holding auxiliary positions (such a Sunday School President) that do not require priesthood. I’m told, for example, that the president of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has always been a priesthood holder!

In the recent past, the Church seems to have become aware of the asymmetry between the lived experience of men and women in the Church and have taken some small but nevertheless symbolic steps to create at least the perception of equality. Women praying in general conference and female general board officers and general authority spouses given a more conspicuous seating in general conference are just two visible examples of this effort. Neylan McBaine’s important book, Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women’s Local Impact (2014) is full of practical and sensible suggestions for giving women more voice and vision in the lived experience of LDS congregational and family life.

One way in which the Church could be more equitable in its treatment of women and girls is in incorporating more gender-inclusive language in General Conference, in official pronouncements, and in Church publications and manuals. Language makes a difference; young girls growing up and coming of age in the Church cannot help but be aware of the fact that male pronouns are used almost exclusively to refer to both genders–in scripture, in official Church materials, in sacrament talks, in Sunday school manuals, and in general conference addresses.

There is one step the Church could take that could have a significant impact on the way girls and women feel, i.e., make the hymnal gender-inclusive or gender neutral. Since hymns are one of the few liturgical elements of Mormon worship in which everyone has an equal opportunity to participate and one that occupies such a prominent part of our worship experience, I believe it would make a huge difference if in the next revision of the hymnal, inclusive language were used wherever possible. Since, as Douglas Campbell notes in his article, “Changes in LDS Hymns: Implications and Opportunities,” the Church has made significant changes in each past revision of its hymnal, it should be fairly easy for those charged with the next revision to be more attentive to language, especially language relative to gender. This should not be a daunting task since, as Campbell observes, “As I proceeded [to review the changes from the 1948 to the 1985 hymnal], I was fascinated to see the changes in the hymnal that reflect increased sensitivity by the church music committee to blacks, Native Americans, and women. I found that the Church music committee had used ingenious methods to modify the hymns to reflect changes in the social, cultural, and political milieu in which the church disseminates its message.”

With specific reference to gender-inclusive texts, Campbell observes, “I discovered many changes in the 1985 hymnal from gender-exclusive language to gender-neutral language. After doing a careful count, I found that nearly two-thirds of the hymns were gender neutral. I examined language in the 102 hymns that do use male gender-exclusive language. Despite the Church music committee’s numerous changes (made explicitly to create increased gender- neutrality), I was surprised to find the ratio of male gender–exclusive language to female gender-exclusive language was 147 to 2” (p. 86). Thus, for nearly thirty years, a third of our hymns have been male gender-exclusive.

There are nine male terms in the hymnal as opposed to four female (sister, daughter, mother, her).  While the hymnal contains a number of mononyms for men (e.g., Adam, Abraham, Moroni, Nephi, Joseph, et al) it contains none for women. Some of the female-gender words include those for non-female entities such as Zion (“her walls rejoice”), Zion’s Hill (“her light should”), the Earth (“Let earth receive her king”), and, of course, Babylon! (“all her tow’rs o’erthrow”). A final one, which Carol Lynn Pearson noted in her “Why I Stay” presentation at the 2013 Sunstone Symposium, is the grave. As Carol Lynn observes, “Last Sunday I sang with the congregation the beautiful hymn, ‘We’ll Sing All Hail to Jesus’ Name,’ and in the midst of eight pronouns honoring masculine divinity, there was only one feminine pronoun: ‘The grave yield up her dead.’  There is no love in that, and the insult is not lost on the psyches of women and men, boys and girls who sing it. Of course I sang. ‘…the grave yield up its dead.’” The equation of the male pronoun to deity and the female to death can have a significant if subtle influence on the singers, male and female.

Of the 147 hymns in the hymnal that still have masculine dominant language, most require a simple substitution of words or phrases (e.g., “one” for “man” or “we” for “he”). Others, like “Faith of Our Fathers” (84) can be changed to “Faith of Our Founders,” “Faith of Our Parents” or “Our Ancestors’ Faith.” “God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand” (78) could be changed to “God of All Nations,” although that would necessitate changing the second verse “in this free land” to something like “in all our lands” and “Thy true religion in our hearts increase” to something like “all true religion in our hearts increase.” The hymn, “God of Our Fathers, We Come Unto Thee” (76), can be changed to “God of All Nations,” “God of Our People” or “God of our Parents.” Such changes have the advantage of making some hymns less nationalistic and more universal, thus making them more appealing to members of a global religion.

Again, to quote Campbell, “The accidental, unwilled, historical pattern of male gender-exclusive language in a hymnal sends the accidental, unwilled, subtle message which can be interpreted by youth, converts, single parent families, widows, married and unmarried women that men are more important” (p. 79). Thus, the significant work taken to make the texts of the 1985 hymnal gender inclusive needs to be expanded by the Church in its next revision, especially given the current sensitivity surrounding women’s roles and image in the Church. Because hymnals are not often revised, any revision of texts should involve women across a spectrum of ages, backgrounds and cultures. Any new hymns should also reflect this more sensitive, equitable and balanced use of language so that when we sing praises to the Lord, we sing with one voice.

Bob Rees teaches and is Director of Mormon Studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He is the author/editor of numerous studies on Mormonism and is currently writing a book on the Book of Mormon.

Although some general authorities have shown a wiliness to use more gender-inclusive language in conference addresses, most seem unaware that women and girls may feel excluded, or at least not fully included, through the use of masculine-exclusive terminology.

Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 28:3 (1979), 86.

Unfinished Post

I have weird hair right now. It is still dark for the most part, curly, shorter than it has been in years. But there is a haystack of grey, coarse, strange difference at the top of my head, a nearly four month grow out transitioning from dyed hair to natural hair. The threshold between then and now is an untidy line dividing the hair I know and the hair I have been hiding, every day revealing a new personality. This new hair defies layers of product, changes color from light to light, and stands straight up on end if the weather shifts one degree east or west. I am a badger with a bristling mohawk, suddenly fierce, defiant. Someone said to me yesterday, “You can’t see it that much when your bangs are down.” Perhaps they were trying to be helpful. I immediately put my bangs up in barrette. “How about now?” I said, making my intentions clear.

I got three paragraphs into this essay. It was going to meander through aging but not feeling old, appearance and a vague concept of reverse vanity, and somewhere I was going to fold in reading Anne of Green Gables for the first time and determining I was a kindred spirit with Anne in spite of being the age of her aunt Morilla. Then, like going upstairs into a room to retrieve something and getting there and having not a clue what it was … my writing trailed off. What was I embracing again? My concentration dissolved. I really need to clean the spare room before my mother-in-law visits this week. 

November is a busy month that I make busier by being me. Every year I think, this year I will slow down and enjoy the season. With my little kids, my big kids, then no kids at home … in every permutation of my life, the only constant seems to be this autumn frenzy and my guilt/frustration at feeling out of control. My work ramps up, I have essays to edit, family and friends visit, I start to line up Christmas projects I may or may not finish, my husband is in a fall production, the house is a canvas waiting to be decorated, the list of to-dos and events and happenings swirl around me as I rake the many colors into piles, feeling exhilarated and exhausted at once. Inevitably I get to the end of the month and my husband looks at me from across a table and asks, “What are you grateful for?” and I stare back weary and blank. “This turkey is awfully good.” 

This lack of pause, moving fast without truly acknowledging the rush of joy in the increasing momentum, this is the only real shift I can consider. At this point, fifty years into my seasonal expectations, I am not going to plan less. But I can try and frame it differently. I can imagine I have an advent calendar embedded in my soul and each day from October through December I open a shining door listing new possibilities I want to do and accomplish. I can own it, anticipate it, enjoy it, and most of all, be grateful I can still live it. This year, instead of my faux whining about how this time of year is so, so crazy and I just have no idea how it happens and someday I will be more organized – I will say boldly, “This is how I holiday and it is my choice. Of course I can make buy and wrap all the presents for the adopt a family gifting project!” Can I adjust to this mouse-with-a-cookie-overextended-fragmented celebration of glittering chaos with all the risk of losing track of something, somewhere? 

I think of my weird hair and the essay that never got written. Six months ago I had a can of spray dye that I carried at the ready. One glimpse of silver roots and I would panic, covering all evidence and immediately calling my salon for an appointment. Now I wake up and rush to the mirror, staring at the three inches of grey hair on each side of my part and think, why is this taking so long? What will it look like when it is grown out? What color is it today? And my hair stares back and frizz pops out where there was no frizz before. I shrug. What was once a worry is now an adventure. 

Mindset is everything. The slightest detour drives fresh perspective. Gratitude and anticipation can replace resignation and obligation. This year I have an answer for my husband as he asks expectantly. I am thankful for all the people and all the things, those I served well and those very much in progress.