Exponent II's Blog, page 281
August 20, 2017
The Mormon Concept of Heavenly Mother with Rachel Hunt Steenblik and Ashley Mae Hoiland
Ashley Mae Hoiland and Rachel Hunt Steenblik
In this episode of the Religious Feminism interview series, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, author of Mother’s Milk: Poems in Search of Heavenly Mother and the book’s illustrator, Ashley Mae Hoiland, discuss some of the beautiful and not-so-beautiful things Mormons believe about Mother in Heaven.
You can find episode notes for the Religious Feminism Podcast here at the Exponent website: http://www.the-exponent.com/tag/religious-feminism-podcast/
Links to Connect and Learn More:
Mother’s Milk: Poems in Search of a Heavenly Mother
Rachel Hunt Steenblik’s blog posts at the Exponent
Ashley Mae Hoiland’s blog posts at By Common Consent
Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings edited by Rachel Hunt Steenblik, Joanna Brooks and Hannah Wheelwright
Rachel Hunt Steenblik on Twitter
Rachel’s poem at A Mother Here: Art and Poetry Contest
One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly: The Art of Seeking God (A living faith book) by Ashley Mae Hoiland
We Brave Women cards by Ashley Mae Hoiland
Listen and subscribe below:
A Brief Syllabus on Whiteness
[image error]In the aftermath of Charlottesville, I’ve seen my academic friends reposting crowd-sourced syllabi on various topics around racism and hate in America. If you want to learn more about a contemporary topic, you can read your way through a list of curated links and come to a better understanding. There are excellent syllabi on Black Lives Matter, Ferguson, Charlottesville, and the history of hate in America.
This past week, the Shoulder to the Wheel group collaboratively published a booklet that discusses the problem of racism in the LDS Church with practical suggestions on how to combat racism. It is worth reading and sharing with friends and family. The goal is to get people to commit to learning more in advance of the 40th anniversary of lifting of the priesthood-temple ban for Black members.
One thing that I haven’t seen yet is a good crowd-sourced syllabus on whiteness so I’m going to start one here.
‘Whiteness,’ like ‘colour’ and ‘Blackness,’ are essentially social constructs applied to human beings rather than veritable truths that have universal validity. The power of Whiteness, however, is manifested by the ways in which racialized Whiteness becomes transformed into social, political, economic, and cultural behaviour. White culture, norms, and values in all these areas become normative natural. They become the standard against which all other cultures, groups, and individuals are measured and usually found to be inferior. (source)
I’m interested in whiteness because it seem to be at the heart of racial tension and colonization. Whiteness determines who the other is. Whiteness sets itself up as normal and claims power for itself. It has been such a successful construct that many white people don’t even have a clear understanding of what it is, because whiteness refuses to learn about itself. I’m interested in this idea because I feel that my ability to challenge and dismantle whiteness will grow with understanding.
There are a number of foundational works on whiteness:
W. E. B. Du Bois “The Souls of White Folk”
James Baldwin “A Letter to My Nephew”
James Baldwin “Letter from a Region in My Mind”
Theodore William Allen “Class Struggle and the Origin of Racial Slavery: The Invention of the White Race”
Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination
Ruth Frankenberg, White Women, Race Matters: The Social Construction of Whiteness
David Roediger, The Wages of Whiteness
What resources have been helpful to you in learning about whiteness? What do you want to know about whiteness? How do you see whiteness manifest in the LDS Church? How do you see whiteness manifest in our own Mormon feminist movement?
The Exponent II joins other Mormons in committing to eradicate racism in our faith community.
[image error]On behalf of Exponent II, several Exponent editors and bloggers have signed the following op-ed. The Exponent II endorses this message:
Putting our shoulders to the wheel to end racism and white supremacy in Mormonism
August 19, 2017
August Young Women Lesson: Why is it important to follow the Church’s standards regarding dating?
To begin, ask the young women if they know the standards in the For The Strength of Youth pamphlet about dating.
You should not date until you are at least 16 years old.
When you begin dating, go with one or more additional couples.
Avoid going on frequent dates with the same person.
Developing serious relationships too early in life can limit the number of other people you meet and can perhaps lead to immorality.
Invite your parents to become acquainted with those you date.
Preparing for this lesson brought to mind a quote I saw on Pinterest earlier this month. As far as I know, the author isn’t a Mormon, and I think this advice came from personal experience, and perhaps a little regret:
“Honestly the best piece of advice I can give to younger girls trying to figure life out is to completely ignore boys. I’m not being quirky or cute when I say that, I mean it seriously. Ignore boys’ judgements of you, ignore their insincere compliments, ignore their half-hearted romance. Focus on developing yourself. Practice your art, play sports, do theatre, volunteer, spend time with your friends, but do not put substantial effort into pleasing boys. They’ll be there for you to pursue when the time comes and if you want to. But nothing will waste your youth more than fighting for male acceptance.”
What do you think this author means about wasting your youth? What could you miss out on by being in a relationship with someone when you’re a young woman?
Lots of girls date in high school, usually by pairing up with someone as they are beginning to get to know them, and feel some connection there. That’s not unusual, so why would the church advise to go on several planned group activities before pairing off with one boy? Is it just because the people who wrote the advice grew up in a different era?
Discuss with the girls what’s expected in their peer groups these days. Make sure you understand the norms they’re dealing with, so that your advice will fit their individual circumstances.
So. Step One: DON’T DATE
Part of the reason that we counsel you to avoid boys is that your hormones are still all changing, and they’re very powerful. It takes time to learn your patterns (it’s very common for girls to crave male attention just before their period, for example), and to understand the difference between a decision based on thoughtful planning, an emotional need, or a hormonal reaction.
While you’re still figuring out who you are, you don’t need that added level of complexity.
Learning to communicate with someone else, in a serious relationship, takes up so much time, and it can easily become the main focus of your days. You need time to figure out who you are, and this is the phase of your life for you to do that. Not to mention school, church, extracurricular activities, hobbies and interests, friends, and family.
Your lives are very full, but when we compare ourselves with others, we can still feel left out. What kinds of things can you do when you feel lonely because you don’t have a boyfriend? How can you remember that you have a divine nature, and connect with your individual worth so that you’re not looking for a boy to fill an emotional hole?
Encourage the young women to write down which ideas speak to them, and to add other suggestions. Alternatively, make this into a handout or post it online if you have a shared group.
Here’s a list of things you could try:
work in the garden, plant some herbs
cook something you’ve never made before
spend a day at a museum or art gallery
meditate, pray, read your scriptures
make a list of how you want to feel
read a book you love
go for a walk in nature
try a new fruit or vegetable
make popcorn and have a movie night
listen to an album from start to finish without doing anything else
go out for brunch
create a playlist
go to the movies
ride your bike/rollerblades/skateboard
rearrange your wardrobe
visit the florist and pick out a bunch of flowers
donate your old books and clothes to charity
paint, draw, sketch, write
visit somewhere new
send a handwritten letter to a friend
take a relaxing bath (maybe even with candles)
write in your journal
do some yoga
think of 50 questions and then do some research to answer one
take a nap
sip a mug of herbal tea or hot chocolate and look out the window
have a picnic in the park (bring a book!)
catch up on your favourite blogs
plan some travel
give yourself or a friend a manicure
wake up early to see the sunrise
make a gratitude list
And then, Step Two: START DATING SLOWLY
If you’ve accidentally found that one of your best friends is a boy, and you have romantic feelings for each other, so not-dating is not the best solution anymore, what can you do? Or if a young man asks you on a date, and you would like to go, but you don’t know him very well, what’s the smart way to proceed?
Let the young women discuss if they have suggestions or ideas.
When you’re dating someone, it’s very important to keep your eyes opened to who they are. When everything feels magical, it’s easier not to notice them being rude to a waiter. How they treat other people is how they’ll treat you when they become fully comfortable around you. Sometimes, probably the most common scenario you’ll find, is that a boy is very kind and loving, but isn’t a good fit for you – or you grow and change, so that, while you did suit each other when you started dating, you don’t anymore.
Invite the young women to make a list of qualities they’re seeking in their future husband, some that would be nice but aren’t necessary, and some red flags that would make them seriously question their compatibility.[image error]
Elder Robert D. Hales said “If you want to marry a wholesome, attractive, honest, happy, hardworking, spiritual person, be that kind of person” (“Meeting the Challenges of Today’s World,” Ensign, Nov. 2015, 46).
What does this mean? What does it have to do with these lists we just compiled?
Discuss how they are planning to develop the qualities they most admire. If you have young women who are (or will soon be) dating seriously, discuss how to notice red flags, and what to do then.
In relationships, everything goes in both directions. We need to make sure that we find someone we fit with, because we are committing to the person we marry. We want to stay with them for eternity, and we should make that path as easy as possible.
When I was a young woman, my YW President taught me that the order of happiness goes like this: happily married, happily single, unhappily single, unhappily married. I saw that in my own life, as my parents had many unhappy years before they divorced, and that was much more difficult than my years as a single person who wanted to be married. It didn’t feel like it when I was lonely, but it was so worth waiting to find this person who I love more than I knew was possible. (Share your own personal experience here, or relate another person’s story that expresses this principle).
The choice of who to marry affects you deeply, and for a long time. We don’t want you to rush into it, we want you to be ready for it. Spend your time now trying to become a person you’re proud of, and keep your eyes open while dating so that you can find someone with whom you can happily spend the rest of forever.
August 18, 2017
Lessons Learned The Hard Way
Often it seems the lessons we learn the best are the same ones that we learned the hardest. When I was in 4th grade there was a girl in my class named Tina*. Tina was ‘that kid’. You know, the kid who was strange and wore old clothes and smelled a little weird. Kids bullied her quite a lot. I never said anything. In 5th grade Tina was in my class again. She was still ‘weird’ and still bullied. But now she started to fight back. Now kids thought she was weird and mean. When students would yell names at her across the playground, she would run over to them and yell right back in their faces. I still didn’t say anything. Then in 6th grade Tina’s ‘weirdness’ went to a whole new level. She got caught eating the hamster food for our class pet. The other kids in our class were ruthless. This time I said something, but I was on the wrong side. I joined in the taunts and the gossip. Two weeks later Tina was gone. I found out from my friend who was her neighbor that she had been taken into foster care by child protective services; her parents had been abusing and neglecting her, including not giving her food. She was so hungry that she ate the class hamster’s food.
We never know why people are the way they are. As a child, I did not try to imagine what could be happening with Tina. I did not connect her new meanness to self defense or hunger. And it has become one of my biggest regrets. If I could go back and be a friend to Tina, I would. Wherever she is now, I hope she is well.
This story taught me to be vigilant…vigilant for unfairness, for bullying, and for isolation. It is easier to doubt that what is happening is ‘really that bad’ than it is to do something. It’s an attitude that I have seen when it comes to sexism, racism, and other harmful ‘isms’. It’s not that bad when some random man tells me to smile at the grocery store. It’s not that bad when a person of color gets pulled over for no good reason. It’s not that bad when your coworker tells a joke about rape or sexual violence.
But the truth is, all these ‘not that bad’ things add up to a lot of bad. We are all the product of our experiences. If those experiences, day after day, are discriminatory or degrading, what does that mean for our development as human beings? As a social group?
I’m tired of letting the little things slide. I’m tired of watching them add up to big things, like the alt-right rallies full of hatred and racism, that we are seeing, or the attacks on access to women’s health care (which, let’s be real, should just be called ‘healthcare’). We’re past ‘it’s not that bad’ now.
What experiences opened your eyes? What did you do about it? What are your suggestions of how to be involved now?
*Name has been changed to protect privacy
August 17, 2017
Prominent Mormon women of color respond to the LDS Newroom’s statement condemning white supremacy.
Tamu Smith
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Bryndis Roberts
Read the complete article here:
Black Mormons applaud as LDS Church condemns white supremacy as ‘morally wrong and sinful’
January Young Women Lesson: Why is Jesus Christ important in my life?
Post the following questions:
“Who is Jesus Christ?”
“What has He done for us?”
“How do we know that He lives today?”
Invite the young women to silently read “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” to find answers to these questions, then discuss the answers they found.
Learn together
Through Christ’s resurrection, he overcame death so all could live again. Through Christ’s atonement, he made it possible for us to repent of our sins and return to live with God again after we die. When we talk about the power of Christ, we often talk about these two great miracles: overcoming physical and spiritual death, as well we should, for only Christ has the power to overcome death and save us from our sins. But Christ’s power does not only help us after we die.
Share this quote by President Russell M. Nelson:
Our Heavenly Father never intended that we would deal with the maze of personal problems and social issues on our own. God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son to help us. And His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us. All so that we could have access to godly power—power sufficient to deal with the burdens, obstacles, and temptations of our day. –Pres. Russell M. Nelson, April 2017
Write the words, “Burdens,” “Obstacles” and “Temptations” on the board. Ask the young women to list some of the burdens, obstacles and temptations that godly power could help them with in their own lives.
In his April 2017 General Conference talk, President Nelson suggested four ways to draw into our lives the power of Jesus Christ.
We begin by learning about Him.
We choose to have faith in Him and follow Him. …Faith that motivates us to action gives us more access to His power.
We make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision. Our covenants bind us to Him and give us godly power.
[We] reach up to Him in faith. Such reaching requires diligent, focused effort. See Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our Lives by Pres. Russell M. Nelson, April 2017
Share some examples from scripture and history of people who drew the power of Jesus Christ into their lives, or your own personal experiences applying these principles. Ask class members what they can do to draw the power of Jesus Christ into their lives. Here are some stories from history and scripture you might use:
Antoinette Brown: Power through Learning
In 1840s America, most Christians believed women should keep silence, most colleges and universities did not admit women, and most churches did not allow women to give talks, sermons or speeches. In 1848, Antoinette Brown graduated from Oberlin College, the first college in America to educate women alongside men, and the alma mater of Lorenzo Snow. She applied for postgraduate studies at Oberlin’s divinity school. Oberlin was progressive for its time, but it had never occurred to its administrators that a woman would want to attend divinity school. They decided that they would allow her to attend but that they would not give her a diploma when she finished her studies, which would most likely prevent her from using her education to work as a minister like the male students.
[image error]Antoinette was almost universally criticized for her decision to attend divinity school, both by those who wanted to maintain the male-only status quo and by other women’s rights advocates, like herself, who criticized her for agreeing to such an unfair arrangement: attending the program although she would not be allowed to graduate. Antoinette responded,
“I came back to study theology and get knowledge. I do get it.”
As Antoinette devoted herself full-time to studying the life of Christ, she felt his power. About her time at Oberlin divinity school, she said:
“I learned then to cast myself on the Lord as I had never done before and I learned to pray to him as I had never prayed before. …I have learned to talk with God as I would talk with a friend and I feel that to have His sympathy is all I need. …When anything troubles me I can tell it all to God and he certainly does comfort me even in the most trifling griefs.”
The power that came to her through her studies of Jesus Christ would help her through the rest of her life, which she devoted to helping the powerless as an advocate for women’s suffrage, temperance, and women in ministry.
See Brown, Antoinette. Letters to Lucy Stone, June 1848 and July 1850. Available in Lasser, Carol & Merrill, Marlene Deahl (1987) Friends and Sisters: Letters between Lucy Stone and Antoinette Brown Blackwell, 1846-93 (Women in American History) University of Illinois Press: Urbana and Chicago.
Bill Wilson: Choosing Faith and Taking Action
Bill became addicted to alcohol during Prohibition. With his alcoholism threatening both his health and his livelihood, he sought treatment at a rehabilitation center, where he learned to understand alcoholism as not only a temptation, but also as a disease.
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But medical treatment and education about the science of addiction were not enough to prevent relapse for him. It was during a relapse that his friend, Ebby Thacher, who had also been an alcoholic, told him that he had stopped drinking after recently becoming converted to Christianity. Bill realized that it must have been godly power that helped his friend quit drinking.
”Had this power originated in him? Obviously it had not. There had been no more power in him than there was in me at that minute; and this was none at all.”
The next time Bill was hospitalized for alcoholism, he made a conscience choice to exercise faith to be healed.
“I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without him I was lost.”
During this hospitalization, he finally quit drinking altogether and his faith motivated him to action to help other alcoholics. He said:
“While I lay in the hospital the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others. My friend had emphasized the absolute necessity of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs. Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic! For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survey the certain trials and low spots ahead. If he did not work, he would surly drink again, and if he drank, he would surely die. Then faith would be dead indeed.”
Bill Wilson went on to be a co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, which continues to help millions of people find power to stop abusing alcohol by drawing on Godly power and by helping others to quit drinking.
See Bill Wilson, Bill’s Story: Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and The 12 Steps of AA
The Woman with an Issue of Blood: Diligently Reaching for Christ
In the scriptures, we read about a woman who literally drew close to to Jesus to draw on his power. Health problems had caused her to bleed for 12 years. She had spent all of her money on physicians, but no one could help her, and the problem only became worse.
[image error]When Christ arrived in her town, he was immediately surrounded by crowds that wanted to see him. She thought, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” She reached for him through he crowd, just managing to touch the border of his clothing. The bleeding stopped and she knew that she was healed.
Jesus stopped walking and said, “Who touched me?”
The apostle Peter, who was walking alongside Jesus at the time, thought is was a funny question to ask in such a crowded place, where everyone was bumping into each other. He said, “Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?”
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.”
Then the woman came forward. She was trembling. She fell down before him and told him why she had touched him, and that she had been healed.
“Daughter, be of good comfort,” Jesus responded. “Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”
President Nelson described this woman as an example of someone who diligently reached for Christ’s power, and said that we could do the same:
“When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him—when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life—you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do. When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow into you.” –Pres. Russell M. Nelson, April 2017
See Luke 8:43-48 & Mark 5:24-34 Note: In the King James Version of the Bible, Jesus is quoted as saying virtue went out of him. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible uses the word, “power” and in the notes to Pres. Nelson’s April 2107 talk, Nelson says that “power” is a more accurate translation.
Live what we are learning
Invite the young women to complete Faith value experience 5 in Personal Progress.
August 16, 2017
The Lone Flower: Voting “Yes” for Marriage Equality while Mormon
Guest Post By Amelia Christensen.
Amelia likes podcasts, ripping up gardens, and whale watching. She has two beautiful, curious, and emotional boys with her husband, and aspires to work in the mental health sector. Her heroines are Daria, Emma Smith, and Audrey Hepburn.
When I was a little girl, my mind always thought in shades of grey. As bold statements were made with fury and fire about “good” and “bad”, a voice would whisper, “but what about this?”
In my almost 30 years this hasn’t changed, and whilst the greys are a well providing empathy for others, which I drink deeply from, it has also been a source of pain and confusion.
I’ve never felt quite right. I’ve never even felt like a round peg in a square hole, but rather a hexagon, or a triangle. This has only amplified in adulthood, a time when I have frequently had to seek medical help for mild to fairly severe depression, and a time where I have had to come to terms with the abnormalities of my childhood.
Recently, my family did a two year stint in regional Australia for educational purposes. The local Mormon congregation we attended was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Of course, I had seen contention and intolerance before, this happens everywhere, but never such intense, intergenerational hate. For two years, my family felt mostly invisible. We, along with other “outsiders”, were accepting the callings the “inside” members were rejecting. While we served them, they fought. The spirit was often absent.
This was a time of introspection. I was lonely, and became confused about the church. Was this the church Christ envisioned for his people? Most Saturday nights, I came close to a full blown anxiety attack, and most Sunday afternoons, I came home to a freshly-mown lawn, care of our non-Mormon neighbour. Why were we only experiencing kindness from a few Mormons, but every non-Mormon we came across quickly accepted, and befriended us? It was so natural for them to do good unto others, without the prodding of religion.
Christmas came around slowly, but with gratitude we travelled far from that place, and surrounded ourselves with family and friends. One of these was our gentle male friend Andrew*, who also happens to be gay. I think back now with appreciation for the patience he must have bestowed on me as I asked questions in my ignorance. It never occurred to me that LGBT people wanted more than sex. Among other things, my friend explained to me that he was asexual, and valued meaningful connection and affection in a relationship.
My eyes began to open. For a long time, I assumed I knew everything about the LGBT community, simply because of that old line everyone uses to excuse bigotry: “Oh, but I have gay friends, and they know I love them.” I had put them in a box and treated them as different from myself.
I started listening to stories from the LGBT community. I started pondering why I held certain beliefs, including why I was against marriage equality.
I prayed, cried, and spoke to my husband for hours on end. None of my previously held opinions felt right anymore, but I feared that I was doing wrong by God.
I still pray, cry, and speak to my husband for hours on end.
Australia is gearing up to vote for marriage equality through a plebiscite. The results are not binding, however if favour is with “yes”, a bill is expected to be introduced, and members of parliament will be given a free vote.
The plebiscite is costing up to $525 million dollars, and a previous attempt to hold the plebiscite was knocked back by the senate.
It was considered harmful then, and it continues to be considered harmful now.
The Australian Psychological Society has said:
The Australian Psychological Society (APS) fully supports marriage equality, but believes the process for achieving equality should not be by means of a popular vote.
APS President, Mr Anthony Cichello, says there is evidence that a plebiscite is likely to present significant risks to the psychological health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people as they contend with the stress of a public campaign.
Evidence from a suite of studies shows that in the process of putting marriage equality to a public vote, gender and sexual minorities suffer significantly higher levels of negative emotions than positive emotions, experience significant distress over the negative rhetoric, display increases in psychiatric illness and feel negative, depressed, lonely, disenfranchised and powerless.
Children and other family members of LGBTI couples are also affected by public displays of discrimination against same-sex marriage and homophobia more generally.
The APS also says marriage equality is a human rights and equal opportunity issue and therefore should be a matter for Australian law and our parliamentary system – not a popular vote.
Specific definition of marriage being between a man and a woman was only introduced in Australia in 2004, amending the Marriage Act of 1961, which didn’t formally define marriage but made marriage law uniform across the country. This included a minimum marriage age of 18. Historically, marriages were able to be performed on girls as young as 12, and women did not have property rights.
Marriage has also been performed in various societies, predating Christian ceremonies. These marriage contracts were not always drawn under deity. It is fair to say that Christianity hasn’t had the monopoly on marriage.
I will be very clear in saying that I love my temple marriage, and still keep my covenants. I think The Family: A Proclamation is an important document, and represents an ideal.
But we don’t live in a world that is ideal, and we are sharing this world with others. I don’t know why God’s children experience differing sexualities and gender identities, and the church has come far in acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers. (See MormonandGay.lds.org)
As a church, we do not stand by previous ideas that conversion therapy works, and though gay marriage is not promoted by leadership, and this isn’t likely to change, Elder Christofferson stated that members would not be disciplined should they wish to support same sex marriage. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XybDk3CEoHg from 4:10)
All I do know is that my LGBT brothers and sisters are hurting. They are constantly misrepresented and treated with fear and contempt.
The equality campaign has unequivocally stated that they are not interested in forcing churches to perform same sex marriage ceremonies, which has been one major concern among traditionalists.
(http://www.equalitycampaign.org.au/ma...)
I have seen fellow Mormon members describe the LGBT community, many of whom are active within our congregations and are people I hold dear, as a militant group, pushing marriage as an agenda for further “depravity.” (This is particularly disturbing, as we have just seen literal Nazi and white supremacist violent action occur in the United States.)
I have seen members say they “don’t understand” why Mormons would vote “yes”, as surely these members know church policy and The Family: A Proclamation.
I have seen members share biased articles demonising the LGBT community. On this note, of course, there will be extreme opinions and strange or hateful statements made from members of the LGBT community, but let’s ask ourselves: have Mormons ever been misrepresented or judged on the words and actions of the few?
I have seen members laugh at the idea of a vote for gay marriage as if they think it is silly and trivial, while they bask in the happiness of their unchallenged love and marriage.
I have seen members question the merit of gay parents while their own families are broken, and while Australia’s children are born into neglectful homes, born addicted to drugs, and born only to be put in the care of the state.
I have seen members imply that I’m not on the Lords side.
If I’m not on His side, whose side do you suppose they think I’m on?
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I’m reminded of an old Mormon ad where a daisy is surrounded by roses, captioned with “Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful.” In the past, I always viewed this as standing out from “the crowd” and being different from the world, but what if one feels like a daisy in the church?
I’ve come to realise that there are good people everywhere, and while I value my belief system, I also value their right to live free and peacefully. I generally find they want the same thing for me.
So, maybe I am a daisy.
I’m a daisy who is all about harm-reduction.
I’m a daisy who is all about mental health.
I’m a daisy who is voting YES in the Australian Marriage Equality Plebiscite.
And that’s okay.
*Name has been changed
Relief Society Lesson 16: The Power of the Book of Mormon
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The Power of the Book of Mormon
Preparations before class:
For each sister in the class, prepare a copy of the Book of Mormon (a library copy for anyone who doesn’t have their own paper copy), a small note-card, a pencil, and a copy of the outline/handout. On the chalkboard write the heading, “The Power of the Book of Mormon” next line down “Lectio Divina – Sacred Reading” with numbers 1-4 listed below.
*optional introduction
If you as the instructor feel comfortable giving a short narrative of what makes the Book of Mormon important to you, and when/how you came to that conviction, it might be nice to start this lesson with a your personal reflections on the book. Or invite a class member to do this beforehand. Or skip this step.
(example: “I was never able to attend seminary as a high school student, so the first time I really learned for myself what was in the Book of Mormon was in college. I was alone in a new city, working hard at my classes, and studying the Book of Mormon brought me feelings of peace and helped ward away homesickness. Still to this day, when I want to feel “home” – I’ll pull out my favorite passages to read over and over again.”)
Invitation to Meditation and Reflection
Begin the lesson by asking all the women to turn to a scripture passage in the Book of Mormon that is precious to her. Take the first few minutes to think in silence, and invite them to write on the card, or in their journals, why this particular passage is precious to them. (Not to turn in, it stays totally private.)
(We can set a tone of engaged thoughtfulness when we invite personal reflection. It’s not always necessary to launch into the lecture full-steam-ahead. In this case, it gets the class members thinking about their most precious and dear passages and gives them an opportunity to reflect on the lived experiences which made that passage important.)
Like Father, Like Daughter
President Hinckley and his daughter, Virginia Pearce have some advice for us, let’s hear their words side by side: (invite two different class members to read these quotes from the handout aloud)
“I have always thought that we will do our best work when we get people interested in the Book of Mormon to the point where they will read it. It is then that the Spirit can bear witness of its divinity.” — Teachings of the Presidents of the Church GBH p. 225
“I have always believed that if people are really going to learn something, they need more than an explanation; they need an experience. Alma taught that principle as he encouraged experimenting upon the word.” Virginia H. Pearce, First Counselor, Young Women General Presidency “Ward and Branch Families: Part of Heavenly Father’s Plan for Us,” October 1993 General Conference
Experiment
What experiment is Sister Pearce talking about? Alma 32:27, “but behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.”
So here’s the experiment for today. We’re going to do each other a favor – in the words of President Hinckley, “Each time we encourage others to read the Book of Mormon, we do them a favor.” GBH pg. 227
We’re going to actually READ the Book of Mormon and see if we can find some power. We’re going to awake and arouse our faculties by trying out a modified version of an ancient traditional Christian practice called Lectio Divina – or “sacred reading.” It’s not the exact same procedure the Guigo II the Carthusian monk used in the 12th century, but it’s very similar.
(anybody well-acquainted with my new favorite podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, will know instantly where I got this idea…..)
Lectio Divina
With each passage selected, we’re going to engage the text in 4 layers of meaning.
Narrative (look at the passage in context, understand the place in the narrative – the Literal “what happened?”)
Allegory (what metaphors are hidden in the text? What symbols can we find in the words that are used?)
Reflection (How does this passage speak to you in your life today?)
Invitation and Inspiration (What action are we going to take? How are we inspired to act, repent, commit, etc., as a result of how we interpret this passage?)
(going over the same passage of scripture 4 different times with a different lens is a great way to engage at least 4 different women’s ideas and comments. Try not to let one voice dominate all 4 categories, but solicit participation from other women for each category change. When facilitating discussion, you can say things like “For this next category, let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance to comment yet.”)
How to teach Lectio Divina to the class
Pre-select a few passages you want to cover. (For this example I’ll use 2 Nephi 26:33 – “…he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”)
Invite a class member to read the passage aloud.
Write “Narrative” next to your heading number 1 on the board and ask another class member to briefly summarize the historical or narrative context of the verse. (“After reading his scriptures and copying down the words of Isaiah onto the plates, Nephi takes a few chapters of his own to write his own reflections and ideas before jumping back in to start quoting Isaiah again in the next chapter. This passage is Nephi’s own words, sandwiched between chapters quoting Isaiah.”)
(*Please note: in my experience in church lessons, we often get way too stuck and bogged down when discussing historical context and narrative, at the expense of neglecting the more potent and powerful self-reflective iterations of the text. Don’t let this Narrative part take too long.)
Write “Allegory” as the second heading on the board and invite another class member (or 2-3) to respond. “What words stand out to you? What symbols or metaphors can you see?”
“The action words of what the Lord does: he invites, denies none, and remembers. The action words of what we can do are ‘come and partake’”
“Partake of his goodness reminds me of partaking of the sacrament. His Sacrament is symbolic of His goodness, which he wants everyone to experience.”
“using the language of opposites (black and white, bond and free, male and female, Jew and Gentile) and then saying that all are ‘alike’ until God tells me that the dividing labels we use to separate ourselves from each other is not the way God sees us. God doesn’t put us in categories, we do that to each other. We’re all invited to partake of his goodness.”
Write “Reflection” as the third heading on the board and invite someone else from the class to respond, “How does this passage speak to you in your life today?”
“It reminds me that every person I ever meet has the same loving invitation from the Savior to come and partake. That no one will ever be turned away.
“It reminds me that when we see suffering placed upon people because of those categories, (the color of their skin, their gender, their religion) that we will have to work a little harder to make sure that they get a chance at being “alike” to God and “alike” to everyone else. It helps me stay focused on equality for my friends and neighbors who are at a disadvantage.”
Write “Invitation & Inspiration” as the 4th heading on the chalkboard. Ask class members to respond, “What are you inspired to do from this passage?”
“I’m inspired to do more inviting of my friends and neighbors to come and partake of the goodness of Christ.”
“I’m inspired to act with more love to others, as an ambassador or representative of Christ. When they see me love them without restrictions, it will be my way of passing along Christ’s love for them.”
“I’m inspired to speak up more often when I see people being treated unequally based on their skin color, or gender, or religion.”
Since not everyone in the class has had a chance to participate in the discussion, give the class members another 2 minutes of meditative silence to write down their own allegories, reflections and inspirations on their card or in the journal.
Close out the first exercise in Lectio Divina with this quote by GBH:
“There is nothing we could do of greater importance than to have fortified in our individual lives an unshakable conviction that Jesus is the Christ… And, my brothers and sisters, that is the purpose of the coming forth of this remarkable and wonderful book.” GBH pg. 226
Share this quote by Sister Wixom:
“When our intent is to hold tight to the word of God, our reading of the scriptures can be just one verse at a time. It’s never too late to begin. You can start now.” Rosemary M. Wixom, Primary General President “Stay On the Path,” October 2010 General Conference
Repeat the process of Lectio Divina with another 1-2 scripture passages, as you have time and inclination. If the class members seem to enjoy this type of scripture study, analysis and reflection, share with them this passage of the biography of Parly P. Pratt, as he describes his enjoyment in reading, “I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.”
Conclusion
First share this quote by President Hinckley:
“Brothers and sisters, without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts and added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.” GBH pg. 233
Then, ask someone from the class to voluntarily share their “precious” scripture from the beginning of class and what makes it special to them.
After they do so, respond generously to their willingness to share and point out if their passage was most important to them for the Narrative, Allegorical, Self-Reflective or Inspirational qualities.
Let that sister’s words and testimony be the conclusion of the meeting, or end with your own words of testimony if you feel inclined.
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