Exponent II's Blog, page 3

Why I Can’t Stop Thinking About the Story of Shari Franke’s Temple Recommend

November 15, 2025 Mindy May Farmer

In Shari Franke’s memoir, “The House of My Mother,” she recounts how, after leaving her parent’s home for college, an influential, older man in the LDS Church preyed upon her. This man, dubbed “Derek,” recognizes how Rube’s previous abuse and teachings about authority make her especially vulnerable to abuse and manipulation. When Derek pressures and overwhelms her with gifts and praise, then begins to sexually assault her, Shari reacts with well-honed responses from years of abuse: freezing and fawning.

Shari only comes to understand these trauma responses, lesser-known counterparts to fight or flight, after therapy sessions with a licensed professional. She begins to see how these trauma responses shaped her childhood and her dysfunctional relationship with her mother. Unfortunately, shame and ingrained teachings about sin still keep her from fully recognizing and seeking help ending Derek’s abuse. I think it must have been difficult to give her adult self the same grace she offered her younger self, even though both endured abuse and both needed support to heal before they could begin to change their situation.

When Derek’s manipulation, abuse, and stalking finally become unbearable, Shari seeks help from an aunt, then confesses to a concerned roommate. This deeply vulnerable moment with her roommate struck me as especially poignant. Shari describes her roommate, not unkindly, as ultra-devout. This is someone who follows every rule exactly, who leaves a room with foul language, and is a card-carrying member of the “Not Even Once Club.” I expect her to be judgmental and rigid (extra judgmental of me, I know) and Shari is unsure about how she’ll react.

Shari’s roommate actually responds immediately with compassion and kindness. She first works to remove shame out of the conversation, acknowledges abuse and coercion, and emphasizes healing over repentance. When Shari’s biggest fear comes up – losing her temple recommend to the one place she believes she could find solace and healing – her roommate immediately declares that it would be wrong and cruel for LDS Church leaders to take it away. She is confident that their Bishop will let Shari keep it.

It’s moments like these where I get a glimpse of the hope progressive people feel who remain active in the LDS Church. They claim that hearts are changing and young people are approaching the gospel differently. Substantial change feels tantalizingly close.

Except, the reality remains that these two young women hold no spiritual authority in their Church when it comes to making these kinds of decisions. It doesn’t matter what the spirit tells them, really, because they won’t make substantial decisions here. It’s also unlikely that they will question leader’s decisions, even if they feel wrong. Instead, they’ll allow obedience and a belief in priesthood authority to override their own spiritual authority and intuition. If they follow this pattern often enough, it will usually permanently silence dissent – at least externally.

In Shar’s situation, it didn’t even matter that a compassionate Bishop who knew her heart didn’t want to focus on sin and punishment and thought she should keep her temple recommend. He initially gave her hope that she could keep her recommend as she healed, but told her he had to take things up the chain of command to the Stake President. Unfortunately, this meant his focus became about her status with the Church, instead of counseling, support, and healing. After the Stake President had his say, Shari lost her temple recommend and her sacrament privileges for a time, reinforcing shame and unworthiness to a victim of abuse.

I don’t understand why this initial conversation with the Bishop ever even approached repentance or consequences. Why would the Lord’s representative not simply listen and then seek a path to healing and wholeness spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? Shouldn’t any perceived sin be far down the list of concerns when someone has endured so much and has already suffered through not only abuse from someone else, but their own shame and self-recrimination?

What would it have looked like if, instead of barring this hurting young woman from what she believed to be the Lord’s house, leaders had opened the doors wider? What if she received the message that God would not be a part of continuing to traumatize her by denying her spiritual renewal and defining her worth by the actions of her abuser? What if she’d adorned herself in white and sat with her sisters in Christ to recommit to God in the temple and feel its peace? What if she’d sat in the Celestial room, where she felt closest to God, and felt the promised healing power of the atonement?

And what if – what if – those two young women received word back from the Bishop and still felt the spirit tell them Shari should keep her recommend and continue to take the sacrament? What if, instead of simply believing their spiritual authority had less value, they returned to the Bishop’s office? What if, when the Bishop felt the spirit prompt him to prioritize healing, he had listened and not only asked Shari to keep her recommend, but invited her to go immediately?

What if we stopped seeing these types of stories as exceptions or anomalies to be easily dismissed; if young men and women didn’t grow up to become the same leaders who value handbooks, conventions, and the words and ideas of aging men over their own spiritual promptings?

As I sat in the foyer on Sunday and heard strains of primary children singing/yelling “Follow the prophet!,” I cringed and thought, once again, of Shari Franke’s temple recommend. The LDS Church is so proud of its lay, unpaid, regular-guy leaders. They love to pronounce that the spirit can speak through any worthy man and that God continues to speak through prophets and apostles today. This is billed as innocent and pure, where nothing can go wrong with God at the helm, and obedience is safety.

But the reality is that God has also given us the miracles of psychology, ministerial training, and critical thinking. The LDS Church has the means to train leaders in understanding abuse and trauma, in supporting members going through complex situations, and in seeking support beyond their capacity. There are far too many examples of people being further victimized and traumatized when they sought help from Church leaders who are not prepared to truly support them.

There’s also a huge number of untold stories because people are told that a priesthood leader’s word trumps their spiritual authority; they receive “counseling” from untrained, lay leaders; abusers are believed over victims because of status or their repentance process is prioritized over supporting victims; stories about problems aren’t discussed, so they are easily dismissed as outliers; It’s easier to trust in leaders and believe all is well, rather than face harsh realities of spiritual abuse and systemic harm.

The LDS Church must find a way to teach consent, spiritual autonomy, and personal boundaries alongside obedience and trust in authority. If we’re going to have children sing, “Follow the Prophet,” we need an “and.” No one wants to adjust a system to account for those who would abuse the vulnerable or take advantage of systemic weaknesses. No one wants to believe that those led by the spirit could allow abuse to happen under their watch. No one wants to because it forces us to face uncomfortable realities and adjust in ways that are often inconvenient, cumbersome, and even impersonal feeling. The LDS Church needs to do it anyway.

In her memoir, Shari Franke asserts, “My heavenly father knew the depths of my heart and the strength of my spirit. From now on, in Him alone will I place my trust. And no one else.” I don’t know the status of her beliefs, her church membership, or her temple recommend, and I don’t need to. But I am grateful to her for sharing painful, difficult stories publicly, even though her life has been far too public for far too long. Reading this quote, I hope she moves forward in peace and healing, where ever that takes her.

De-Canonize Doctrine & Covenants 132

November 15, 2025 Linda Hamilton

This month polygamy is a hot topic in Mormonism as the Latter-day Saint Church curriculum covers Doctrine and Covenants section 132. There are a lot of interesting articles, ideas, and lesson materials floating around. Since I frequently write about how everything is polygamy, I wanted to contribute to the discourse with what I think is the real message we should be spreading: De-canonize D&C 132.

D&C 132 is a recorded revelation of Joseph Smith from 1843 directed at his (first) wife, Emma. For over a year, Joseph had been secretly marrying new wives and deceiving her. He also slowly taught the doctrine of plural marriage to other loyal men in his inner circle. When his brother Hyrum accepted the doctrine, he told Joseph to write a revelation for Emma to persuade her. Joseph, rightfully, told his brother he didn’t know Emma like he did. Nevertheless, Joseph wrote it, presented it to Emma, and she (reportedly) threw the copy in the fire. D&C 132 is a direct condemnation of Emma and her resistance to polygamy. It takes the “Elect Lady” of D&C 25 and threatens her with destruction if she will not allow her husband to get as many virgins as he wants. All in the name of God.

My image of D&C 132 recorded in 1843, on display at the Church History Museum

This section was not included in the scriptures until 1876 and it was officially canonized in 1880. By that time, the LDS church openly lived polygamy and made it the crux of their religious identity and worship. Even as the federal government increased legal pressure on the church to denounce it, they held fast and created an underground network of polygamists fleeing the law. Unable to withstand the crackdown longterm, the church disavowed polygamy officially in 1890, though it would be several decades before both sanctioned and unsanctioned plural marriages finally ended in the mainstream LDS church.

The inclusion of D&C 132 was a strategic move for the 1870s. Persecutions, as the Saints viewed it, were mounting against them rapidly. Generations of members had given their blood, sweat, and tears to this doctrine. It makes sense that church leadership would spread the words of their founder at this time to support the doctrine they were clinging to. They may have also hoped it would legitimize the practice as a religious tradition in the eyes of secular society.

But it’s now 2025. The LDS church has denounced the (earthly) practice for over a century. So why the hell in the year of our Lord Taylor Swift is D&C 132 still a thing?

D&C 132 lays out that “the new and everlasting covenant” is required for salvation and for marriages to continue beyond death. The new and everlasting covenant is polygamy. Today, leaders and members renegotiate it to mean just temple marriages but that’s dishonest to the actual intent of Joseph Smith and his revelation. If the church wants to clear up the question of “do we or do we not believe polygamy is an eternal principle that all must practice one day,” then it should clear out the revelation that literally teaches that. Leaving it in scripture only contributes to confusion and heartbreak.

The second half of D&C 132 discusses how men are allowed to get more wives than one and it’s not considered adultery. A man can have all the virgins he desires and his first wife must obey or she will be destroyed. It also says if a woman takes another man after marriage, she has committed adultery, but a man can continue to espouse virgins without condemnation. The revelation places the crowning glory on polygamy not only as sanctified by God, but as the pinnacle of man’s eternal destiny.

Women are reduced to objects that should be desired, possessed, and taken. No agency is granted to women in this revelation, except to refuse her husband and be destroyed. Women’s purposes are downgraded to only their sexuality and virginity. Even in the “nice” verses at the beginning that members like to quote now, women are completely passive. Only men take action by marrying, receiving, and covenanting. Wives are only acted upon, not actors.

This revelation is a farce to begin with, in my opinion. No loving God would treat women so poorly and call it good. No deity worth worshiping would demand women suffer under threat of destruction to be used and abused by men. Plural marriage was Joseph’s creation, not a religious mandate from God. Polygamy is a rotten tree and by their fruits ye shall know them.

Do we ever stop to truly think about what having this kind of canonized scripture does to us, both consciously and unconsciously? How are girls supposed to grow up equal before God when that same God tells them they are only sexual objects to be taken at men’s whims? Hasn’t experience proved time and again that men in the church are frequently let off the hook for sexual sins while women must suffer the full extent of the law for the same things? How many abusive men are protected by a patriarchal system that has its roots in a doctrine of men being allowed whatever and whoever they want with God’s sanction?

Leaving D&C 132 in our scriptures now is a cancerous growth on the institution. Even as the church hierarchy tries so hard to prove that Mormons are just like any other Christian, they continue to allow this egregious scripture to stand. We need to de-canonize 132. It serves no purpose other than to remind of a past filled with trauma at best, and at worst enables the most horrible kinds of doctrines, policies, and behaviors.

But in an all-male leadership and a church structured entirely by and for men, I doubt this will never happen without grassroots’ pressure. Why? Because once again, everything is polygamy. If there’s no support for historical polygamy, there’s no foundation for the eternal polygamy they continue to practice in sealing practices. Acknowledging that polygamy was a bad practice of the past would erode their authority today. It would prove the lack of God’s guidance at a cataclysmic level. Polygamy is the lynchpin for the modern church hierarchy, even if we’ve supposedly left it in the past. They cannot abandon polygamy without throwing Joseph, Brigham, and all the others under the bus before dragging themselves beneath it too. The church must feel the pressure of its members to make real changes, as it has so many times in the past with policy and doctrinal shifts.

Until then, polygamy is still the defining piece of what it means to be a Mormon and a Latter-day Saint. Because you must uphold it institutionally and doctrinally as eternal and God-sanctioned in order to truly follow the prophet. When polygamy is the core of priesthood authority, you cannot obey that authority without also obeying polygamy. Plural marriage is at the heart of sealings and temple ordinances that you must do, forever entwining you, your marriage, and your posterity with plural marriage as the foundation of salvation. You must allow D&C 132 to grow in your bones and weave into your sinews, even if you ignore or hate most of the words. You cannot abandon this revelation, it’s sexism and sins, without admitting that Joseph and Dallin are one in the same—men clinging to patriarchal power that ultimately serves only them and those like them. Women will never be equal in a Mormon God’s eyes because in the end women are only virgins or whores, objects to collect to satiate a lust for power and control that will never be finished.

If having to continually uphold polygamy as priesthood authority does not sit right with you, there is a solution! The church can and should admit that polygamy was an act of man, not God, then remove it from the scriptures. Speak up in Sunday school lessons. Don’t stay silent in the ongoing oppression of women. De-canonize D&C 132. It’s critical to our generational healing, rooting out sexism and homophobia, and making women true equals in the church structure. We must de-canonize D&C 132, or nothing will ever truly change.

Suggestions for further reading:

The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy by Carol Lynn Pearson

In Sacred Loneliness by Todd Compton

The Kingdom of Nauvoo by Benjamin Park

**This post originally appeared on Linda’s Substack**

Feminine Aspects of God

November 14, 2025 Kaylee

Photo by Shyam on Unsplash

I’ve occasionally been going church hopping with a friend. It is beautiful to listen to a well prepared sermon that ties in to current events and/or the liturgical calendar (often preached by a woman in charge). It’s been touching to see an inclusive, open table for the Eucharist (often administered by women, gluten-free nut-free dairy-free egg-free alcohol-free emblems for everyone who wishes to partake). Mostly though I’ve been distracted by the hymnals. We have our solitary hymn about Heavenly Mother. The title O My Father doesn’t hint that she’s mentioned. I’ve learned that at other churches it can be much easier to find feminine aspects of God in the hymnal. There are titles like Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth, Like a Mother Who has Born Us, Ancient Mother, and Womb of Life and Source of Being. At one service, the congregation sang Be Now My Vision (an updated version of Be Thou My Vision), where the lyrics address God and say “Mother and Father, you are both to me/now and forever your child I will be.”

Mormons generally picture God as Heavenly Father: a glorified being with a male body. I love the story of the first vision. I love the idea that anybody may seek for and commune directly with God. Joseph Smith’s accounts say that he called upon the Lord, which tells us that Joseph already envisioned God as male before he saw any personages. God appeared to Moses as a burning bush. I think God can appear to humans in whatever shape they are prepared to understand. I wonder, what might have happened if Joseph Smith had been raised in a culture where he found it intuitive to call upon Lady Wisdom instead of the Lord. He very well could have had the same vision, only interpreted it as Lady Wisdom saying “This is my beloved son. Hear Him!”

When I followed President Nelson’s suggestion and read the Book of Mormon looking for every reference to Jesus Christ, I found it tricky to figure out which male pronouns were referring to Jesus and which were referring to Heavenly Father. The various male prophets always discussed God with male pronouns. There was one startling exception: 3 Nephi 11. The voice of God announces Jesus’ arrival, but the voice is never gendered. It seems that gender may not be a central part of experiencing God’s presence.

Most other Christian churches teach that God does not have a gender. They see the title “Father” as an analogy. The bible uses many other analogies for God. Some analogies have been commonly taught (shepherd, light, Lord), while other analogies have not been the center of much discussion (clothing, smell, laughter) [1]. I recently read Virginia Mollenkott’s The Divine Feminine. She notes that it is “striking that all three persons of the divine triad are depicted in feminine as well as masculine images” in the Bible [2]. Her slim volume packs in a brief history of Christians using female imagery for God, and then discusses several of the female analogies.

One analogy that I hadn’t considered in depth was that of God as a mother eagle. A mother eagle stays near her eaglets to help them learn to fly. Mollenkott discusses how in Deuteronomy 32:11-12 “the mother eagle images depict a God who is actively trying to create equals by empowering the eaglets to take care of themselves.” [3] Lorenzo Snow saw a similar idea, but expressed it in male-centered language:

“As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”

I’ve often assumed he meant “humankind” instead of just males, but the rest of church is so sexist it also teaches me the truth of Mary Daly’s couplet:

“If God is male, then male is God.”

I like that God can be seen as both mother and father. Are they separate beings? I’m not sure it matters. Genesis teaches us that all humans were created in God’s image. It does matter that we preference one gender over others in describing God.

One last hymn:

Our God is Like an Eagle

1. When Israel camped in Sinai, then Moses heard from God:
“This message tell my people, and give them this, my word:
From Egypt I was with you, and carried on my wing,
The whole of your great nation from slavery I did bring.

2. Just like a mother eagle, who helps her young to fly,
I am a mother to you, your needs will I supply;
And you are as my children, the ones who hear my voice,
I am a mother to you, the people of my choice.”

3. If God is like an eagle who helps her young to fly,
And God is also Father, what then of you and I?
We have no fear of labels, we have no fear of roles–
If God’s own being blends them, we seek the selfsame goals.

4. Our God is not a woman, our God is not a man;
Our God is both and neither, our God is I Who Am.
From all the roles that bind us our God has set us free.
What freedom does God give us? The freedom just to be.

[1] Winner, Lauren F. Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God. HarperOne, 2015.
[2] Mollenkott, Virginia R. The Divine Feminine: the biblical imagery of God as female. Crossroad Pub. Co., 1983, p.4
[3] Mollenkott, p.84

Guest Post: As a Gen Xer, President Oaks’ Talk Was Hard

November 13, 2025 Guest Post

Guest Post by Calleen Petersen

Recently, I was talking with some women, and President Oaks’ recent address came up. The women spoke glowingly of his address and were glad he said women needed to stay home and have more babies. Since women have gone to work the world has become more hostile.

I spoke up. What about the women who can’t afford to have lots of kids?

I was told that that was between them and the Lord.

I said, but he didn’t clarify his statement in that way.

They said, if they had waited until they could afford kids, they never would have had kids.

Many of these same women, weeks and months before, had conversations with me about how important it is that a mother’s physical and mental health be considered, how having enough money to feed, clothe, and house these children should be a consideration. How in this economy, most families do not have the option of the mother staying home. We had conversations about how women feel betrayed that they followed the counsel of President Benson’s talk “To the Women in Zion” and stayed home, despite desires to have careers and interests that would have led them outside the home, yet the women in the highest positions of authority within the church today, did not follow that counsel and have been rewarded for it.

I was witnessing the closing of the ranks. We must follow the prophet.

However…

What President Oaks said is, “It is vital that Latter-day Saints do not lose their understanding of the purpose of marriage and the value of children. That is the future for which we strive.” And, “The national declines in marriage and childbearing are understandable for historic reasons, but Latter-day Saint values and practices should improve —not follow —those trends.”

Here’s the thing- he doesn’t explicitly say women should stay home. He does say we should have more babies. But what the women I was with heard in his talk, and likely most of those Gen X or older, is an echo of all the many talks over the years, like President Benson’s talk- “To the Mother’s in Zion,” saying women should stay home and have lots of children. I would like to give President Oaks the benefit of the doubt and say he did not intend that to be part of his talk, as it is not specifically there, but we have been preconditioned through years of talks and lessons to think this way, so I find it difficult.

Many women in the church, including myself, struggle with perfectionism. Why? Part of it is, our brains are wired this way. Another is because it has been taught in our church culture and over the pulpit for many years. Our job is to strive to be perfected in all things. In recent years, Elder Uctdorf softened the language and taught that we are not expected to be perfect in this life. But for us overachievers out there, we are going to try anyway. And when we fall short as we so often do, through our personal failings, or through not having the scaffolding needed, it creates huge issues for us.

What about all the mothers who shouldn’t have a “quiver full of children”? My parents took President Benson and other church leaders’ teachings to heart. They didn’t use birth control. They had 11 children. And of those children that are still living, whether they are in and out of the church, liberal or ultra conservative, all of us agree that our parents should never have had that many children. We always had a roof over our heads. We always had food- barely. But the toll that took on our parents and the trauma that was passed down has not been easy.

There are women who, due to their mental or physical health, it’s not conducive to being a stay-at-home mother, a mother with lots of children, or a mother at all. These women have a need to build their talents and “mother” in other ways (this was addressed in his talk). Are we making room for these people? Or will this talk be recycled in the coming months and years and used to shame women in the church over, who don’t have lots of children? Will we do it to ourselves? As a therapist, I expect it will fuel guilt for women who will feel they aren’t good enough, don’t have many children, and struggle with scrupulosity.

To the women reading- Maybe your brain doesn’t work this way, maybe you didn’t have a gut-wrenching response to President Oaks’ words, maybe your experience hasn’t included shaming because you didn’t stay at home, or you “only” had 2 kids. If so, I’m delighted for you! You aren’t likely to be sitting on the couch in my office. But can you make space for the many women and children who did? Just because you didn’t experience that, weren’t taught these “gospel truths”, or interpreted them differently, does not mean that a lot of others didn’t, and very real harm and hurt did occur. Both things can be true at the same time, and we can hold space for each other. Mourning with, and comforting us, and rejoicing with you as Jesus asked us to do.

To President Oaks and other leaders of the church, both at the top and at the local level-

If you want more children born, let’s truly support families. Let’s open daycare centers in our empty buildings that do very little during the week, which would provide a safe, affordable place for working families. Let’s make it less degrading to ask for financial help, stop asking prying questions about finances unless obviously needed, and stop making families do janitorial work when they have likely already been working as much as they possibly can to provide for their family, and their own house is waiting for them to clean in the little time they have. If someone needs groceries, let’s just give them without questions or expectations. Food is a basic need. Instead of issuing calling after calling to overburdened families. How about we sit with them and really get to know them? Ask what their needs are and consider out-of-the-box thinking. Maybe we need different types of callings in our wards. What if instead, Bishops said to people, “Our ward has some needs, and we could use your help. But why don’t you share with me how you feel you could be of the most help and what you would be willing to do?” In wards where people turn down callings at alarming rates and the most faithful have 3 and 4 callings, I think this would revolutionize wards and lead to better ministering.

I hope that as we move forward, we can move past gender stereotypical types and recognize that families come in all shapes and sizes. They are not less than because God didn’t bless them with a spouse or children, or they have medical reasons they shouldn’t.

But above all, I just want the blaming and shaming and tone deafness to stop. I want us instead to truly minister and love others.

Calleen is a deep thinker who loves spending time with friends, trying to follow Jesus, and exploring her faith.

“And it Came to Pass . . .” That Girls and Women Age, Too

November 13, 2025 Lavender

I’m submerged in this rich time of life when my grandma, mom, daughters, and I are all on this earth together, where we can gather and hug and tell each other stories. We connect across four generations of women in this moment in time, witnessing aging at different stages. 

Time can be a cruel thing, deteriorating minds and memories, forcing us to live beyond the ages of those we have loved and lost, and changing our bodies into unrecognizable pains and abilities. But when I see my teens pushing through a crowd to find their white haired, wrinkled great-grandmother, and when my mom tells me stories about things I didn’t know, time seems unbelievably kind, too. That four generations of women can meet in this moment, holding the past in our minds and our varying bodies, feels like a miracle.

I always thought I’d be terrified to get old, and sometimes I am, but most of the time, I am awed by the women who are showing me how. I see them living so many lives. For example, my mom, at 61, just became the Mayor of her city. And my grandma, 83, attends three book groups each month, reading and discussing literature with friends. I didn’t know aging could be so beautiful.

As a child, reading the Book of Mormon every day, my imagination was filled with the words and stories of generations that passed away in just a few words: “And thus passed away the sixty and fifth year. . .” The Book of Mormon marked time by generations of men, kings, and judges. I grew up imagining Lehi, Moroni, and Mormon aging, living lives, growing white beards, passing on their names, and keeping this vital record of it all. 

As a new little reader, I always loved those easy first few words that began most verses: “And it came to pass . . .” I could read those smoothly before stumbling over the unfamiliar words and syntax. “And it came to pass” became a constant mantra in my mind, conjuring up the scripture stories of wars and sons and disappointed fathers that came and went throughout hundreds of years. It was the constant reminder of time passing away, so long ago, and the importance of keeping the record of these generations of Nephites and Lamanites so a little girl in Provo, Utah, could read, memorize, and internalize them thousands of years later.

The stories I was raised on taught me that time passed through the aging of men. From young men to fathers to old dying men who lay on animal skin deathbeds and whispered their dying prophecies and dreams to their sons. And then handed them the sacred record. My idea of aging was that it happened through prophets, warriors, and male record keepers. 

But now, as I witness my grandmother in all her soft whiteness and intelligence, I am amazed. In her aging, she gives love and acceptance. She is intense and poetic, pulling out newspapers from the 50s, telling my kids and me stories, texting us love letters, and attending our dinners. How does she know how to be a grandmother and great-grandmother? Who showed her how?

I wasn’t raised on stories of grandmothers or mothers or daughters. And I am amazed to be in one. 

In the thirty-ninth year of my life, it came to pass that in this year, I was a record keeper. I collected and wrote stories. And it came to pass that my mom became a leader in her community; her compassion, endless work ethic, and incredible team made amazing things happen. And it came to pass that my daughters, wow, they created. One learned how to embroider, the other won an art competition, and they both sewed their own clothes. And it came to pass that my grandma’s love saved me again and again. And it came to pass that girls and women aged, too.

My daughters are watching women grow old and lead and write and read and care. I wonder what that will do for them . . . to see women aging and living stories, making and keeping their own records.

What has it done for you? I’d love to know your stories. What came to pass in the year 2025 for you?

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Come Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 133–134 “Prepare Ye for the Coming of the Bridegroom”

November 13, 2025 April Young-Bennett

Doctrine and Covenants 133 draws heavily from the Bible, scattering Biblical allusions throughout without using quotation marks or references. To understand all this ancient gobbledygook, you have to be familiar enough with the Bible to recognize and understand the context based on just hearing a few words from a Bible verse. Or, you can simply read this lesson plan! We’ll go over some of these Bible allusions in detail, and then you can wow your Sunday School class with your insights into the deeper meaning behind the many Easter eggs hidden in Doctrine and Covenants 133.

Doctrine and Covenants 133 was intended to be the final chapter and grand finale of the Book of Commandments. Using bold language that the Come Follow Me manual compares to an “exclamation point,” Doctrine and Covenants 133 covers two of the greatest focuses of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) at the time it was written: gathering to Zion, which early Latter-day Saints attempted to do literally by gathering together from across the world to build their own city (see ), and preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ, an event early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assumed would be imminent.

Table of Contents“Go ye forth unto the land of Zion”“Go ye out from Babylon”“Let not your flight be in haste”“Let him not look back”“Go forth to meet the bridegroom”“Prepare ye the way of the Lord”“There shall come forth pools of living water”Finishing with an exclamation point“Go ye forth unto the land of Zion”

8 Send forth the elders of my church unto the nations which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea; send forth unto foreign lands; call upon all nations, first upon the Gentiles, and then upon the Jews.

9 And behold, and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:8-9

The meaning of the word Zion changed over time.

Zion is described both as the city of David and the city of God. As the Bible progresses, the word Zion expands in scope and takes on an additional, spiritual meaning. …In the Old Testament, Zion is used as a name for the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:9), the land of Judah (Jeremiah 31:12), and the nation of Israel as a whole (Zechariah 9:13). The word Zion is also used in a theological or spiritual sense in Scripture. In the Old Testament Zion refers figuratively to Israel as the people of God (Isaiah 60:14). In the New Testament, Zion refers to God’s spiritual kingdom.

—What is Zion? Got Questions

Within the LDS Church, early church leaders attempted to build Zion both as a literal city and as a spiritual aspiration. Modern LDS church leaders most often emphasize the latter.

In 1831, Joseph Smith received revelation that the site for the city of Zion would be near the town of Independence in Jackson County, Missouri. …That summer, however, citizens of Jackson County drove the Saints out of the county, forcing them to abandon their land and their efforts to build the city of Zion.

…The Latter-day Saints continued to hope for a return to Jackson County, Missouri. At the same time, Church leaders such as Brigham Young taught the importance of building Zion wherever the Saints were.

…In the 1950s and 1960s, the Church began to establish stakes of Zion in many locations around the world. Describing this effort, Elder Spencer W. Kimball explained that “the First Presidency and the Twelve see great wisdom in the multiple Zions, many gathering places where the Saints within their own culture and nation can act as a leaven in the building of the kingdom.” Today, Latter-day Saints gather to local stakes of Zion and build temples in many countries, and Church leaders emphasize the importance of becoming a people who live up to the ideals of Zion—unity, godliness, and charity.

—Zion/New Jerusalem, Church History Topics

What does it mean to you to come to Zion?“Go ye out from Babylon”

4 Wherefore, prepare ye, prepare ye, O my people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my church, upon the land of Zion, all you that have not been commanded to tarry.

5 Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.

6 Call your solemn assemblies, and speak often one to another. And let every man call upon the name of the Lord.

7 Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:4-7

What does it mean to you to go out from Babylon?

It is important to remember that Babylon was a real city, with real people who were children of God like all. others, and that this ancient city brought many contributions to humankind.

The ancient scientists who lived in Babylon made important discoveries in mathematics, physics and astronomy. Among their many accomplishments, they developed trigonometry, used mathematical models to track Jupiter and developed methods of tracking time that are still used today.

—Owen Jarus, Ancient Babylon, the iconic Mesopotamian city that survived for 2,000 years, Live Science, September 20, 2022

However, the Babylon of the Bible is a fictionalized depiction of the ancient city, based on the collective memory of the ancient residents of Jerusalem. In the Bible, Babylon represents wickedness because the ancient Jewish authors of the Bible remembered Babylon mainly as the captors who invaded Jerusalem, their home and their Zion, and enslaved their people. Psalm 137 documents the sorrow of the Jewish people under Babylonian captivity:

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

Psalm 137:1-4

How would you connect these memories of Babylon with what Babylon came to symbolize in the Bible?

The shocking, violent ending of this psalm channels the collective anger of the ancient people of Jerusalem toward Babylon:

8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

Psalm 137:8-9

This disturbing sentiment, while understandable coming from an enslaved people toward their oppressors, still demonstrates that the people of ancient Jerusalem had some violent tendencies of their own, sharply contrasting with Biblical symbol of Zion as “the joy of the whole earth” (Psalm 48:2) and “the city of the Lord.” (Isaiah 60:14)

The books of the Old Testament recount the exile of the Jews to Babylon following the sack of Jerusalem, by whose waters they “sat down and wept.” By the time of the New Testament, the city had become a potent symbol: the corrupt earthly twin city to the pure, heavenly New Jerusalem.

—Juan Luis Montero Fenollós, Beautiful Babylon: Jewel of the Ancient World, National Geographic, January 2017

The manual describes the symbolic meaning of Babylon in the Bible:

The spiritual opposite of Zion is Babylon—an ancient city that throughout scripture symbolized wickedness and spiritual bondage.

—Come Follow Me For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 133-134

Doctrine and Covenants 133 actually spells out that its verses are referencing Babylon as a symbol of wickedness, not as the actual historical place.

14 Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:14

How does the Savior is calling modern church members to “go … out from Babylon” (D&C 133:5) and “go … forth unto … Zion” (D&C 133:9)?“Let not your flight be in haste”

Doctrine and Covenants 133 then goes on to explain how we should leave Babylon:

15 But verily, thus saith the Lord, let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goeth, let him not look back lest sudden destruction shall come upon him.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:15

If Babylon represents wickedness, why are we advised against fleeing it in haste?

Let’s look at the Bible verse quoted:

12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.

Isaiah 52:12

And some additional context:

This phrase reflects the assurance and peace that God provides to His people. Historically, it contrasts with the hurried departure of the Israelites from Egypt during the Exodus (Exodus 12:33-39). Unlike the chaotic escape from slavery, this departure is marked by calm and divine order. It signifies a transition from a state of fear and urgency to one of confidence and security, emphasizing God’s control over the situation. This assurance can be seen as a type of the peace that Christ offers to believers, as He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

—Study Bible: Isaiah 52:12, Bible Hub

How does the additional context from Isaiah 52:12 broaden your understanding of D&C 133:15?

Not going out in haste teaches us that the Savior’s gospel is meant to bring peace, calmness to our hearts, even a covenantal rest that comes through keeping the higher laws of Jesus Christ, as President Nelson has taught. This rest and peace come to us as we trust that this is the Lord’s work, that He is aware of us, that He loves us and will help us. We are never alone in what He asks us to do and become.

…I know that this special kind of rest comes when we don’t do this work alone. It comes as we purposefully partner with Jesus Christ and access His power through honoring our covenants.

Rest comes when we let Him take our burdens and when we choose to sincerely repent. Rest comes when we trust Him with our needs and our concerns and when we choose a higher and holier perspective. Rest comes when we choose to judge each other less and love each other more.

Rest comes when we know that God knows us and loves us. His rest comes when we find joy in bringing the Savior’s relief to others and let others bring His relief to us. Rest comes when we worship in the house of the Lord. Rest comes when we remember and reflect upon the beautiful blessings God mercifully grants us each day.

—Kristin M. Yee, Come and Take Your Place as Covenant Women, 2024 BYU Women’s Conference

How do we transition from a state of chaos to a state of calm and order?How do you find peace, calmness and rest in your life?“Let him not look back”

What about that last phrase in D&C 133:15 about not looking back?

15 But verily, thus saith the Lord, let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goeth, let him not look back lest sudden destruction shall come upon him.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:15

This references the story of Lot’s wife, who, while fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah, disobeyed instructions not to look back and was destroyed.

17 ¶ And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed…

26 ¶ But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:17, 26

Jesus retold the story of Lot’s wife this way:

29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

32 Remember Lot’s wife.

33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Luke 17:29-33

How do you interpret the story of Lot’s wife? What is the moral of this story for you?

Consider this sermon:

These three words began to show me the importance of not looking back. Of always moving forward. Even in the midst of a pandemic or a war or something far more normal. They became words I couldn’t forget and words that showed me the way forward.

“Remember Lot’s wife.”…

Are you longing for something that once was? That is no more? That can never be again?
Are you lingering there in that place where you should no longer be lingering?
Are you lingering in a place and longing for what was, all the while tolerating what is, all in hopes that if you linger long enough, you might get back what God told you to leave?

When Lot’s wife longed and lingered, she stopped and looked back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience. Then, she became calcified and stuck, frozen in time, paralyzed for eternity as a pillar of salt. I’m Greek, and because I was raised to salt food generously, I love salt. But I don’t want to get stuck and turn into a pillar of salt. I imagine you don’t either. But in a sense, I find that getting stuck like she did is so easy to do.

We can get stuck in our emotions,
our thoughts,
our attitudes,
our opinions,
our possessions,
our plans,
our desires,
our habits,
our comfort,
our pain,
our wounds,
our relationships,
our past,
our present,
or even our future hopes.

There are a myriad of ways and places we can get stuck, and it’s not always easy to move on when God beckons us forward, especially when things are safe, comfortable, and just the way we like it. Equally, it is often difficult to move on when we have experienced deep trauma, pain, or suffering, and feel utterly hopeless and helpless. Moving on is something we know we should do, what we often want to do, and at times what we actually refuse to do, but it remains something God eagerly wants for us. Wherever you may be on this continuum, it is my prayer that you will be able to identify places where you are prone to be stuck, or maybe are stuck, and that you will be infused with the strength of the Holy Spirit to take the next step to getting unstuck—and it all starts with remembering Lot’s wife.

—Christine Caine, Remember Lot’s Wife, Propel Women

“Go forth to meet the bridegroom”

10 Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.

11 Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:10-11

This scripture references the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25:1-13. Ask the class if anyone can retell the story for the group. You may also watch the video, “They That Are Wise.” Watch minutes 00-5:45 for a reenactment of the parable, and/or minutes 5:45-8:43 for a fun, retro 90s music video about how simple acts of kindness help us prepare to meet the Savior.

How can we be spiritually prepared to meet Christ?How can we figuratively fill our lamps with oil?“Prepare ye the way of the Lord”

16 Hearken and hear, O ye inhabitants of the earth. Listen, ye elders of my church together, and hear the voice of the Lord; for he calleth upon all men, and he commandeth all men everywhere to repent.

17 For behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through the midst of heaven, saying: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh—

18 When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:16-18

D&C:133:17 echoes Isaiah 40:

3 ¶ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 40:3-5

Whose voice would cry in the wilderness? Matthew and Mark said it was John the Baptist:

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa,

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Matthew 3:1-3

2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Mark 1:2-4

What do you think of when you think of John the Baptist? How should remembering John the Baptist motivate modern church members?

What does it mean to make his paths straight? Here are some ideas:

A Clear Gospel: Heavenly Father wants all of his children to come home to him, perfected through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. To help us achieve this glorious goal, he’s provided a very clear path…

An Unencumbered Journey: While we’ll all experience stumbling blocks in life, we can make a straight path to Christ for ourselves and others by removing what obstacles we can. We can minister to our dear ones by helping them overcome hurdles. …We’re all walking this road together. If the straight path becomes difficult or our view becomes obstructed, let’s work together to clear those things away.

A Close Relationship: On a deeply personal level, we all need to develop a relationship with Christ. When we look straight ahead, do we see him? Are we moving towards him? He is rushing towards us, to help us, to lift us, to save us. However, we should be anxiously heading to meet him. Straighten your back, straighten your gaze, and take a straight step forward.

—Aleah Ingram, What It Means to Make the Lord’s Path Straight, LDS Daily, January 31, 2019

How do you interpret, “Make his paths straight”?

And what’s up with the 144,000 people with tattooed foreheads? This references Revelation, the last book of the New Testament:

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Revelation 7:2-4

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Revelation 14:1

Joseph Smith recorded this explanation for these verses:

11 Q. What are we to understand by sealing the one hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel—twelve thousand out of every tribe?
A. We are to understand that those who are sealed are high priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn.

Doctrine and Covenants 77:11

In the Bible, numbers are often symbolic, rather than literal mathematical sums.

Numbers are symbolic in Revelation, and this includes the number 144,000. Ian Paul explains the significance of this number.

Because of the distinctive square shape of Hebrew altars in the Old Testament (in contrast with pagan altars which were rectangular or round) and the shape of the Holy of Holies as a cube (1 Kgs 6:20), John consistently uses the square and cubic numbers 144 and 1,000 to designate the things of God, in particular the people of God.[3]

The number 144,000 is written in Revelation with Greek words as hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliades.[4] Chiliades (“thousand”) can signify completeness, or inclusiveness, but can also represent a large number that cannot be counted. Perhaps John intended it to have both senses. The 144,000 is a vast but complete and inclusive group of people.

—Marg Mowczko, Who are the 144,000 and why are they all men?, October 13, 2021

“There shall come forth pools of living water”

As Doctrine and Covenants 133 comes to a close, it paints a picture of life with the Savior after His return.

29 And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:29

Living water is mentioned in many books of the Old and New Testament, but perhaps most famously by Jesus in his conversation with the woman at the well. Read the story in John 4:5-29, or watch this video:

What do you think Jesus meant by “living water”?

45 For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee, how great things thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for thee.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:45

This verse almost directly quotes Isaiah:

4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

Isaiah 64:4

The Primary song, When He Comes Again, by Mirla Greenwood Thayne, echoes the whimsical feeling of these verses, with its “I wonder…” lyrics, but it is apparent that Sister Thayne actually did a great deal of scriptural research to support her speculations.  For example, the lyrics, “Will daylight stay the whole night through?” is based on scriptures about the second coming like Isaiah 30:26: ‘Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun…”

Pay particular attention to the second verse of the song, which is sung less often than the first verse, but contains the meat of Sister Thayne’s message:

I wonder, when he comes again, Will I be ready there To look upon his loving face And join with him in prayer? Each day I’ll try to do his will And let my light so shine That others seeing me may seek For greater light divine. Then, when that blessed day is here, He’ll love me and he’ll say, “You’ve served me well, my little child; Come unto my arms to stay.”

Finishing with an exclamation point

What we now know as section 133 of the Doctrine and Covenants was meant to be the appendix to the Book of Commandments, like an exclamation point at the end of the Lord’s published revelations.

—Come Follow Me For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 133-134

Why do you think Doctrine and Covenants was planned to be the end of the Book of Commandments?Do you agree that Doctrine and Covenants 133 is “like an exclamation point”? Why or why not?

Book Review: Polygamy and Women’s Healthcare from a Midwife’s Perspective

November 12, 2025 Michelle Bulsiewicz

            With all that’s going on with both women’s healthcare and polygamy lessons being taught in LDS chapels this month, Desert Birthright: A Midwife’s Memoir by Lori Wrankle feels particularly timely. Published by the University of Utah Press, it released this month and tells Lori’s life story through the lens of her 25 years as a midwife while living in Southern Utah. Three main aspects of the memoir impacted me the most: her experience of leaving the Mormon church, her views on childbirth, and her encounters with polygamist communities as a midwife.

University of Utah Press

Leaving the Mormon church

            Lori was raised in the LDS church in the St. Louis, Missouri, by very conservative parents and a father who would be known as a doomsday prepper and a conspiracy theorist today. She attended BYU, married young in the temple, had three children, moved to Toquerville, Utah—a small town outside of St. George—and subsequently made the choice to leave the Mormon church. Her description of how she was outcast by the community around her for this decision was absolutely harrowing. As someone who moved to California before leaving the church where basically no one cared if I was active or not, I could only imagine the trauma her circumstances would have inflicted on her and her family. I really admired Lori’s bravery to stick to her convictions amidst intense peer pressure to do otherwise.

Viewpoints on childbirth

            Her commitment to midwifery was also impressive, if I disagreed with some of her viewpoints. The way she prioritized her pregnant clients over literally anything going on in her life seemed like it had to have done some damage to her relationships and her health. But, she doesn’t seem to regret it from how she writes about it, and certainly her clients must have been grateful. Lori also stated throughout the book some pretty strong opinions about the superiority of home births with midwives over that of hospital births with doctors. She did share stories of taking women to the hospital during life-threatening situations, and also said she never lost a mother or child in her decades of practice.

I, personally, have given birth twice, both times in hospitals, both times after an induction, once with an OBGYN, and once with a certified nurse midwife. Both my children had difficulties transitioning after birth. My first had the cord wrapped around his neck and required a CPAP and was in the NICU for a few hours. My second also had to have a CPAP, but only for about half an hour, and the NICU team was in the delivery room, so I never had to be separated from my baby. All this to say, I have anxiety around the idea of ever giving birth at home, and take comfort from having a NICU and other emergency services close by while giving birth in a hospital.

However, this is not to say I don’t think women should have a choice in these matters. Similar to my feelings regarding spirituality, I think every woman should get to decide for herself in all matters of reproductive health. Anyone claiming to have the only right way and enforcing it on everyone else is what I will take issue with. I also have my gripes with hospital births—mostly never being allowed to sleep and constant invasive monitoring after birth (I understand why they have to do this, I just am always really excited to go home and be left alone). The doctor also gave me an episiotomy and a husband stitch after my first birth, which caused me a fair amount of pain and difficulty afterwards. But I think there is probably a happy medium here. Access to modern healthcare services is important, but women should be allowed more freedom to listen to their own bodies, and have the opportunity for compassionate care from a professional who listens to and respects them. I think Lori and I would agree on this point.

Photo by Chris Kofoed on Unsplash

Working with polygamist communities

            The lack of said freedoms (and others) in polygamist communities was made apparent from the experiences Lori conveyed of working as a midwife among them. While living in Toquerville, she was close by FLDS communities and delivered several babies for people living in them. She said she was often not allowed to see the pregnant women in person before the delivery, and only talked to the father on the phone. These women—sometimes young teenagers—gave birth in rooms full of their sister wives and sometimes their husband as well, usually fully clothed. Lori describes these women so committed to absolute modesty that they would refuse to remove even their nylon stockings until the baby literally had to be detangled from them. After several encounters like this, Lori began to refuse to work with these families anymore. She felt doing so would support what she saw as a misogynistic and immoral way of life.

I found her descriptions eye-opening as well, and felt terrible for the girls and woman trapped in this way of life. She did also detail one story of delivering for a single mother who was giving birth to a baby fathered by none other than Warren Jeffs himself—but the woman had escaped from the community and was attempting to make a way for her and her child on her own. It certainly brought to life how horrible it is that circumstances like this continue to exist for so many women, and not always very far from home.

            The book ended with Lori’s more recent journey with breast cancer. Her telling of it broke my heart—it destroyed her health, physically and mentally, and ended her career in midwifery. She still teachers art, something she did alongside midwifery for many years, but mourns her work with birthing mothers deeply. Overall, I was honored to be able to go along with Lori in some of her life experiences through what she shared in this memoir. I didn’t agree with all of her views, but I appreciated the vulnerability with which she opened up about the events that shaped her and how much she’s given of herself over the years. I think this would be an interesting and moving read, especially for other more nuanced women on the Mormon spectrum to consume.

Guest Post: A Call to Use Sacred Land for a Sacred Purpose

November 11, 2025 Guest Post

Guest Post by Megan Knowles Thorne

I drive past my local LDS church several times a week. Situated on the corner of a busy thoroughfare, it’s impossible to miss. Whether I’m heading to the mall, our regional park, or a friend’s house, the building is a constant presence. And yet—day or night, weekday or weekend—it’s almost always empty. Depressingly so.

Even on Sundays, even when both wards that share the building are meeting simultaneously, the massive parking lot remains largely unused. It likely always has been. It was built too large, a monument to overestimation or imagined growth that never came. And now, it sits—vacant and wasted.

Meanwhile, in California, we are in the throes of a housing crisis. The numbers are sobering: the state needs an additional 2.5 million homes to meet current demand. In San Diego County, where I live, we’re short over 170,000 housing units. Last year, fewer than 10,000 were completed. At that rate, it would take nearly two decades just to catch up—without even accounting for future growth.

The human toll of this crisis is devastating. Despite significant funding directed toward addressing homelessness, the most essential solution—more housing—remains out of reach for too many. In San Diego County alone, an estimated 187,000 individuals are experiencing homelessness. That’s not a typo.

Too often, people frame homelessness as a “mental health” or “substance abuse” problem. But that misdiagnoses the issue and has been weaponized as an excuse to avoid action. The data is clear: when people can’t afford housing, they become homeless. While mental health and substance abuse support are needed, multiple randomized trials and meta-analyses show housing first approaches produce faster exits from homelessness and far greater housing stability than “treatment-first” models. 

A Matter of Land—and Will

Recognizing the urgency, California has passed a flurry of legislation to accelerate housing production— striving to make it more affordable, easier to permit, and identify more available land. Cities and counties are leading the way, requiring that underutilized public land be rezoned for housing. Private landowners are being incentivized to follow suit, but we need more help.

In Los Angeles, some religious communities are stepping up in inspiring ways. Not only have non-profits and faith-based organizations taken the lead in feeding and caring for unhoused members of our community, but they have become partners in finding policy solutions. 

In LA, several churches have offered up unused parking lots or older buildings no longer in need to be redeveloped into affordable housing. 

Rev. Adrienne Zackery at Crossroads United Methodist in Compton, led the way for a nearly empty one-acre lot to become roughly 65 affordable apartments stacked over new worship and community space. She explains, “When the Lord’s Prayer says, ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth,’ it is the responsibility of the church to meet the needs of the community, which include housing.” That right there is true Christianity.

The East Whittier United Methodist Church is advancing plans for turning the back half of their four-acre campus into 60 affordable homes. There are others.

A recent state law, Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), now allows 100% affordable housing to be built “by right” on land owned by religious institutions and nonprofit colleges. That means no lengthy rezoning battles or bureaucratic red tape. If a project meets the criteria, it moves forward.

This is, quite literally, a godsend.

A Challenge to My Church

I consider housing one of the defining moral issues of our time. Every Californian feels the weight of this crisis. Its signs are everywhere—from the tents on sidewalks to the swelling shelters and overburdened services. It affects every profession, every neighborhood, every life.

Which brings me back to the LDS Church.

Can you imagine the impact our Church could have if it chose to convert some of its vast, underutilized property into affordable housing? We own land—often empty land—in nearly every city and town across the state. There are over 600 church buildings in California alone. That doesn’t include the Church’s extensive real estate holdings—properties that could also be leveraged for good.

There is no single entity better positioned to make a meaningful dent in this crisis. We don’t lack land. We don’t lack resources. What we seem to lack is vision—and will.

This is not just a missed opportunity; it’s a moral failure. We are called to “mourn with those that mourn” and to “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.” We are meant to be the Good Samaritan, not the priest or Levite who crosses the road to avoid the wounded.

Temples Amid Tents

I felt genuine relief when I heard that the Church is pausing new temple projects. Not because I’m opposed to temples—I’m not. But because the contrast between these soaring, immaculate structures and the surrounding poverty has become too stark to ignore.

Here in California you must drive or walk past our most neglected community members on your way to the temple. In Newport Beach, California, the wealth of the surrounding areas camouflages the plight of the average citizen, but in Los Angeles there is no hiding from the truth. The juxtaposition is jarring.

Inside the temple, we’re reminded that every soul is divine, that all are children of God. Outside, those same children sleep on sidewalks and under overpasses. God needs our attention and assistance here at the moment.

What Have We Done?

Far, far too little.

Our service projects are often performative—occasional holiday care packages, food drives, or blanket donations. But systemic change? Institutional commitment? Real sacrifice? It’s missing.

We have turned our backs on our neighbors. We are hoarding land and wealth that could save lives, ignoring opportunities to lead with compassion and courage. And while other faith communities act, we—one of the most resource-rich churches in the world—remain largely silent.

We can and should do more. Other churches are leading by example. It’s time for us to stop watching from the sidelines.

Megan lives in Southern California and works as a city planner and urban designer.

Oh Snap

November 10, 2025 Melissa Tyler

There are many headlines in the news that are concerning. So many in fact that it feels easier to just worry about the things in my life that I have direct impact on. 

I worry and feel heartbroken for so many in the world. We have Ukrainians under attack by Russia going on for 11 years now (almost 4 years of the most recent ongoing war), then there are people suffering from near genocide and extreme hunger in Gaza, then it gets harder to keep track of civil wars like Sudan and Maynmar. Is Chile safe now? They had domestic unrest during covid. Hong Kong lost a ton of autonomy to Mainland China in the last 10 years…

The world has constant conflict. But what’s incredibly concerning is when it is in your country, your neighborhood.  Hence my American centric writings here…I am in the United States.

We have friends in our town whose kids have plans for safe hiding spots in case ICE raids their home (ya know, like when the jews hid from the Nazis). I worry about an escape route/hiding spot when I take my students out on the lawn for PE because of ICE as well. I teach many students of color and Mexican or South American heritage.

I see friends who are concerned they won’t be able to pay for their health insurance premiums next year because of the “Big Beautiful Bill” congress passed this year. But most concerning, we are going to have kids and their families be in danger of going hungry because of the loss of funding that this same bill cuts as well.

I am not affected. I am of white European descent. My premiums will not go up. My kids will not go hungry. I know there are many who ARE as fortunate as I am. 

What is concerning is that those of us who are fortunate, usually only associate with others who are just as fortunate. We choose to live in the same neighborhoods, send our kids to the same schools, and our church boundaries are drawn around these same affluent areas, so we associate with usually, a very homogeneous group. I wrote about this issue here.

Recently Salt Lake Councilmen and women voted to take away daycare funding for residents because it only subsidizes 271 kids. They don’t want to help the few disadvantaged because the majority don’t need help and certainly don’t want to help pay for others through land taxes (a small amount per household). 

We block out the real, harsh, and scary concerns many other people are facing because it is not our issue and we for sure don’t want to pay to help others. “We worked hard to get where we are…they should too,” is the rhetoric I hear. 

Where is Christ in that? Where is “the gospel” in this line of thinking? (not to mention the short sightedness in understanding what decades of racial and or economic privilege provides those saying it).

“I give my tithing” may be a thought people go to. Members give a lot of their money to the church…it is thought to go towards the needs of others. It is a way to not be consumed with these issues because you may feel, in a very real way, that you have done your part. Discussions on tithing found here, here and here.

I was discussing the issue around our current government with a friend, and they said that they believed the negative impacts, leaders, laws, etc. were brought on by Satan or his influence. 

That’s too easy a scapegoat.

It’s similar to the saying that “the second coming must be close” or “Jesus will take care of all of this when He comes again.”

Giving it to Jesus or blaming Satan is a way to avoid being a part of solving the problem or seeing any resolution at all.

Saying that the church’s tithes will go toward a good cause may not be research enough.

Voting for someone because they belong to a certain political party isn’t research enough.

What will be the consequence of blocking out or becoming apathetic to the harsh realities of false imprisonment, high health care, and food scarcity? (the list is actually much longer…corrupt pardons or wasteful spending, Dubai building a military base in Idaho…but let’s focus on these few).

What will happen if we ignore other’s hurt? How will it affect our country in the long run? How will it affect us as humans in the long run?

Here is a place to donate to feeding our fellow humans.

What Utah’s Legislature has done to aid the food crisis (despite the finger pointing in the statement). How is your state tackling this issue regard SNAP benefits?

Here is a link to look up your lawmaker and speak with them on these issues.

*images obtained from Canva

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Mormonism is the Most Feminist Christian Sect – or so I Thought

November 9, 2025 Kara Stevenson

As a young investigator, I hardly took Mormonism seriously. That cooky religion where some guy found a strange book that only he could read? Sure, sure. Sounds legit.

During my constant perusal of all things religion, I stumbled upon an essay written by a female LDS professor from BYU (I have since searched for this essay and have been unable to find it).

This Latter-day Saint explained Mormonism’s unique view of the story of Adam and Eve.

I grew up in a non religious household, though my parents were believing Christians. From a young age, I can recall how unsettled I was by the story of Adam and Eve.

Basically, Eve messed up. Badly. She is the reason why we live in this broken world instead of in the idyllic Garden of Eden. She is why women experience pain during child birth.

God clearly was more upset with her than Adam. She had lead him astray, thereby leading all of humanity astray.

Women, it seemed, were destined to be seen as inferior to men. For God himself thought so.

“When I die, I need to have a chat with God,” my mom would say with a wag of her finger. “Why was Eve punished more than Adam? It doesn’t make sense. God will have to explain.”

I would nod, appreciative that my mother resisted the narrative, yet nervous that it could still be true.

Did God really see women – really see me – as inferior to men?

Cue my introduction to Mormon doctrine.

Eve didn’t make a mistake, this BYU professor explained. She made a difficult decision that required wisdom and bravery. She understood that they could not obey all of God’s commandments (multiplying and replenishing the earth) if they stayed in the Garden.

She further explained that the original Hebrew word used before it was translated to “beguiled” was a word that meant “to think deeply.”

Eve was not tricked by the serpent. Eve deeply pondered his words, which caused her to realize that they must eat the forbidden fruit.

She did not fail Adam; she lead him on to the path that they were meant to be on.

I learned that Mormonism revered and honored Mother Eve, for without her, God’s plan for us would have never unfolded. We were always meant to leave the Garden and enter a fallen world where we could learn and grow.

Eve, it seemed, had been framed.

She had never been at fault for anything.

God did not see her as inferior to Adam, nor was he more furious with her than he was with him.

Eve was the righteous and wise mother of all living.

I sat at the desk in my room astonished by this doctrine. “This belief is revolutionary,” I thought to myself.

I then learned about the belief in a Heavenly Mother; the feminine divine and an equal counterpart to God the Father.

This made perfect sense to me. Of course there ought to be a Mother. As a woman, this belief lit up my soul. God was not only masculine, but feminine, too.

Surely women were seen as equal to men in this church. They claim it as doctrine!

It was this doctrine that caused me to take Mormonism more seriously; to consider that maybe there was something to this 1800s man and this strange book that only he could read. If these teachings came from him, maybe he was what he claimed to be.

Let’s fast forward through my eventual baptism and up to the day that I was to be endowed in the Los Angeles temple.

I was so excited. What new, incredible things was I going to learn? I had taken the temple prep classes, so I thought I was prepared.

I wasn’t.

I’m not sure anyone really is.

But there I was, watching the endowment drama unfold, when Adam and Eve came into the picture.

My excitement grew.

This was it. The story that started my path on this great Mormon adventure that lead me here to the temple.

The story unfolds much in the same way as it is written in the Old Testament. Except with an added twist.

Eve, because she had partaken of the fruit first, was commanded to make a covenant to hearken unto her husband.

Eve obediently does so.

Then I was told to make the same covenant with my future husband.

My heart dropped.

This can’t be right. Not only was this not in the scriptures, but I thought Eve wasn’t punished more than Adam. I thought she wasn’t seen as inferior.

Yet here she is, hearkening to a man, while Adam was given the honor of covenanting directly with God.

All because he ate the fruit second.

Clearly, Eve was punished more.

And now, so was I. Simply because I was a woman.

All I could do was bow my head and say yes.

But my heart screamed no.

I continued to watch Eve as she took a back seat. Adam communicated with Peter, James, and John. He performed any and all rituals and ordinances. 

Eve stood behind him.

Silent, passive, obedient, punished Eve.

I looked for Heavenly Mother.

But I guess she is just as silent, passive, obedient, and punished as Eve, because she was nowhere to be found.

In a temple that claims to be the pinnacle of spiritual instruction and worship, I found that so little was offered for me.

So little was offered for women.

I wanted to cry.

I wanted to run out of the room.

This wasn’t the church I joined. It couldn’t be.

My inner child, who once felt uncertainty and fear intricately attached to my existence as a woman, felt betrayed. Horrified. 

I was in a nightmare.

Then I veiled my face along with the other women in the room, with no explanation as to why we had to and the men didn’t.

Only men pulled us through the veil, because only they could represent Jesus.

I had to give my new name, given to me in the temple that day, to my future husband, while I was not allowed to know his.

He pulled me through the veil, and I cried. And cried. And cried.

I think those in the celestial room thought they were happy tears.

They weren’t.

As my years in the church unfolded, I noticed more and more.

Women hardly spoke in general conference. I later learned that they didn’t pray in conference until 2013.

Men were typically the closing speakers in my wards, while women weren’t given the honor.

A woman couldn’t preside over a meeting.

A woman couldn’t be a ward clerk.

Every decision a woman made in the church needed to be approved by a man who presided over her.

We have a Heavenly Mother, but don’t you dare talk about her.

Young women often received less funding than their counterparts in the young men’s program.

The Family Proclamation gives men the authority to preside in their families. And women weren’t consulted in the writing of the proclamation.

Women in the church used to give blessings. Their permission to do so was taken away by men.

Women used to covenant to “obey” their husbands while in the temple.

Polygamy thrived on the abuse and oppression of women.

Polygamy is still alive and well today since men can be sealed to multiple women while women can only be sealed to one man.

Of course only men can hold the priesthood and therefore, be bishops, stake presidents, apostles, and prophets.

The list unfortunately goes on, and on, and on..

It’s exhausting, really.

All this to say that I once believed that Mormonism was the most feminist Christian sect around.

I still believe the potential is there.

We can see it in how we talk about Eve.

We can see it in our unique belief in a Heavenly Mother.

But perhaps we don’t do a very good job at practicing what we preach. 

I don’t believe that this portrayal in the endowment is in harmony with the doctrine the church proclaims. Neither do I believe that men and women are truly treated as equals in the church.

Simply put, we’re doing it wrong.

We claim equality of the sexes while very clearly giving authority, power, and control solely to men.

Women are never in the room where decisions are made.

Our voices are rarely, if ever, heard.

I have to believe that a Heavenly Mother, and especially Eve herself, would dissent.

But I look around at my fellow sisters, myself included, and all I can see is Eve and how she is portrayed in the temple.

Silent, passive, obedient, punished sisters.

It would do us some good to follow the real example of Eve.

A woman who was wise.

A woman who was brave.

A woman who lead. 

A woman who could make her own decisions without the approval of a man presiding over her.

A woman who broke a commandment because she knew it was in need of breaking.

After all, someone had to eat the fruit.

Why not us? Why not now?

I wish I had been as courageous as Eve was when I sat in the temple that day.

I wish I stood up and walked out when I knew something was wrong. And I certainly wish that the church taught this was an acceptable thing to do.

I can’t go back and change any of that.

But I can certainly change something now.

I know a few commandments, rules, and policies that are overdue for breaking.

Perhaps only the women of the church have the power to do just that.

Our God given potential is there.

We just have to be brave enough to see it.

Author’s Note: For those who might say that the endowment has changed and no longer requires women to hearken unto their husbands: I still had to do it. And so did so many others. And those before us had to “obey” their husbands.

Changing it is great. But changing it with zero explanation as to why it ever was that way to begin with, and not acknowledging the pain the original covenant caused, is irresponsible and cruel.

Changing it is also a subtle admission that it was, in fact, wrong. Yet it would have been wrong of me, or of any other woman, to have said so. We would have been told to have more faith. To trust the leaders of the church who will never lead us astray. To just go to the temple more until you like it.

If we had disobeyed and refused to make such a covenant in the temple, our weddings would have been canceled. Our mission callings would have been revoked. We would have been judged and shamed by our peers while fearing that we had “mocked” God.

In other words, we would have been punished. Even though we were right.

Just like Eve was.

It is also my understanding that women are now anointed to become queens and priestesses in “the new and everlasting covenant,” which is the code word for polygamy, rather than being annointed unto their husbands

Forgive me for not believing that is an improvement.

Photo Credits: Gwen Mamanoleas from Unsplash