I vote you do a podcast like a Year of Polygamy style….each episode one little part of women’s history in the church. So much to learn, it’s got to be broken down and easily digestible
Love love love a deliciously humorous & satirical article (that turns the tables on sacrament mtg, putting women completely in charge) written by my very feminist gay BYU Honors English professor Eloise Bell, who lived together w/her female RM friend for 25yrs in Orem. According to her Memorium article- She was BYU’s first female forum speaker, in 1975- introduced by BYU Pres Dallin H Oaks, no less. Short story ‘The meeting’ is found on book pg 178/ internet link pg 180 of Link below. Read it & Enjoy! !
Watching the Church make the same mistakes they made with the Priesthood ban has been painful. You and your co-panelists made some very insightful comments on a Mormon Stories broadcast my wife and I watched yesterday reference the Instagram post that has taken on a life of its own. That is what brought me to this article. Thank you for speaking up and for expressing your pov so eloquently in so many ways.
Men—the brethren—will never understand how much pain they have caused, nor how much illumination they have missed by excluding women from the decision making process in the Church—that is to say by excluding them from full participation. What a world it could be!
Lynn thank you so much for this comment. Especially this part: "Men—the brethren—will never understand how much pain they have caused, nor how much illumination they have missed by excluding women from the decision making process". Thank you so much for saying that. It means a lot.
Seriously though, year of polygamy was what started my deconstruction. I think you’re onto something that there isn’t enough readily available information of women’s history in the church
I’m 75 & remember well my grandma talking about Mother in Heaven. My ancestors were early members & this particular grandma was the granddaughter of a polygamist!!!!
I left the church in the early 90’s so haven’t been apprised of the many yet subtle church changes in the last few decades but I recently found Mormon Stories on YouTube & opened Pandora’s Box. So much now makes sense to me! Things my 12 year old mind questioned are valid!
In the mid 70’s when the ERA was introduced I was all for it & was completely baffled one Wednesday afternoon (as several women waiting for their kids at Primary were discussing it) why I was suddenly looked at like a lepper! I get it now…. Common sense just doesn’t fly when the Patriarchy is in charge!!!!! So glad I found your writings!
I'm so glad to have found your Substack. I'm a former Mormon feminist (the latter is still very much alive) and this topic of heavenly mother is one that I clung to when I went through the faith crisis that led me out of the faith. For so long I had prayed she would reveal herself. And then I realized years later how supremely glad that the church never did. Because I have a hunch she would tow the patriarchal line. I've never been a fan of the "she's too sacred so we mustn't speak of her" as though the goddess of the universe couldn't hold her own? Alas.
In other news, Terry Tempest Williams is a total badass.
I listened to this episode! I was so flattered! Thank you! And we quoted your article with the list of things Mormon women are unable to do in the most recent RadioWest episode :)
Such a good article. The patriarchy and suppression of women has been, and continues to be, one of the worst things about the church. And I think it all boils down to power. It is well stated in The Lord of the Rings that men "above all else desire power." The top church leaders maintain their positions of power by keeping all the power centralized with the men. I think this was a big driver behind the church's opposition to the ERA (which is just mind blowing). If we assume that the population of the church is evenly split between men and women, then it seems to me that half of the leaders sitting up on the stand during every Sunday meeting and General Conference should be women. I think the church leaders know deep down inside that the church would be a much better organization if it was run by women, and that risks them losing their power. The church needs more male feminists that are willing to break down the patriarchy hand in hand with the women.
Here's one of my hopes. If there is a God, I hope it's a woman. And when we're all dead, She looks at us, primarily the men, and says, "Wow, you really managed to screw that up!"
I vote you do a podcast like a Year of Polygamy style….each episode one little part of women’s history in the church. So much to learn, it’s got to be broken down and easily digestible
Love love love a deliciously humorous & satirical article (that turns the tables on sacrament mtg, putting women completely in charge) written by my very feminist gay BYU Honors English professor Eloise Bell, who lived together w/her female RM friend for 25yrs in Orem. According to her Memorium article- She was BYU’s first female forum speaker, in 1975- introduced by BYU Pres Dallin H Oaks, no less. Short story ‘The meeting’ is found on book pg 178/ internet link pg 180 of Link below. Read it & Enjoy! !
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/issues/V14N04.pdf
Watching the Church make the same mistakes they made with the Priesthood ban has been painful. You and your co-panelists made some very insightful comments on a Mormon Stories broadcast my wife and I watched yesterday reference the Instagram post that has taken on a life of its own. That is what brought me to this article. Thank you for speaking up and for expressing your pov so eloquently in so many ways.
Men—the brethren—will never understand how much pain they have caused, nor how much illumination they have missed by excluding women from the decision making process in the Church—that is to say by excluding them from full participation. What a world it could be!
Lynn thank you so much for this comment. Especially this part: "Men—the brethren—will never understand how much pain they have caused, nor how much illumination they have missed by excluding women from the decision making process". Thank you so much for saying that. It means a lot.
Seriously though, year of polygamy was what started my deconstruction. I think you’re onto something that there isn’t enough readily available information of women’s history in the church
Ouch, some of this is painful to read. Thank you for continuing to shine a light on the effects of mormonism for women.
I’m 75 & remember well my grandma talking about Mother in Heaven. My ancestors were early members & this particular grandma was the granddaughter of a polygamist!!!!
I left the church in the early 90’s so haven’t been apprised of the many yet subtle church changes in the last few decades but I recently found Mormon Stories on YouTube & opened Pandora’s Box. So much now makes sense to me! Things my 12 year old mind questioned are valid!
In the mid 70’s when the ERA was introduced I was all for it & was completely baffled one Wednesday afternoon (as several women waiting for their kids at Primary were discussing it) why I was suddenly looked at like a lepper! I get it now…. Common sense just doesn’t fly when the Patriarchy is in charge!!!!! So glad I found your writings!
I'm so glad to have found your Substack. I'm a former Mormon feminist (the latter is still very much alive) and this topic of heavenly mother is one that I clung to when I went through the faith crisis that led me out of the faith. For so long I had prayed she would reveal herself. And then I realized years later how supremely glad that the church never did. Because I have a hunch she would tow the patriarchal line. I've never been a fan of the "she's too sacred so we mustn't speak of her" as though the goddess of the universe couldn't hold her own? Alas.
In other news, Terry Tempest Williams is a total badass.
Just as impactful and important the second time around ❤️
I am glad this article is being resurrected! So important. Someone dropped the link in our substack chat a couple weeks ago. We quoted from it on this episode two years ago and included one of your quotes and a linked to it in our notes. May the message spread far and wide! https://atlastshesaidit.org/episode-099-we-dont-believe-our-own-stuff-heavenly-mother-edition/
I listened to this episode! I was so flattered! Thank you! And we quoted your article with the list of things Mormon women are unable to do in the most recent RadioWest episode :)
I listened this morning. Great interview!
I'm not or wasn't a mormon but as a woman who is a feminist and deconstructing, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Such a good article. The patriarchy and suppression of women has been, and continues to be, one of the worst things about the church. And I think it all boils down to power. It is well stated in The Lord of the Rings that men "above all else desire power." The top church leaders maintain their positions of power by keeping all the power centralized with the men. I think this was a big driver behind the church's opposition to the ERA (which is just mind blowing). If we assume that the population of the church is evenly split between men and women, then it seems to me that half of the leaders sitting up on the stand during every Sunday meeting and General Conference should be women. I think the church leaders know deep down inside that the church would be a much better organization if it was run by women, and that risks them losing their power. The church needs more male feminists that are willing to break down the patriarchy hand in hand with the women.
Here's one of my hopes. If there is a God, I hope it's a woman. And when we're all dead, She looks at us, primarily the men, and says, "Wow, you really managed to screw that up!"