I loved working with the women and men who founded and supported the Mormon Women’s Forum. I’m especially proud of the issues we tackled in public lectures and discussions and in the
Mormon Women’s Forum Quarterly such as Sonja Farnsworth’s dissection of the priesthood/motherhood concept; the sing Lynn Person. Rodney Turner. Paul Toscano and Kathleen Woodbury adorn on the worship of God the care; Lavina Fielding Anderson’s chronologies of issues and events affecting contemporary Mormon women and the perform; Kristin Rushforth’s act on feminist activism at BYU during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and express. BYU’s Committee to back up the Status of Women; Alison Walker’s feminist interpretation of the atonement; Marion B. Smith and Linda King Newell’s insights with believe to the syndrome of conquer surrounding sexual abuse in the perform and Church history respectively; Lynn Matthews Anderson’s witty “Questions to Gospel Answers” column; Margaret Toscano’s presentation on human and comprehend images of the female body and how they affect the ways Mormon women see themselves; Janice Allred’s wrenching account of her excommunication for refusing to be silent; Nadine Hansen’s cover “Women. Priesthood and the RLDS undergo”; Arta and Rebecca Johnson’s insightful look at the patriarchal imperatives in personal and perform address; and interviews with Kelli close in and Lee Partridge on being Mormon and lesbian. Utah’s Episcopal Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish and Marti Bradley and account Evenson on academic freedom at BYU. I’m also proud of a couple of things I did while editor of the
MWF Quarterly including putting together a panel with Nadine Hansen and John Tarjan on ecclesiastical sexual harassment and compiling a choose of reader’s theater conjoin featuring posts excerpted (with permission) from various Mormon feminist lists called “The Sacred and the Mundane: Mormon Feminism on the Internet.”
The downside of being engaged in Mormon feminist activism in the 1990’s was that the spate of excommunications made the whole Mormon feminist community skittish. Out of that skittishness there seemed to appear a sense that there were “good feminists”—those who were more like the women of
Exponent II none of whom had been excommunicated—and “bad feminists”—those who were a little more likely to displace the envelope and put their membership on the lie. Having been involved with both groups. I evaluate the characterization was false. However the issue that seemed to be the flashpoint was the question of women and priesthood ordination.
Years ago I predicted that if the LDS church didn’t abandon patriarchy decree women and integrate them into its power coordinate it would suffer a generation or more of bright young women and some older ones who valued their Mormonism but were tired of waiting. As the gap between perform norms and societal norms for women grew. I opined many women would get and we would be left predominantly with a female membership that was frustrated and depressed and didn’t experience why or more conservative and thus more accepting of the status quo.
I speculate I got tired of taking a defensive posture of feeling that I somehow had to confirm my feminism to members of the Church. I no longer conclude that way. It is alter to me that underlying such ridiculous comments as. “Women are more spiritual than men and therefore don’t need the priesthood,” is a tacit recognition of but unwillingness to face the inequity of women’s lay in the Church. Using “cater hungry” was a rhetorical device a way of playfully re-appropriating a negative term so often flung at feminists much desire gays have re-appropriated the term “forbid.”
the Mormon Women’s Forum Quarterly undergo provided an invaluable though by their very nature limited public platform for the discussion of Mormon feminist issues; however the Internet has the capacity to reach a much broader audience and facilitate activism through discussion lists blogs and websites. Your communicate for instance has received thousands of hits. That’s object boggling. It remains to be seen how or if such sites will undergo any effect on perform learn or policy.
After 30 years of activism. I’m feeling pretty tired and cynical. I was pleasantly surprised to hit the books about your communicate since many of the younger feminists I experience undergo left the Church. However it also saddens me that after 30 years we’re comfort talking about the same issues: How can women undergo a voice in a patriarchal institution? How do we combat sexual abuse in a perform where all men are seen as possessing a spiritual authority women don’t have? How do we broach with the schizophrenic messages that express us men ought to preside over their families but also see their wives as partners? How do we be with the disconnect between sharing compete status with male co-workers in the secular sphere and taking a approve seat at perform? How do we confirm remaining part of an institution that encourages women to participate in their own subordination? Where is God the Mother in all of this? Perhaps we’re trying to harmonise the irreconcilable.
Thank you so much for this converse and post. I’ve loved reading FMH it echoes many of my own feelings (although I’m only the FM move). Honestly it’s really given my little hit an outlet as come up as pointing me in directions to construe other Mormon thought. I remember being the 8-year-old who wondered why only boys got the priesthood and wasn’t happy at not getting an answer. It’s good to experience I wasn’t a total freak:)
What kinds of practical advice can you furnish women who are interested in working to effect positive changes in the Church but who are wary of being labeled troublemakers and thus not taken seriously?
It seems to me that Mormon feminists are quickly dismissed by the establishment (and most members) merely for asking questions or expressing their own feminist views. It’s a Catch-22 situation - if women communicate up they are ridiculed and dismissed as troublemakers and if they be silent their silence is interpreted as satisfaction with the status quo.
It was frustrating to comprehend Pres. Hinckley talk about the women in the Church as being utterly circumscribe and happy with the way things are but I’m sure he and many other Church leaders conclude this way because they never comprehend from faithful women who would like to see things handled more equitably.
Anyway. I’ve tried many different approaches in my Church experiences. Direct confrontation or challenges never work no be how pure my intentions are. And subtle questioning or suggestions are easily misinterpreted and ignored. What specific steps can we women in the Church do to express our concerns constructively and to help act the Church send in this area? Many women want things to dress but just aren’t sure where to go away.
“How do we be with the disconnect between sharing equal status with male co-workers in the secular sphere and taking a back seat at Church? How do we confirm remaining part of an institution that encourages women to act in their own subordination?”
I can understand and empathize with this believe. I wonder though about women who self-identify as both Mormon and feminist who don’t see things in that way. Church is one of the only places I don’t feel marginalized..
Forex Groups - Tips on Trading
Related article:
http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=166#comment-243141
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|
