Latter Day Saint militarism peaked in Nauvoo with the 5,000-strong Nauvoo Legion under the command of Lt. General Joseph Smith Jr. Militarism also appears to be correlated with patriarchy and in Nauvoo included both the beginning of polygamy and resistance to it by women led by Emma Smith through the Women’s Relief Society. This paper …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2009
SL09315 Gender-specific Roles and the Eternal Patriarchal Order: A Theological Look at Joseph Smith’s Polygamy
I once asked a scholarly LDS friend to define the patriarchal order. Her immediate and somewhat indignant response was: “It means the men are in charge!” LDS theology describes gender-specific roles that some observers claim place women beneath men in importance or value. Do core doctrines taught by Joseph Smith and other modern prophets truly …
SL09354 The Ten Virgins and the Seduction of the Spirit: The Romance of Spiritual Awakening
The mystical union of male and female as the birth of spiritual awakening has been a core teaching of many ancient spiritual traditions. Unlike many “modern” religions, Mormonism reflects this ancient teaching by having celestial marriage as its highest ordinance. Sadly, this ordinance and the teachings surrounding it remain centered on the eternal relationship of …
SL09132 Panel: Mormons and Mediums: LDS Women’s Pursuit of Mediated and Non-mediated Communication with the Dead
This panel will explore Mormon women’s mediated and non-mediated experiences with their dead ancestors, as well as personal and cultural biases for and against communicating with the dead. Beynon and Gregory will discuss how their faith journeys have been shaped by both their work as mediums and their experience as Mormons. They will also discuss …
SL09211 A Woman of Sorrows, Acquainted with Grief
It is time! It is time to acknowledge and confess as faith communities the pressures and restrictions women often experience in religious culture. Texts of scripture provide divine guidance and inspired insight for life when responsibly interpreted and faithfully applied. However, texts must be read, overheard, and absorbed so that lives lived might be both …
SL09255 Embracing a Trilogy of Soul Mates
This paper will explore what happens when the unconscious feminine energy in males, marriages, institutions and the Divine remains ignored and denigrated. The resulting imbalance leads away from perfection and a wholeness. There exists a spiritual imperative to embrace the soul mate of the self, the marriage, and the Divine. In each developmental union, the …
SL09316 Panel: Sonia Johnson: Mormon Feminist Role Model or Cautionary Tale?
December 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of Sonia Johnson’s excommunication. Many younger Mormon women know little about the 1970s battle over the ERA. Some have picked up negative associations about Sonia Johnson and Mormons for ERA from parents or others who felt that speaking out publicly against the LDS Church was inappropriate. We’ll review Sonia’s …
SL09355 “It’s Either True or False…” Dichotomous Thinking in Mormon Culture and Its Impact on the Individual
The presenters have structured their presentation around six songs and hymns that have accompanied them on their journey out of the LDS church. They will share elements of their own stories, which include experiences on both sides of the dilemma in a format that includes musical performance, storytelling, and discussion. Peter Danzig, Mary Danzig
SL09133 Panel: Possibilities in Mormon Feminism
Abstract This panel will explore several issues in Mormon feminism, making use of scripture, feminist philosophy/critical theory, and theology. Questions we will examine include an analysis of the Mormon readings of Eve’s role in the Eden story, subjectivity and embodiment in Mormonism, and connections between relational understandings of God in mainstream feminist theology and LDS …
SL09212 Women in the LDS Church Handbook of Instructions
The Church Handbook of Instructions is supposedly off-limits to all members of the Church (especially Vol. 1, which is reserved for priesthood leaders), but women are less likely than men to be able to consult it. Still, it impacts their lives in numerous ways, especially in terms of policies and procedures about which they are …