I sense that many women are following an inner call to claim direct connection to divine presence and power. This paper looks at the ebb and flow of this movement through the author’s life, and the often overlooked examples of women in our history and scriptures that offer a great pattern for claiming authority that …
Speaker: Jody England Hansen
Can We Talk About It Now: Sacred Symbols or Ritual Dissonance.
The recent changes in the temple ceremonies included language that many had asked and hoped for. They also included changes that are upsetting. Nearly everyday since January 1st, someone has called me trying to process the trauma that has surfaced for them. They are wondering about the different language for the covenants they made. They …
Thoughts and Prayers: A Panel on Speculative Theology
Last year, I gave a prayer at Affirmation’s international conference, framing it as a possible future theology. I find myself speculating on ways that different views of a radically inclusive God could be expressed in prayers and discussion. This presentation will share possible future theologies, especially as part of our tradition of a living church, …
Listen to Your Mother! Love IS All You Need
Sometimes, when I am reading scriptures, or history, or thinking about what is happening, I hear Her. Sometimes it is a conversation, sometimes it is just Her. She needs no protection. I do not need permission to listen to my Mother, my Sister, my God. This is sharing time. I will speak of some of …
Breathe…then PUSH!
Valarie Kaur, a Sikh activist, gave a powerful speech asking Jody England Hansen
It’s the End of the World as We Know It
At a recent Mormon Women’s Retreat, I was asked what I felt to be the greatest problem or challenge facing the Church today. My thoughts on this go beyond policy, doctrine, and politics. In this presentation, I approach this challenge with a single question: “Is changing the way we live in the world more frightening …
It Was the Worst of Times; It Was the Best of Times: Finding God in the Wound
This has been a terrible year. And it has been a glorious year. I want growth, wisdom, and knowledge, but I don’t always like what it takes to get them. Pain and joy coexist in the extremes of personal, spiritual, and community life. Where do we find the truth Joseph promised in proving contraries? This …
They, Them, Their: Seeing God on the Spectrum
Much of the world has created God to fit into a binary concept of gender—either male or female. This session explores how God could present across the gender spectrum, displaying traits such as being nurturing, life-giving, strong, compassionate, weeping, and the qualities of the priesthood described in Section 121. Could focusing on the qualities we …
Sacred Resistance: Mormon Women Marching
The Women’s March on Washington inspired many Mormon women to gather in sisterhood. Some of us carried the names of those who could not gather physically, sharing a vicarious experience. In Washington D.C., Natasha Helfer Parker and Gina Colvin led a retreat for Mormon feminists who had come to the march. In this panel, we …
Enjoying the Temple with Fresh Eyes
For many, the Mormon temple experience is first jarring, then inspiring, and eventually repetitive, dull, and monotonous. How might we enliven temple worship and service? Are there ways of approaching it that can add life, personal and communal empowerment, and richer views and experiences? Meet three people for whom this answer is a resounding yes. …