A Proper Wife

I'm just shamelessly  reblogging thi s from By Common Consent because it speaks so articulately on my feelings about the endowment. Here were some of my highlights: "It’s cold comfort to tell my daughter that God probably isn’t a sexist and these things aren’t really the eternal order of things. If so, how should she feel about the temple? For many women in the church, the temple feels like it is pitted against our self-esteem and our personal feelings of worth. In order to accept the view of women in the temple, we have to sell ourselves short." "Usually women make it work one of three ways: 1) they simply ignore the differences in language and basically don’t listen or they selectively hear only the good things (these women are the most successful at making it work, and I’m not knocking this strategy; it just doesn’t work once you know what’s being said), 2) they assume God’s not sexist and it will all work out in the eternities, or 3) they look at the world a...

THIS COLLECTION  of quotes about the historical precedence of women using priesthood in ways that are no longer allowed is both eye opening and fascinating.  Some excerpts include:  " Joseph Smith’s private journal reads that he “ gave a lecture on the pries[t]hood shewing [sic] how the Sisters would come in possession of the privileges & blessings & gifts of the priesthood . & that the signs should follow them. such as healing the sick casting out devils”  - Book of the Law of the Lord,  8 April 1842" " The prophet Joseph’s secretary noted that Jane Bicknell Young was also endowed and received  “into the Quorum of the Priesthood.”  - 3 February 1844, Diary of William H. Clayton." "Elizabeth Ann Whitney  (counselor to Emma Smith in the Relief Society Presidency, wife of the Church’s first bishop) received her authority to bless through ordination.  “I was … ordained and set apart under the hand of Joseph Smith the...

I loved this conception of the Young Women values. Check out more HERE .

Ever since I was endowed I've tried to make sense of the sexism there and in the church. It sometimes appears benevolent, it sometimes appears only to be cultural, but once I was endowed, it became very obvious that there was a doctrinal source, somewhere. I feel like I've finally found it and I'm excited because it's actually the same source as the now-discarded racist "doctrine" that we used to spiritually disenfranchise our brothers and sisters of African decent. That was the now disavowed curse of Cain, and it is my opinion that the true source of all the sexism is the pseudo-doctrinal curse of Eve.  The endowment sets up a clear pattern of women being saved from the fall through hearkening to their husband's counsel. She will then become a priestess, but only unto him, while he becomes a priest unto God. In a sense it exalts the husband to become the God that the wife will serve in the eternities. You can read more about this interpretation HERE ....

A RECENT STUDY  declared that Utah is the worst state in the U.S. for women based on the criteria of health, leadership roles, income and political representation. Radio West did a show discussing this finding with a panel of Utah women. CHECK IT OUT HERE. 

I've had several people point out to me with concern that my survey was not conducted with adequate academic rigor. I had no intention of ever trying to get this survey published in a peer-reviewed journal of sociology. It was for my own interest and the interest of my readers. The survey has its imperfections and biases, but I found the results fascinating, for whatever they're worth. I primarily got my survey participants from online forums, among them the Facebook Groups 1 Million Mormons Online, the Mormon Channel, and the Official Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Facebook page. I also posted my survey link on Feminist Mormon Housewives' Facebook page, A Thoughtful Faith Support Group, a Facebook group called Temple Talk, the Cougar Board and another BYU sports chat website. I tried to have a somewhat varied sample of so-called TBMs (True Blue Mormons) and those who are more heterodox in their faith. However, I think more of the latter group responded, as y...

CLICK HERE  to participate in my survey about perceptions of gender dynamics among Latter-day Saints.