Mother’s Day: What it Means to be a Mormon Mother
Mormon women tend to spend a lot of time thinking about motherhood, not just on Mother’s Day, but always. It is considered an essential part of our identity, whether or not we have children. Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believe that family life can last forever. In addition to that, Mormons believe we lived before this life as well, as spirits with God. These two pieces of information give motherhood a very powerful meaning that reaches further than it does for many people.
Will Mormon Women Pray in General Conference?
In the April 2013 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are nicknamed Mormons, a woman gave the closing prayer in the first session. Jean A. Stevens is the First Counselor in the General Primary Presidency, which means she assists the president and the second counselor in overseeing the children’s auxiliary internationally. Women have given all the prayers in the Young Women and Relief Society sessions held shortly before conference weekend. Prayer assignments have followed patterns. Until this weekend, assignments have most recently been given by members of the Seventies, and since this is a priesthood office, the people giving the prayers have been men. Prior to this, prayers were given by newly released mission presidents. Assignments have nearly always been based on holding a specific office, not actually based on gender, although it has worked out that way—but the purpose was not to give the role only to men.
Sheri Dew on What Mormon Women Get
Sheri Dew was asked by a reporter how she felt about Mormon women not holding the priesthood. The reporter said he presumed she felt oppressed. Since he was interviewing her, he probably ought to have known he was talking to a woman who was as far from being oppressed as possible.
Mormon Polygamy and Other Social Issues
Filed under: Uncategorized, Women, Women's Issues
A recent Pew survey of Mormons found the majority of Mormons, 87 percent, consider polygamy immoral. Mormons believe one wife is God’s normal standard, but that polygamy is acceptable when called for by God for His purposes.
The Mormon Relief Society
Filed under: Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Women, Women of the Church, Women's Issues
Relief Society is the official women’s auxiliary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of this church are sometimes called Mormons because they accept the Book of Mormon as scripture, a book that testifies of Jesus Christ and is a companion book to the Bible.
Q & A: “What do Mormons Wear?”
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Basic LDS Beliefs, Counsel from Church Leaders, Finding Happiness, Gospel & Doctrine, LDS Practices, LDS Q&A, Women, Women's Issues
A friend gave me a list of questions about Mormons and since they are the same questions many people have, I am going to answer them all here in a series of Mormon Q and A articles. The first deals with Mormon clothing.
Mormons wear sacred garments to remind them of sacred covenants made to God.
It’s likely that even if you think you’ve never met a Mormon, you have and didn’t know it. Mormons dress pretty much the same way as everyone else. The long dresses and fancy hairstyles you see on the news are of the Fundamentalists, who call themselves Mormon but aren’t. (The name is trademarked, and polygamy, which the Fundamentalists practice, ended more than 100 years ago in the Mormon religion.)
There are some clothing rules, however. Mormons dress modestly as a way to show respect for themselves and for the body God made them. Mormon beliefs teach us that God made people in His own image and that our bodies are gifts from Him to be treated with respect. So Mormons believe their bodies are worthy of respect and they don’t dress in a way that attracts inappropriate attention. Read more
The Importance of Mormon Women’s History
Filed under: Discussion of General Relief Society Meetings, History, Joseph Smith: Mormon Prophet, Mormon Women's History, Women, Women's Issues
During the General Relief Society Meeting held for Mormon women recently, it was announced that next year, the Relief Society would be making available a history of Mormon women. The General Relief Society President (over all the adult Mormon women worldwide), Julie Beck, explained:
The First Mormon Relief Society Meeting
“We study our history because it unites faithful women. The history of Relief Society is a Spirit-filled story of strong, faithful, purposeful women. As a part of the Lord’s restored Church, Relief Society can now be found in nearly 170 nations. Everywhere in the world adult women in the Lord’s Church can be given serious and important responsibilities.” (Daughters in My Kingdom”: The History and Work of Relief Society, Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President)
She suggested that studying the history of the Relief Society will help us to better understand what God wants us to do and to be. When the Relief Society was first organized in the early days of the Church, there were many benevolent societies. Joseph Smith agreed that serving others was an appropriate sphere for women but he felt they could become more than just that, more than just a social club. They could have an important role to play in the growth of the Lord’s Kingdom, and so he made them more than just a club or society. He organized them to work under the direction of the priesthood, but also in the pattern of the priesthood. He, like other leaders since then, allowed the women to run their own organization and to choose which projects they felt were best suited to their needs. Of course, from time to time they are asked to take on certain projects, but Gordon B. Hinkley joked that the way the Mormons handle their women is to get out of their way and look at all the good they can do. Read more
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