Editorials

In 1996, statistics for Church membership indicated that there are now more Latter-day Saints outside the United States than within it. The next milestone in the Church’s international progression was four years later when language statistics switched to more than 50% of members speaking languages other than English.

Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus met with his disciples in an upper room. There, he broke bread and poured wine for his friends, sharing nourishment while telling them to remember his body and blood. After this meal, Jesus took a basin and towel and washed their feet. At the disciples’ surprise and perturbation, he told them “I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15), and he continued to explain in verse 34, “Love one another; as I

As the Mormon Women Project enters into its twelfth year, we find ourselves in a season of change. This brings new challenges and excitement. Most significantly, the Editorial Board at the Mormon Women Project has decided to change our name to the LDS Women Project. We have loved being the Mormon Women Project (MWP) and were reluctant to change our name.

It’s no secret that last weekend’s general conference opened up new possibilities for cooperation between men and women in church administration. The two major administrative changes announced—the consolidation of the priesthood quorums into one Elders Quorum and the introduction of coordinated “ministry” efforts—have far reaching implications for gender relations in the church.

Twice, I stood in my Brooklyn apartment, during the Saturday morning session of conference, to sustain Russell M. Nelson as Prophet, Seer and Revelator (and the twelve apostles). I stood as a member of the Relief Society and as a member of this Church. I did this with full conviction and heart. I’ve long admired President Nelson—“A Plea to My Sisters” is a touchstone for me.

Every talk touched me this conference. There isn’t one I would have done away with. In the wake of many flurried conversations over there being only a single female speaker last weekend, I give the benefit of the doubt to those planning the conference sessions. There are many more male leaders than female leaders in the church, and some disproportion in General Conference is therefore to be expected (though speakers could also be drawn from the RS, YW, and Primary General Bo

Thousands of stories in delicate pointillism convey the grand picture of the Restoration. Remove the women’s voices and experiences — remove half the dots — and the image loses half its color, half its clarity. Include them, and our vision of our history expands, our understanding of modern Mormon women sharpens, and we have new potential to understand the course of our people’s future.

Some traditions hold that Mary felt no pain in her labor, because she and her baby and this moment were too holy for pain. But if the scriptures and a history of devoted saints tell us the truth, holiness and pain are likely companions. I attend women in labor professionally, and will be the last to abuse the word “pain” in relation to childbirth.

Ostensibly a book for children, Our Heavenly Family, Our Earthly Families by virtue of its publisher becomes a groundbreaking theological text for LDS grown-ups — who may have been taught not to discuss Heavenly Mother beyond occasional frail references, or who may even doubt Her existence and active involvement in the universe. (Microsoft Word underlines a capitalized “Her” in green, but not a capitalized “Him,” as I write this.)

How well do the women of your Relief Society know the women of the scriptures? One ward in Sandy, Utah recently found out during a Women of the Scriptures Jeopardy! night. Apparently the evening’s game was pulled from a site I’ve admired for quite some time, Women in the Scriptures, run by the self-taught scriptural scholar Heather Farrell. In addition, Heather has been a contributor to our Sunday School Supplements and a participant in one of our fundraising Salons some year

Since I have become a mother myself, and have worked in the field of childbirth, I still do enjoy Mother’s Day, even as I have become aware that not every woman revels in this meeting. I’ve read many a blogger, and talked to a couple of close friends, who for one reason or another find it too painful to attend at all. I have witnessed and understood that pain, and hope our congregations continue to approach Mother’s Day with increased sensitivity to women of all experiences.

This morning, the editorial board of the Mormon Women Project said goodbye to the trusty site that has gotten us through our organization’s first six and a half years. The first site was built with hundreds of volunteer hours; this new site is no different. There have been heroic efforts on the parts of several people to make this happen, in addition to the generous donors who contributed to our Kickstarter campaign, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the result.

My personal scripture study over the past year has consisted of reading all of the conference talks given by women since 1971. It felt radical. I was hesitant to tell people that I wasn’t reading the standard works. Even though we are taught that conference talks are modern day scripture, I’m embarrassed to admit that I wondered if that applied to women. I suspect that some of this came from there being so few women readily apparent in the scriptures and rarely having a woman

Last general conference I decided, as my personal scripture study, to read all of the conference talks given by women since 1971. I chose 1971 out of convenience as that’s the start of their availability on the Church’s website. I read one talk almost every day in chronological order. I’m currently reading the 2000 October session.

Last week the Church announced that the General Women’s Meeting will now be called an official “session” of Conference. We had earlier discussed the significance this change would have if it took place. But there is significance also embedded in the timing of the change. Surely the leaders of the Church were aware of the hearty online discussions surrounding the October Conference controversy, and the voices calling for the “meeting” to become a “session.”

Gospel Doctrine lesson #40: Enlarge the Place of They Tent encourages Church members to find ways to strengthen their wards and stakes in preparation for the second coming of Christ and the millennium. Part of the reading is Isaiah 65:17-19 wherein the millennium is described as a time when the heavens and Earth will be made a new and the inhabitants will be joyful.

Empowerment can be a divisive word. It is often assumed that in order for an individual to be empowered that someone else has to be or will be disempowered. Empowerment isn’t a zero-sum game where there are winners and losers. Actually, the opposite tends to be more accurate. An empowered individual generally empowers those around them.

Elder L. Tom Perry’s talk in this most recent conference focused on the need to center our families on the teachings of the Savior, to seek to emulate Him and to build our lives on the foundation of His Gospel. He noted that “the most powerful teaching a child will ever receive will come from concerned and righteous fathers and mothers.” Elder Perry then went on to describe the roles of mother and father.

Commentary on Saturday’s General Women’s Meeting has flooded the bloggernacle. Like many others, our Editor-in-Chief, Neylan McBaine shared on her blog some of the things she enjoyed about the conference, such as: that the female presidencies sat on the same row as the attending apostles, that President Uchtdorf referred to the meeting as the first session of General Conference, and that every female speaker quoted at least one woman.

Many women and men who viewed the video loved it. Some shed their own tears as they related to the woman, who gave so much of herself throughout the day to help others, but who underestimated the worth of her seemingly small contributions. They felt comforted by the message from President Hinckley at the end of the video: “Many of you think you are failures. You feel you cannot do well, that with all of your effort it is not sufficient. We all worry about our performance.