Posts Tagged ‘ feminism ’

The headline is clear. Community of Christ will provide sacramental ordinances of marriage, commitment ceremonies, and ordination independent of sexual orientation in the USA. Specifically, after two days of discussion, the USA National Conference formally approved by a required 2/3rds majority the following recommendations to the First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve: The 2013 USA [...]

The week from 17 March saw the inauguration of both the new Pope, Pope Francis, and the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. To mark that historic occasion the BBC broadcast a debate entitled Christianity at the Crossroads. The panellists were: Matthew Parris (MP) – former Conservative MP; Dr Anna Rowlands (AR) – Catholic theologian; [...]

Feminism makes some men very nervous.  They are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing and being labelled a sexist.  They may feel like outsiders, unclear of their own standing as these conversations unfold.  Men and women alike may not be sure what feminism entails, but it can seem like a daunting list, one [...]

Pending the birth of Princess Kate’s baby, Lady Cosima Rose Alexandra Windsor is currently 24th in line for the British throne. Lady Cosima is the nearly three-year-old great granddaughter of a grandfather of the current queen. I didn’t know that, and I really wouldn’t care, but I did easily look it up, and I could do [...]

Look, dating blows! Dating over 30 really blows. Dating over 30 post-divorce is something like a cross between slicing open your jugular vein, and stabbing small needles into your eyes one at a time. Or at least that’s what one might infer from Tracy M’s post on the topic over at BCC a few weeks [...]

Human brains naturally use locations in space and time to make sense of events. Why should we expect eternal spirits to follow that protocol? The question has always bothered me. What follows is speculation about a different way of looking at the relationship between the physical and the spiritual than the Restoration faiths adopted in [...]

A recent news story tells of a YW leader who was released from her calling for breastfeeding her baby in a room full of young women.  She has also been threatened with the loss of her temple recommend if she doesn’t leave meetings to feed her baby.  Scott Trotter, LDS media spokesperson, was caught off [...]

There are many on the internet publishing information about our faith, often not very flattering.  Some of that information is faith-shaking.  But where does it cross the line into being “anti-Mormon”?  Some would say that anyone who says anything that is not uplifting or faith promoting is anti-Mormon, but that seems like a pretty low [...]

All Enlisted is at it again!  The latest movement is to petition church leadership to have females give prayers in General Conference.  After the pantstastic success of the Wear Pants to Church Sunday, they are motivated to tackle this next.  The church’s official response? “Decisions on speakers and prayers at General Conference were made several [...]

“I stood amazed at the furor I had unwittingly caused.”  Amelia Bloomer When I first heard about the group All Enlisted organizing women to wear pants to church on Sunday, December 16, I was of two minds.  On the one hand, who cares?  Pants aren’t against the rules anyway, and I see lots of women wearing [...]

Women are banding together to break unwritten LDS cultural dress codes on Sunday Dec 16th by wearing pants to church.  The church’s PR team responded:  ”Yawn.”  What do you think? Discuss.

When I was a pre-teen, I remember overhearing a conversation between adults about the ERA, the political push for women to have equal rights in society and in the workplace.  I was proud to think that while others of my friends belonged to churches that led by fallible men, we had God at the helm, [...]

As  child, I always wondered what the bumpy image on the hymn book was.  I had never seen the tabernacle, and had no idea the image was organ pipes.  As I would make rubbings of the image with a crayon or press it with silly putty, I envisioned it being some sort of temple ruin [...]

Unable to sleep a few nights ago, I sought mind-deadening through cable TV. I chanced upon a movie I thought would do the job — a murder mystery set in a mountain abbey in 14th Century Italy. I didn’t get what I expected. Instead, the movie, The Name of the Rose, starring Sean Connery and [...]

I may be a historian, and I may align with feminist thinking, but I am not a feminist historian. Feminist history usually involves digging up forgotten people (women) from the past, and then holding them up to show how they were oppressed, subjected by male patriachy, or silenced. In some cases it is important to [...]

In 2007, my husband and I sailed the western Mediterranean on the Costa Concordia, so it was with awe and fascination that I watched it sink off the coast of Italy.  I kept wondering what it would have been like to be sitting in the dining room when it struck the rock, then the fear [...]

OK, I started with the title “Why LDS Men Suck,” which I don’t in fact think at all, but it’s really easy to get that impression sometimes, especially in contrast to the praise heaped on the women in the church.  I have met a few rare LDS men I couldn’t stand, but on the whole, [...]

Since spring, women worldwide have taken to the streets to protest rape culture in several “SlutWalks.”  So, for the uninitiated, what is “rape culture”?  According to Wikipedia: A rape culture is a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women. It is a society where violence is seen as sexy [...]

Today I’d like to address an emotional topic: Are women more emotional than men at work? I was having a conversation with a male colleague about why sexism is so hard to overcome, and since we are both leaders of large organizations, I asked him if he thought it was different working with men vs. [...]

OK, I thought I was done talking about other patriarchal societies, but then I ran across this little gem from Malaysia:  The Obedient Wives club.  This club was formed by a Muslim fringe group called Global Ikhwan on June 4th (earlier this year they also set up a Polygamy Club for women), so it is very much [...]