Reflections on the New Zealand Regional Broadcast: Why Censorship is Sometimes Necessary

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:38 pm By Gina Colvin

In the October 2010 General Conference Boyd K. Packer made some controversial remarks. Firstly he claimed that the Proclamation to the Family was a revelation. Then he suggested that homosexuality was not inborn proclaiming; “Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember, He is our Heavenly Father.” Debate followed and soon after the published text of Packer’s... Read more

Speaking Confidently of Motherhood Memes

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:40 pm By Gina Colvin

This week some geniuses from the LDS.org meme department published advice to women about how we can better relate with each other. It was in the form of a graphic featuring very young women sustaining three religious directives with their happy smiles: ‘Speak Confidently of Motherhood, Speak More Often about Nurturing, Expand your Circle of Sisterhood’ and was in response to a recent Ensign article . Predictably this pic, published on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Facebook page,... Read more

Mormon mystics and managers: The traces of Joseph and Brigham in us

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:41 pm By Gina Colvin

I love the idea that our church had its roots in the spiritual raptures and visions of a mystic. Mystics have a vast spiritual intuition and are truly gifted in working out the tangle of cosmic threads in a way that ultimately reveals paths to individual and community spiritual enlightenment. But they don’t always play by the rules, their rhythms are measured by the beat of a different drum, as Joseph Smith’s life attested. People followed Joseph... Read more

Utah: Where being a brown brother with a pen can cost you your life

Last updated on: May 5, 2014 at 3:06 pm By Gina Colvin

Utah has one of the most sizable Pacific Island populations in the United States of America outside of California. In Utah the most significant Pasifika communities are Tongan and Samoan. Where New Zealand and Australia both have substantial Polynesian communities, migration to Utah has had an appeal for Mormons inasmuch as families have seen it as an opportunity to maintain close ties to their religious community, as well as pursue what they see as broader economic and education opportunities.... Read more

Reflections after Temple Square: Furious musings from the periphery

Last updated on: April 16, 2014 at 12:44 pm By Gina Colvin

Two nights ago there was a men’s dinner at our home. It was Nathan’s birthday celebration and I had offered to cater a sumptuous blokey kind of meal for him and his friends. Friends who included two bishops, one former bishop and former counselor on the Stake Presidency, and one young men’s president and former high counselor. They were each very eager to hear about the OW action on Temple Square. After a quick good-natured catch up they retired to... Read more

I was at the Ordain Woman action but…

Last updated on: July 12, 2014 at 11:01 am By Gina Colvin

Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Public Square 2014 Summer Series: Conversations on Religious Trends. Read other perspectives from the Mormon community here. THE FOLLOWING POST HAS BEEN REVISED I attended the Ordain Women action on April 5th. I supported it, and I support its ongoing political work. Anytime a group of people get together to lobby for change for women it’s worth paying attention. Historical public action to highlight the lack of equality for women has earned some... Read more

Its Time to Overhaul the Church Bureaucracy!

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:43 pm By Gina Colvin

Years and years ago I was the Stake Librarian. My first job was to bring order to the Christchurch Stake Library which was straining under the weight of decades of junk. In order to make sense of what I was to do with a dusty room full of layers of stuff I cracked open the librarians handbook and discovered that the library was entitled to a photocopier. I pointed this out to the Stake President who sent through a... Read more

BYU search committee considers both Men and Women for BYU President: Why another man?

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:44 pm By Gina Colvin

The appointment of the new BYU President, Kevin Worthen is the first major leadership change for the church owned, run, and administered University since the Mormon cyber reformation. From New Zealand I watched Eyring’s announcement at today’s BYU devotional – live. Aside from the fact that it was pretty cool watching this live event, it was even cooler being part of an international social media conversation in the minutes – even seconds – after it unfolded. Which went something like... Read more

Uncorrelated tips for how NOT to be a terrible Bishop

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:45 pm By Gina Colvin

A few years ago, seeking a temple recommend from the Stake Presidency (in a Stake in which I don’t currently reside) I was refused an interview. Despite the fact that I had an unswerving love of Christ and God, and despite the fact that I have an abiding belief in the power of the scriptures, and despite the fact that I do believe it possible that people can and do speak to God, and that the church is theoretically and... Read more

Becoming Like Goddess

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 4:46 pm By Gina Colvin

The latest Gospel Topics statement ‘Becoming Like God’ is a wonderful affirmation of one of the most compelling doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The notion that God was once like us, and we can one-day become a God, is an exhilarating and thrilling thought. Indeed Mormonism places a lot of emphasis on our ‘divine nature’ and our ‘eternal potential’. As a young woman this was extraordinarily important to me. While young people stretch into... Read more