If I had a daughter I hope she would be Emma Watson. I don’t have any daughters. I have always wanted daughters, but unfortunately I can’t make them and nobody has given me any. This is a shame because I think I would be quite a good girl mother. In the absence of a daughter I am sadly left to dream. And I dream about what it would take to raise an Emma Watson. She’s a bright girl and... Read more
In this first substantive edition of the Temple Recommend Series I will consider the guidelines for the administration of the Temple Recommend interview. I will however preface my approach to this series of essays with a bit of theorizing. My approach will be largely discourse analytical. That is, I will be analyzing the Temple Recommend language and the way in which words and phrases can be ascribed certain meanings and how those ascribed meanings can be problematic. For instance... Read more
I had my first temple recommend in 1987. For the next 25 years these interviews were straightforward affairs wherein I answered the questions truthfully and I was issued my recommend without complication. For most of that time the Temple was on another island, a 956 km journey usually begun by car in the early hours of the morning in time to catch a ferry North. A winding journey ensued cresting hills and skirting lakes as heartland villages came and... Read more
Towards the end of Ezra Taft Benson’s life I recall him being very unwell. I have a lasting image of his being seated in General Conference wide-eyed, bewildered and confused. I thought at the time, ‘He has dementia.’ But there were no announcements to confirm this. It was no secret that he was sick, but the nature of his condition wasn’t publically stated. And so as a newly married couple we would regularly pray for President Benson’s return to... Read more
Kate Kelly, a recently excommunicated Mormon feminist, is the founder of Ordain Women. Though she has attracted significant media attention she still remains a bit of an enigma. A staunch apologist for the fundamentals of Mormon theology she holds doggedly to the doctrines of continuing revelation and open cannon. At the same time she is an unapologetic feminist and activist. In this podcast interview (posted at ‘A Thoughtful Faith‘) I talk to Kate about her feminist awakenings, the development of Ordain Women,... Read more
I’ve been thinking about Zion. I am one of a few fortunate Mormon feminists, I have a bishop and a Stake President who are first and foremost disposed toward love and mercy before judgment and punishment. They don’t agree with me on several points, but what defines their ministry is inclusion rather than exclusion. Despite our differences of opinion on some matters I have never felt unwanted, or unneeded. I have never seen a flicker of irritation cross their... Read more
My mother-in-law, Shirley, died a week ago. At the same time as we have been processing her death and all that it means to our family, hovering over me has been the shadow of a different kind of death – the excommunication of Kate Kelly, of Margaret Toscano, of Lavina Fielding Anderson and all of those women who dared. As we gathered our sons around Shirley’s still warm but lifeless body, my 10 year old clung to me and... Read more
We face a difficult and pivotal moment in Mormonism as LDS leaders and church members wrestle more openly with complicated aspects of our faith, its doctrine, and its history—often in spaces afforded by the Internet. In light of possible disciplinary action against prominent voices among us, we the undersigned Mormon bloggers and podcasters affirm the value of the conversations that take place in the LDS “Bloggernacle” and express our hopes for greater understanding and compassion from all of us involved in current tensions. May... Read more
So lets talk apostasy. It might surprise some people but I’ve actually been accused of apostasy on several occasions and I’m frequently asked to leave the church. Interestingly none of this has come from my ecclesiastical leaders of course, just from people whom I don’t know who use pseudonyms to protect the good name of the church. But as silly and as mean as these sometimes poorly behaved people can be, I have had to wonder – are they right? ... Read more
Firstly to my sisters, and brother allies in arms; You have not wept, cried nor raged alone today. To Kate Kelly: Your pain is our pain. The letter calling you to your religious trial was sent to us all. Your disciplinary council will put thousands and thousands of men and women all over the world on trial, and the outcome for you will be the outcome for us. To Bishop Mark Harrison, Vienna Ward, Oakton, Virginia Stake, Firstly, I... Read more
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