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It’s sad, however, how much emphasis is placed on godhood vs. goddesshood within the church. (Is goddesshood even a word?!)

If I’m going to be “revered” like our Heavenly Mother is by God…meaning if I’m going to be forgotten, never mentioned to my children, and not prayed to, glorified, or available for Q&A, then what’s the point?

This is the tragedy with women within the church working so hard and following all the (many) rules and striving to be righteous and bear the burdens…yet they do it for what?? To continue to do so in the next life as her husband gets to enjoy going out with the guys, creating worlds, being prayed to, glorified, and feared, while being in control of it all. She gets to continue to have countless babies in heaven, and if the men of earth follow our God’s example, she will not be mentioned when her children are sent from her presence to be tried and tested to see if they will follow HIS counsel and plan for them without any input from her.

Nice.

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I just watched The Devil Wears Prada. What you said about women in the church reminded me of the scene where a character is passed up for a promotion of sorts despite decades of thankless service. This character clings desperately to the slim hope that Miranda, the boss, will make good in the end.

Speaking as one who has never walked in women’s shoes (how do y’all deal with heels?!) and will never truly understand, it seems that women’s self-esteem is attacked from all sides. I can understand why a woman would cling to such grandiose affirmations of self-worth to stave off that destructive pressure. “I may not be a size X supermom who lives a perfect balance of family and work and whose home is an immaculate temple of order and cleanliness, but damn it I’m going to be a goddess some day!”

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This post is excellent. You have a real skill with writing the feelings many of us feel as we leave the Mormon religion behind.

I too held onto my belief that someday I’d reach a divine destiny of goddesshood. Women in the church probably cling even harder to this thought…especially considering their status in comparison to men and their status within the church.

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Nice post. You did a good job putting into words the very experience I had leaving Mormonism. Initially, it’s exciting, because it’s almost like you’re doing something wrong (though, of course, that is absolutely not the case). Then you realize just what this means – you are special, just like everyone else.

I remember the exact time and place when this thought hit me. I was at the post office mailing a package (living in the mid-West at the time). I looked around me and said, “Wow, I’m just like everyone else. That person and that person and that person – we’re all equal. None of us are special.” I walked into the post office in a daze, realizing the enormity of my epiphany.

It took me a while to fill the “hole” left by Mormonism as well. You’re absolutely right (IMHO) that we get to create our own meaning, at least to some degree. I came to believe that there is some inherent meaning to life, though it is a tautology – life is its own meaning. Our purpose in life is simply to create more life – from a strictly biological and scientific standpoint that’s what we are – gene replicators.

But beyond that, you get to create whatever additional meaning you want. I haven’t gone so far as to paint that idea as developing my own epic, but I have found other “purposes” in life that have nothing to do with supernature: contributing to our scientific understanding of the world, sharing this time with loved ones, and trying to make the world a better place for those who follow me. But whatever purpose you come up with beyond creating more life, it is yours – no one else gets a say in it. You’re free!

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