Sometimes I feel like I’ve been out of Mormonism so long that I can hardly remember what it was like. Yet it’s in there — deep in the bowels of my brain — perhaps built into the foundation of my personality. Since my kids have gotten old enough to enjoy Legos (which I love!) — ...
Y’know, I don’t want to be all about criticizing the CoJCoL-dS. I’d like to have some balance, like this post outlining positive things about Mormonism — because there are plenty of them. But I accidentally followed a link on this Mormon feminist post leading to a conference talk that made my jaw drop. I somehow ...
A Dec 2011 APA study is making its way through the news suggesting that mothers who work part-time are happier and healthier than stay-at-homes and full-time mothers, and they make good parents. A good summary of the study can be found here. Regarding the “mommy wars” or the debate in white feminist circles between working ...
I’m slightly annoyed by people who are against pornography because of its offense to women, but also think female ordination is out of the question. Specifically, on LDS forums, Mormon men sometimes rant about not watching pornography in respect of their wife who takes care of “the home.” In my home, both of us are ...
This is not a review since the book hasn’t been released yet. The book is intended to become a global phenomenon. My mom sent me this link to the LDS Newsroom, figuring I’d be interested in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society. It’s a new book that’s intended to be ...
Parents invest more time and money in their kids than ever, but the shocking lesson of twin and adoption research is that upbringing is much less important than genetics in the long run. There are so many things wrong with Bryan Caplan’s reasoning outlined in this article. I think the first and obvious is that ...
There seemed to be a lot of posts (and exhibits) about feminism this past week. Topics included women’s bodies and what they choose to wear on them. Also, power dynamics between women and men, not to mention women’s speech, women’s invisibility, with a dash of discussion on race and transgender issues. A father wonders how ...
Many Mormons understand their “orientation” to be to their spouse. This is commendable, because it demonstrates dedication and fidelity. However, a spouse for Latter-day Saints means “someone of the opposite gender.” Homosexuality gets compartmentalized as an affliction that can lead to “selfishness” if not kept in check. This selfishness is understood to “disorient” a person ...
One thing I’ve been reading about recently is the split in the 1970s of white feminism from feminisms of color. One of the main sources of the split comes from the topic of domestic servitude. While white women wanted to get out of the home by the 1970s, the gendered division of labor for working-class ...
When Republicans read the United States Constitution in the House of Representatives, they censored the embarrassing passages of the document, you know, the part about slavery and African American being 2/3s people in Article I, Section 2. I am glad that people are ashamed of slavery. On the downside, the efforts to depict the Constitution ...
This week’s question: (courtesy of the new LDS Wave) Is Mormon Feminism an oxymoron? (Are they real Mormons?) Molly offers a list of small changes that would be a good starting point. Oh, and the ERA is back. In other questions about women’s roles, some SAHMs are feeling angsty about the cushiness of their role, ...
We had a long discussion recently about an author’s personal background here. The discussion centered around whether or not an author’s personal background was fair game. Particularly if an author’s background appears to relate to their work (or illuminate parts of their work). Views: 1015 ...
Over at A Motley Vision after the review of my novel, I was on the defensive for a while. My concern had been that I had been positioned as an “other,” although I was assured that I’m merely “on the fringe.” Obviously, any storytelling about homosexuality in the Church assumes a position in the sense ...
Recently I saw a (small maroon) book with a title like “What to say when: answers for latter day saints”. I’ve searched popular search engines, online book retailers, LDS church publisher websites to no avail. So I can’t post a link. But I thought it was an interesting idea/concept. It had gems of wisdom including ...
The Our Visions, Our Voices: A Mormon Women’s Literary Tour is over now. It has been discussed quite extensively throughout the bloggernacle, but I find myself still thinking about the experience. I thought I’d share those thoughts with you. I was just back from the OVOV tour when my husband and I were watching a ...