This post is a conversation between my mom and me. Someone she knew on FB posted the first part of this post.
The second part is my response to it. Honestly, I had never really given it much thought until this came through and then I had to decide how I truly felt about my role concerning Divine Womanhood in the Church. She also went on in another post regarding the "fact" that we do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that we regard him as just a prophet.
Doing some research. If you are Christian, whether Democrat or Republican, you might want to research the Mormon religion, because Mitt Romney is definitely under the church's directives in all matters and decisions. I thought this article particularly interesting:
The Mormon church of today is still clinging to the beliefs of the nineteenth century; ideas which are becoming more outmoded every day. A few women in the Mormon church are trying to make a difference, but they are usually swiftly excommunicated (Laake 342; Johnson 351). In Mormon magazines, which are full of advice for women from the heads of the church, the message has changed in response to the feminist movement. In 1964, advice on marriage and divorce was fairly dispassionate; by 1972, these topics were addressed with increasing panic and harshness (Laake 175). Feminists are described as "the Pied Pipers of sin who have led women away from the divine role of womanhood down the pathway of error" (Laake 176). Obviously, the Mormon church is not going to alter its views on women in the immediate future. It is questionable whether it is even possible for Mormonism to equalize the roles of men and women, because the oppression of women is so integral to the religion. Men and women cannot truly become equal in the church, for the basic tenets of Mormonism are so fraught with sexism that equality would change the religion beyond recognition.
Mom, thanks for defending the Mormons. Unfortunately, too many people do to us what they accuse us of doing. They take a snippet of truth and twist it or take it out of context to derive something that is negative and not a reflection of our true purpose.
Your friend is right to a certain extent, but in an incorrect way. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. I am not sure if she truly read what she is disparaging, and I question why she is so moved by it if it does not affect her. One of the talks she "quotes" state "the Pied Pipers of sin who have led women away from the divine role of womanhood down the pathway of error". I ask what is wrong with that statement? What is she reading in to it? As a "Mormon" I can tell you what I read in to it. I read that my divine heritage of womanhood and motherhood is under attack. I am no longer allowed to feel special in being a co-creator of life here on earth. I am no longer allowed to be pleased with the fact that I get to choose whether I work outside the home, inside the home, or both. I am no longer allowed to feel like a Queen in my own home because my husband chooses to honor me with respect for the simple fact that I am a woman first, and his wife second. I am no longer allowed to feel a measure of protection allowed me for the simple fact that my sex is female.
By today's secular standards, I am required to take offense if a man offers to open the door for me, carry my groceries, offer to buy my dinner, and a myriad of other "offenses" which used to be deemed "courtesies". Today it seems that secular society asks that I increase my stress because I have to fight for everything in my life. I need to be free with my body and not care who uses and abuses it, regardless of the consequences. I am taught by society that children and families are disposable. In today's world I am taught that I should not take pride in my role as wife and mother because they are outdated and archaic.
Here is what I have to say. I am the mother of 10 children, 5 of those came into our family as a result of the attack on divine womanhood. I love raising them...all of them. I love being defined as their mother. I have been married to a man who treats me like a queen and he does everything in his power to make me happy. He respects me and my opinion. I love being defined as his wife. I am blessed because I choose to work outside the home AND be a good mother inside the boundaries of our family. My husband has often said that his choice would be that I stay home and not work outside the home. Not because he wants to control me, rather he wants to protect me from much of what is out there and to make my life easy. To that extent, he has made it so I do not have to work if I choose not too. My husband does not have that choice. His role is defined by his responsibility as the caretaker of this family and to that extent he does not have a choice except to work.
I feel that I am his equal in this marriage. He does not feel that way. He feels that I am his superior simply because I am defined by my divine womanhood. He has often marveled at a woman's ability to create and sustain life. He is amazed and humbled by what women go through to bring life, peace and comfort to a family. He has often felt frustration and, at times, anger with men who choose not to support their families. He has often commented that they are missing out on the most beautiful thing in life. He also expressed concern over the increasing numbers of children who are raising themselves because of a single mother trying her best just to put food on the table and a safe place for the kids to live.
When Jesus Christ was in the last moments of his life, one of his last acts was to charge one of his disciples with taking care of his mother. I am always moved to know that He regarded his mother with such love and tenderness that he had such concern for her well being when he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. That is the true example of Jesus Christ taught about how men should regard womanhood. The are taught to honor womanhood. I know this because it is what we try to teach to the boys in my family.
I do not feel oppressed my my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, quite the opposite. However, I do know that I would feel oppressed if my true membership were to the secular world. I would be denied my basic right of "pursuit of happiness" if I were required to deny the very basic nature of who and what I am just to fit the mores and values of a society that is no longer "outmoded". I thanks the Lord for quality of Divine Womanhood which he has placed upon me.
Oh, with regards to being Christians, this is what I pulled off of mormon.org:
Jesus Christ, Our Savior
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. He is our Redeemer. The Holy Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ's mother was Mary, His father on earth was Joseph, that He was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, and labored with Joseph as a carpenter. When he turned 30, He began a three-year ministry of teaching, blessing, and healing the people of the Holy Land. He also organized His Church and gave His apostles "power and authority" ( Luke 9:1 ) to assist in His work.
But what do we mean when we say He is the Savior of the world? The Redeemer? Each of these titles point to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. Jesus suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, giving each of God’s children the gift of repentance and forgiveness. Only by His mercy and grace can anyone be saved. His subsequent resurrection prepared the way for every person to overcome physical death as well. These events are called the Atonement. In short, Jesus Christ saves us from sin and death. For that, he is very literally our Savior and Redeemer. In the future Jesus Christ will return to reign on earth in peace for a thousand years. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He will be our Lord forever.
