Mormon Bloggers

All too frequently, the only thing people know about the Mormon Church (officially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is that its members practice polygamy. The sad thing about this is that Mormons do not practice polygamy, nor have they for more than 100 years. However, this is a misconception that has continued for a long time. While Mormons did once practice polygamy, even its history is largely misunderstood. (Learn more about Mormon polygamy.) Mormon women have always held a great deal of freedom. Even when polygamy was practiced by Mormons, no woman was ever forced into a polygamous marriage. In fact, only a small percentage of members of the LDS Church ever did practice polygamy. Divorce was even available to women who joined a polygamous marriage and then found themselves unhappy in the situation. Because of historical misconceptions about the practice of polygamy, many people continue to think today that Mormon women are oppressed and unhappy.... Read the rest of this entry »

More U.S. self-identified Christians mix in New Age and mystical sorts of beliefs in their worship. Check it out. One in a five believe in the “evil-eye” (casting a cursing glance), and one in six claim that there is spiritual energy to be had from mountains and trees. According to one study, elements of Eastern faiths and New Age thinking have been widely adopted by 65% of US adults, including many who call themselves Protestants and Catholics, or spiritually religious. I’ve somehow been often made keenly aware of these trends. Deconstructing children’s and some mainstream movies and watching the progression of syncretism–mixing up mysticism or any ‘ism’ with truth–has come almost naturally to me, for better or worse. Hard to sit still in a theatre sometimes watching nuanced and blatant assumptions running through characters’ dialog, imagery, associative techniques, and overall plots of even the seemingly innocuous or most humurous... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Heather L. I LOVE the Women’s Conference concerts! I love the talks, and the service too, but my very favorite part is the concert! This year was no exception, except that this year it came as part of an amazing answer to prayers! You see, somehow getting kids out the door the morning of Women’s Conference is harder than almost any other day of the year. Seriously. I thought I had it all under control at my house, especially since one of my kids got up at 4:30am to do homework. Being up that early, I was sure I was ahead of the game. NOT! It seemed like everyone else got up in slow motion, or on the wrong side of the bed… or both. We were running behind, and patience was wearing thin. I took a deep breath of relief when the last one was finally off to school. Little did I know that one of my dear friends, Patti, was having a similar time getting her children off to school. She was so discouraged that she considered not even going to Women’s Conference. That was when the first... Read the rest of this entry »

There are a lot of blogs out there written by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”), and we hope to share a few of them here. This blog, “Particles of Faith” includes personal stories and insights from several Latter-day Saint women. What we like about these posts is how they capture some of the simple ways they have felt and seen God’s hand in their lives, and simple ways that our faith as Mormon women impacts our lives. For example, read about a young Mormon couple’s process of making hard decisions about their education and job situation. Or read about how a broken washing machine actually ended up being a blessing. This short post reflects on the Biblical story of Mary and Martha. And this post shares a realization a Mormon woman had about the Savior, Jesus Christ, as she prepared a visiting teaching message. And this beautiful post testifies of specific ways this woman felt God was aware of her needs. Take a wander.... Read the rest of this entry »

This news story summarizes and quotes more of Sister Julie B. Beck’s 2011 BYU Women’s Conference talk. We’ll be talking about her talk soon, but for now, we wanted to share the link for those who have been wanting to hear more about Women’s Conference and Sister Beck’s address. We’re also hoping to have some personal reflections from women who attended the conference. (If you attended and have something to share, please let us know in the comments below, or by emailing us at ‘mormonwoman’ at ‘gmail’ dot ‘com’  Read More →

While we wait for the delayed broadcasts and transcripts of this years BYU Women’s Conference general sessions, enjoy some summary posts and news stories about what was discussed. From LDS Church News From the blog Chocolate on My Cranium: BYU Women’s Conference 2011: Sister Julie B. Beck Highlights: Elder Bednar’s message followed the theme about small and simple things. “I believe many, if not all, of the most satisfying and memorable accomplishments in our homes, in the Church, in our jobs and professions and in our communities will be the product of this important spiritual pattern — of small and simple things,” Elder Bednar said. “We should find great comfort in the fact that ordinary people who faithfully, diligently and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results.” Sister Beck talked about a variety of topics, including the Relief Society motto, “Charity Never Faileth, ” and also on the... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Natalie Editor’s note: Natalie kindly consented to share the Relief Society History video she put together for the women in her congregation. But first, we’d like you to get to know her a little better, and hear more about what went into making this video. I am the “Additional Weekday Meeting Coordinator” (previously Enrichment Leader) in the Relief Society [organization for women] in my ward congregation. Ironically, all but two of my three sisters and two sisters-in-law have the same calling. In my opinion, this is the best calling in the Church. I am the party planner and the person that helps coordinate the activities that allow the women to do both the work of Relief Society and strengthen our bonds as sisters. I am married with four children. We have lived in Nashville, TN, Northern Utah, and a year ago moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which we have loved! I enjoy cooking, baking, sewing, reading, traveling, and learning new things, which always ends up... Read the rest of this entry »

As a former public school teacher, I can totally relate to Sheryl’s love of teaching young children. I used to LOVE to turn on the music in my classroom and dance with my 2nd and 3rd grade students!! I’ve never met Sheryl, however, I am impressed with her enthusiasm for life, her dedication to teaching children who need her the most, her passion for dancing and mostly… for her deep faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Shawni is such a down to earth wife and mother. I like the fact that she “keeps it real” when it comes to discussing her daily life as a wife and mother. She will be the first to tell you that her life is not perfect. Shawni’s youngest daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with Bardet-Biedls Syndrom, which causes early onset blindness. She is fighting to find a cure for her daughter before her sight is taken. Despite these challenges, Shawni has such amazing faith and strength. Her photography skills are absolutely amazing and she... Read the rest of this entry »

As a former public school teacher, I can totally relate to Sheryl’s love of teaching young children. I used to LOVE to turn on the music in my classroom and dance with my 2nd and 3rd grade students!! I’ve never met Sheryl, however, I am impressed with her enthusiasm for life, her dedication to teaching children who need her the most, her passion for dancing and mostly… for her deep faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Shawni is such a down to earth wife and mother. I like the fact that she “keeps it real” when it comes to discussing her daily life as a wife and mother. She will be the first to tell you that her life is not perfect. Shawni’s youngest daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with Bardet-Biedls Syndrom, which causes early onset blindness. She is fighting to find a cure for her daughter before her sight is taken. Despite these challenges, Shawni has such amazing faith and strength. Her photography skills are absolutely amazing and she... Read the rest of this entry »

Danielle Stockton The third woman to earn a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah, recipient of an educational certificate as a translator from the University of Berlin, fluent and taught in 5 different languages, toured much of Europe, Egypt, and later visited Palestine, a teacher and journalist, a loving and devoted wife who raised seven children – including the family living in South America, recipient of Mother of the Year Award, published some 4,000 articles after the age of 60, and, as a great believer in lifetime education, was pursuing a PhD at University of Utah, when she was called to return to her Heavenly Father at age 91. The run on paragraph above is meant to list simply a sampling of Ramona’s vigorous pursuit of serving others and following the Lord’s callings. Yes, she lived 91 years; but Ramona, in a sense, produced fruits of Mormonism for over a dozen lives. Even with all of these accomplishments and honors, Ramona valued her faith, her marriage... Read the rest of this entry »

(Backgrounds of commentators include past and/or current positions.) “What an exceedingly interesting woman she was (and no doubt still is.) We truly admire the fact that she had extensive dreams and found astonishing ways to pursue and achieve those aspirations. What fun it would have been to be her friend. She created interest and enthusiasm for all around her.”Elaine and Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Was Chairman of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, slated to be ranking Republican on Senate Finance Committee. Sponsors of annual Utah conference on Women, parents of six. “In name only was “Mary Marker” fictitious – her life was full of spirit, study, adventure, lifelong romance, travel, hardships, triumphs, teaching, and devoted motherhood. Ancause Ramona Wilcox Cannon put in writing the wisdom gleaned from her expansive life, it now contributes significantly to Mormon and women’s literature and is applicable today.”Barbara B. Smith, former General President of Relief... Read the rest of this entry »

Foreward written by Richard and Linda Eyre This manuscript arrived amidst a major household remodeling project. Our lives were filled with paint and tile, doorknobs and hinges and wondering how we were going to survive another day without the conveniences we had learned to take for granted. Picking up this book was like a delightfully jarring journey from the harried world of thinking about “things” to the stimulating and exciting world of an inspiring life and exhilarating ideas. We were transposed from the domain of people who couldn’t seem to get anything done to the realm of a remarkable woman who couldn’t see why anything couldn’t be done. Ramona Wilcox Cannon was truly a woman for all seasons. Over a seven year period, Ariel C. Silver, has combed through 100,000 pages of Ramona’s writing and has cleverly woven Ramona’s exact words with her own findings to make a beautiful tapestry portraying the spring, summer, autumn and winter of this remarkable... Read the rest of this entry »