Episode #139 – An Adventure in Libel
Happy pre-General Conference week! We’ll hit you with some General Conference predictions.
The greatest question of the week: Does Al come off as too edgy or potentially less-active? Is it time for an intervention as seen in the 2010 episode “Intervention”? Is Al Doan a racist?
Political roundup: McKay Coppins writes a good/great article about the David Twede excommunication “scandal;” the DC 3rd Ward welcomes the idea of Brother Mitt Romney joining its ranks; are Mormons fasting for Mitt Romney?Are LDS women second-class citizens?
Also, Russian saints do not care about Mitt Romney. Shocker.
We hit the news on various temple developments!
We also get new Pass-Along cards. Interesting! Colorful! QR codes!
The Salt Lake Tribune talks about the best of Mormon Cinema. Oxymorons be darned.
Other news: President Monson in Germany, the Mormon Bachelor fails miserably, a new Mormon Studies journal, and a newly-called bishop and full-time border patrol agent is killed. :/
- Russia’s Mormons don’t care about Mitt Romney
- The Daily Beast’s view on Mormon women
- DC Third Ward welcomes Mitt Romney
- Fasting for Romney
- We do not excommunicate Romney critics
- New pass-along cards
- The best of Mormon Cinema
- New Mormon Studies journal – Interpreter
- Monson goes to Germany
- Border Patrol agent shot and killed
- “Ceremonial” groundbreaking for Indianapolis Temple
- Buenos Aires Temple rededicated
- Calgary Temple open house starts
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In response to your question about women feeling like second class members of the Church I have a few thoughts. I know that women in the Church are appreciated, loved, and cherished, however the following inequalities shows to me that women have a subordinate position in the Church:
• Women have zero authority in policy making decisions at both the local level (Bishops, Stake Presidents, and Mission Presidents have the final say) and at the institutional level (General Authorities have the final say). The priesthood may seek counsel from women who are Relief Society and Young Women’s leaders, but the final decision is always with the man.
• Women do not pray in General Conference
• Women do not have any leadership positions in which they preside over men (except when they are in the primary)
(continued from previous comment)
• Women are unable to be General Authorities
• Women cannot be Ward Mission leaders
• Women cannot be in the Sunday School Presidency
• Women cannot perform ordinances
• Women do not preside in the home (Preside derives from president. Presidents have executive authority, which means that women do not have equal authority in the home as the man. I know we like to say that men and women are equal partners, but as long as we are using the P-word, by definition of the word, equality does not exist.)
• Women who teach seminary full time are fired when they have children (see http://www.the-exponent.com/lds-church-educationa…
• Women covenant to harken to their husbands as their husband harkens to the Lord in the temple. Men only covenant to harken to the Lord.
Can equality in the Church exist if the institutional hierarchical framework always subordinates women to men? Is someone a second class member of the Church if their gender disqualifies them from policy making authority?
(continued again)
I think that the Church is completely correct when they say that they love, cherish, and appreciate women. That, however, does not mean that women in the Church are not subordinate to men at the family, local, and institutional level. Although, I must say that many men in the Church try their very best to promote equality in the family and in ward counsels despite the ingrained structural subordination of women.
At least for me, the big question is not “Are women subordinate to men within the Church?” because the answer is so obviously yes (although this was not always so obvious to me). The big question for me is “Is the subordination of women in the Church due to God’s will or is it due to ingrained traditions that were codified back in a time when women were more explicitly second class citizens?”.
Well said Katie. For me it is a bit like blacks and the priesthood/temple privileges. The questions is not "Was it was racist to exclude blacks from receiving the priesthood", because any way you slice it, it was absolutely racist because it denied privileges to people based on race, plain and simple. Kind of like you said, the real question is "Was God truly behind the racist policy, or was it 'due to ingrained traditions that were codified back in a time when' blacks were second class citizens?"
General Conference prediction – The new "Family Tree" version to replace new.familysearch will be announced and in place on Monday after the conference. Also, more focus on family history and subsequent temple worship.
As much as we love Al, I think Al forgot his 'filter' this episode:) From listening to this episode I can see why the member of the ward would ask Al if he is 'less active'.