The Blessings and Responsibilities of Independence, as Americans and members of the Church

This is the full text of a talk I was asked to give today in my singles ward.  Due to running out of time in the meeting, I was only able to deliver about half of the below at the very end.  I hope you enjoy, and I hope it's something at least a little different.


Hi guys.

When Brother W------ asked me two weeks ago to speak this Sunday, he gave me the choice to choose my own topic or to be assigned.  I asked that one be assigned and told him to challenge me, and I got what I asked for.  In recognition of Independence Day, I've been asked to speak about the blessings of independence, and the responsibilities it brings us, as Americans and as members of the Church, backed up by scripture.  I've wrestled with this topic a lot since then, trying to find a way to present it in a way that's interesting and feels relevant to us as young adults of voting age, as well as young adults in the Gospel, so I hope you come away from this feeling like you've learned something, or been newly reminded of something you already knew.

We live in a time not only of unrest, upheaval and change, but a time when our generation, the Millennials, are the ones effected a lot of that change around the world.  Recent revolutions in the Middle East and Africa have often been fueled and coordinated by social media and other technologies that previous generations could only wish they had.  People across the globe can hear about, research, and support or reject movements almost concurrent with their occurrence via Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Digg, YouTube, Wikipedia, and others.  We blog and micro-blog from our computers, phones, and tablets, throwing our voice into the chorus at the drop of a hat.  Age-old standards of communication like newspapers, magazines, and books are struggling to keep up, to stay relevant, and our ideas our evolving almost too fast for we ourselves to keep up with.  These times are revolutionary, and we as young adults are largely the driving force behind it.

We enjoy an unprecedented access to information and the ability to share that information, and we are free to do so.  I think most of us today are savvy enough to be very familiar with most of the basic rights and freedoms the impact us the most often--freedom of speech, freedom of the press, of religion, and assembly, the right to vote for all citizens over the age of eighteen.  We have several other rights, ones that don't get talked about as often for the most part, unless you're in a tangle with the law.

We are so familiar with these other right I've named, however, I think we take them for granted.  It's hard to relate to the idea that in many places in the world, you can and will be imprisoned or executed for speaking your mind.  It's hard to relate that in some countries, we would not be allowed a generously sized building, dedicated to the sole purpose of worshiping God.  Look at how spaced out we are, how far apart we sit.  We don't come close to filling this room.  We have dozens of electric lights, and a motorized podium that goes up and down.  We're located in plain view of a fairly major thoroughfare and we get a minimum amount of harassment.  We have the luxury to get upset if someone graffitis the wall.  We are deeply, deeply blessed as a people.  We can be open about who we are, what we believe, and where we stand.  Are there pressures?  Yes.  But is there bodily danger?  Very rarely, and we have the right to petition for restitution in the even of wrong-doing.  We are blessed.

I would like to take a moment to trace back very quickly into our history as a people; not as Americans, but as children of Abraham and Sarah.  Having made covenants with the Lord through baptism, we have spiritually entered into the House of Israel.  This makes us heirs to a long, rich tradition of freedom seekers and revolutionaries.  We find dozens of examples in the scriptures: Abraham's departure from the land of Ur; Moses leading the exodus, and Joshua's leadership into the promised land; Esther's bravery and faith--bolstered by the collective fasting of the Jews--before King Ahaseurus of Persia that saved her people from extermination; Daniel's unwavering dedication to serving God in the face of mortal persecution; The separations of the Jaredites and the family of Lehi in order to preserve righteous peoples in times of impending disaster, and many more.  Hundreds of men and women have set their stamps on history to give us examples of the importance of freedom, of maintaining a knowledge of our God in even the darkest and most dangerous times.

The Book of Mormon narrative begins with one of these instances.  We learn in the first chapter of 1st Nephi that Lehi has been prophesying of destruction in Jerusalem and of the coming of the Messiah after numerous dreams and visions to that effect.  The Lord commands Lehi to leave and he takes his family and departs into the wilderness.  It takes them approximately ten or eleven years and seventeen chapters of Nephi's record for them to arrive in the Americas, a land that has been prepared for them apart from outside influence, harassment, or meddling.  Here they were at liberty to begin new societies and new cultures.

We know from the Book of Alma that they had freedom of religion, and at their most prosperous times they had open trade between Nephites and Lamanites.  We see numerous times that the Nephites were an educated and literate people, capable not only of constructing large cities and trade routes, but also spreading ideas and beliefs.  I think it's reasonable to infer that they also maintained some kind of freedom of speech and of the press, though perhaps not in the way that we know it, considering how often it's noted that "lawyers" jumped into various sermons or discussions in order to get someone to cross their words and thus possibly give grounds for someone to be judged by the law.

So what exactly are the blessings of independence?  I would list first and foremost personal autonomy: the right to freely think, speak, and act for oneself, to choose as much as possible what will or will not happen to you.  Other blessings include access to education, information, and communication, the exchange of ideas, values, art, and technology.  Opportunity: the possibility of effecting change (and hopefully prosperity) not only yourself but the world around you, whether by learning, labor, creative endeavor, or a combination of the three.  Personal and communal growth and improvement.  Open discourse.  Art, religion, science, literature, music... in short, the ability to be human, to experience mortality and to fulfill our purpose in life, is a blessing of independence.

I will acknowledge that I say this from the highly privileged standpoint of a white, upper middle class, American woman living in a very affluent part of California, because that's the circumstance that has informed my life.  I know very well through various friends and family that there are many among and around us who do not have the same level of privilege, the same opportunities.  Many of us--myself included--have difficulty continuing our college education, or completing it because of finances or scheduling.  Some of us don't even have the chance to begin it at this stage in life, and we have to find a different path.  It can be deathly frustrating.  I'm self-employed, and I'm faced daily with the reality that all our independence does not guarantee that I will have the number of clients on my table every month in order to make ends meet without borrowing.  Some months are better than others, and neither the Declaration nor the Constitution says "Because of these principles, everything will be great."  Nevertheless, we are blessed with the foundation and the framework, and hopefully we can make it work anyway and fulfill our purpose in life, and find that purpose fulfilling in return.

As I wrap up here, I'd like to touch on our responsibilities.  We know that "where much is given, much will be required," so what is required of us because of our privileges and rights?  As a people, it is our responsibility to maintain those rights by exercising them.  The right to vote, the "right to be secure in [our] persons, houses, papers, and effects from unreasonable searches and seizures", the right to keep and bear arms, the right to speak, to worship, to assemble, and to share our ideas... we must maintain them by wise usage.  It is also our responsibility to know what our rights and privileges are, and what they mean.  I bought a copy of the text of the Declaration and the Constitution for five dollars at Copperfield's.  It's small and thin enough for a pocket.  The words can be found for free online.  I would suggest we make ourselves reasonably familiar with these foundational documents so that we're informed and knowledgeable about what they really say when those around us make various claims on them.  We are a free people, and it behooves us to think and behave as one.

To conclude on a spiritual note, I would add to this list of responsibilities our need to be righteous.  Read the words the Lord has set forth for us through scripture, prophets, and wise people; familiarize yourself with your Patriarchal Blessing if you have it, and prepare yourself to receive it if you have not.  Familiarize yourself with the way that the Spirit speaks to you through prayer, quiet contemplation, and service.  Learn to give in to the instinct to act in a God-like manner.  Be kind, show love, serve your fellow beings, be truthful, behave with integrity, express gratitude.  Stay in communication with God, through prayer and meditation.  Find the way that scripture study works for you and the way that the words become meaningful for you.  We are flooded with information and that which seems irrelevant is often left behind.  We lose some four out of five young adults in the Church between the ages of 18 and 30, many of whom never return.  Statistically, that will include some of us in this room.  Thank you for being here so far.  I challenge you to find the way that the Gospel feels relevant to you, the way that helps you understand how to and want to obey the Lord's commands, to exercise your freedom and agency in favor of forwarding the work of the Lord.  This I say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Mother's Day every month: A fast for testimony

In the midst of this upwelling I've personally observed, this increased interest in God the Mother that seems to be gaining more momentum of late and the increasing pursuit of the Divine Feminine in Christianity over all, I've started thinking that we're possibly--even probably--being prepared to receive new revelation regarding Goddess our Mother. It has been a long time coming, as great steps forward usually are.

The Children of Israel wandered 40 years in the wilderness to begin their process from a slave mentality to that of a free people able and willing to stand on their own feet, spiritually and physically.

The lightbulb took nearly 80 years from Sir Humphry Davy's first platinum filament to Thomas Edison's long lasting filament and the revolutionary system that would make electric lighting accessible and viable for a larger scale.

The United States was approximately 300 years in the making from discovery of a new continent (attribute it to whom you will) to the Declaration of Independence. The Restoration of the fullness of the Gospel took almost the same amount of time and in almost the same time frame (using Martin Luther's 95 Theses as a landmark for the beginning of the process, though the Gutenberg Bible would be a worthy starting point as well) and required a massive shift in Western thought (the Enlightenment) to come about in the way that we know it.

If indeed, as Latter Day Saints we do "believe that [God] will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom" it is far from unreasonable to believe that greater light and deeper knowledge are on the way. It is also reasonable, given historical precedent, that it is important for us to ask for it. Very little major revelation comes forth spontaneously. God often waits for us to show readiness, worthiness, and willingness to listen and to receive.

So. Let's ask.

What if we, as a group of Her children who yearn for knowledge of our Mother, set aside an extra "fast Sunday" every month to fast and pray for that knowledge to come? Let us pray that definitive information about Her nature and duties will be revealed; that our leaders will be inspired to ask as well, and then be given the words to speak of Her forthrightly and openly; that the veil will be lifted to reveal the face of our Goddess; that Her daughters will be given solid information about their potential in the eternities, not only as mothers, but as divine beings of power and glory. I would suggest we do this as a unit on the third Sunday of each month, to give ample time between regular Fast Sundays for "rest" and reflection, though anyone is welcome to do so as it is convenient for them. I believe the intent of joining together and proving to the Lord that we hold this matter sacred enough to sacrifice as a people and raise our voices to Him is more important than perfect synchronicity.

I know this will feel very controversial--even dangerous or blasphemous--to many of my fellow faithful members of the Church, and I very much appreciate that. I know there has been a feeling among us that we ought not to touch this subject at all, and indeed I have felt that weight very recently, myself. I would encourage us all to remember the cherished fifth verse of James chapter one (which I alter only to include us all explicitly):

If any of you lack wisdom, let him or her ask of God, who giveth to all men and women liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given them.

By application of this verse, we received knowledge of the Father and the Son, and if indeed Mother is as eternal a truth as her husband and son, we have nothing to fear from a sincere prayer for revelation. The worst we can get in response from the Lord is "Have patience, be faithful; It is not yet time for you to know." However, perhaps it is time, and He awaits our request. Study and ponder the matter in your own heart, and if you feel so inclined, I invite you to join your faith with mine and others as we seek knowledge from our God. If it is the Lord's will, He will make it know. If it is not, I do not believe He will fault us for asking.

My hope is that we will fast and pray monthly as a group for at least one year, or until our prayers are answered at an official Church-wide level such as a Conference talk by the Prophet this October or next April, or an official Proclamation or Declaration. As we take this journey together, I welcome your stories and comments.

EDIT: As this post becomes maybe less apparent as time goes on, don't forget that you can link people to the stationary Page about the Fast.

Perceptions of Deity

I'll be the first person to confess that what I'm about to say is probably not at all original in that I know there are many books out there about how we perceive Deity.  I also have to confess that I have read all of... possibly none of those books.  I keep meaning to pick up Mother Wove the Morning and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter at the recommendations of people whose opinions I respect (if only I could get them on my Kindle app...) but I just haven't, and I can't recall ever having picked up anything really but scripture and maybe Church manuals, so I'm coming here from a place of intellectually knowing I'm not alone, but never having formally seen "Oh hey, we're thinking the same thing."  I don't know why I feel the need to qualify what I'm posting with all that, but moving onward.

Growing up, I knew God was my Father and Christ was my Brother, and I knew there was a Mother in there somewhere but I didn't know anything about her except that She existed, but we're not supposed to pray to Her or really talk about her--at least those are the messages I got.  I was nine in 1991 when a particular talk was given by then-First Counselor President Hinckley regarding Heavenly Mother, so I wasn't really at an age where I was thinking too deeply about things, and certainly not up for exploring or challenging anything; it simply wasn't a manifested part of my personality at that time.  I really longed for Her, but I didn't really feel that I had any way of exploring or pushing that, and I accepted for years that I'd just have to wait to learn more, always having the belief and the faith that I would learn more as time went on.  I knew She was there, even without any idea of what to do with that knowledge.  I knew God had a physical body.  I knew God loved me.  I knew God was there for me, had expectations of me, wanted me to be obedient, but had also provided a way to make it right when I wasn't.

In spite of the intellectual knowledge, in my mind, God was somewhere up in the sky, invisible, vaporous, without any facial expression besides benevolent approval and kindliness or disappointment and disapproval.  My imagination really failed me there, coupled with a... well, a somewhat frightened unwillingness to actively entertain anything that wasn't (to me) straight down the middle of the strait and narrow.  Insert a comment about faith vs. fear here.

Since starting this blog and joining in discussions with friends about Heavenly Mother, exposure to the work of Shiloh Sophia McCloud and several other things that have come along in the past few months, I've started thinking more about our eternal and divine natures as children of deity.  Given how prominent assurances are in our teachings that we have potential to become like God ourselves, does it not seem strange that very rarely--possibly never--do I hear anyone in a Sunday School of Relief Society lesson extend that idea into "What will we be like as gods and goddesses?" and then turn it back to "Now, what do you think God is like?"  (And I know I've never heard Goddess included in a sentence like that in a lesson.)  But why not? Indeed, if a man cannot be exalted outside the everlasting covenant of marriage, would not the whole thing collapse without her? That's kind of important, don't you think?

I know some would come back with the gem "It's not critical to your salvation."  Yeah, well neither is emergency preparedness or homemaking and we spend plenty of time on expounding upon the virtues of those.  Neither is serving a full-time mission when you really break it down.  There are a lot of things that aren't "critical" to our salvation; in fact everything outside of making baptismal covenants and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by proper authority, repentance, and enduring to the end is outside of that "critical" realm of salvation from sin (see here, fourth paragraph.)  I would say even temple covenants aren't critical to salvation.  However, they are critical to eternal exaltation (as mentioned in the final paragraph of the previous link, and which I am separating as a concept; though they're often used interchangeably, they are not the same) and exaltation is a much broader topic than salvation, and isn't it really what we have in mind when we talk about everything else of an eternal nature in the Gospel?  So yes, I would say that knowledge of who my Mother is, what she is, and what she's like is critical to my exaltation, because She is who I am going to be.  She is my example  I deeply and sincerely love my elder Brother, Jesus, and I am grateful every day for the Atonement, and he is an excellent example in living life and serving others and getting back Home, but I am unaware of any instance of Him turning to the women, and directly saying, "Thus saith the Lady, your Mother, what kind of women ought ye to be?  Verily, even as She is."  I will follow the principles I've been given of love/charity, faith, honor, virtue, honesty, integrity, and all the rest to the ends of the Earth, but I'm aiming higher than leading a good enough life not to go to Hell, and I'd like a little more information on what I'm going to become. Yes, there will be ample time to learn in the eternities, but "if a [woman] gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through [her] diligence and obedience than another, [she] will have so much the advantage in the world to come." (D&C 130:19)

I'm getting side-tracked: back on topic.  Perceptions of Deity.  So we don't get a lot of direction or even discussion about this topic of "What are Father and Mother actually like?" and I was left with this flowing glare of white in place of bodied deities.  Problematic, to say the least.  How does one relate to that as being one's Parent?  As I've pondered the matter over the past few days, the following came to my mind.

The Gods are not blanks of "justice and/or mercy", only dealing out blessings and curses as They see fit.  Nor are they featureless or without expression, a monotone and monochromatic field of dogma-made-flesh.  They are Father and Mother, with individualities, personalities, each with their own, separate eternities of life experience, and a unified purpose to glorify and exalt their children.  Each is mighty, omnipotent, and full of love for their children and all creations Their hands have formed.  They are living, loving, intelligent beings of perfect wisdom and understanding.
I believe when they left their own mortal spheres, they yet had many things to learn, with much growth to achieve before they were prepared to be who they are now.  I infer this from the certainty that there is no one, however well-educated, who died knowing everything.  Even a Millenium of righteousness may not be sufficient to teach me how to solve Calculus, as well as to juggle (and it is my understanding that we will be otherwise engaged in proxy work, anyway) or any number of other things that I feel certain the Gods know and understand.  Improvement and progression are a process of change, a process our Parents have experienced and one through which they will guide us.
Our God, our Father has a name and a face.  Our Goddess, our Mother, has a name and a face.  Their eyes have colors, their lips have shape, their bodies have height and weight.  They have voices and favorite turns of phrase.  They each have a laugh, as glorious as the sound of sunrise.  There was a time, when they were mortal, when they had specific gifts and talents that they strove to improve and perfect.  They were us, and we can be them.
When I become Mother, when I am Lady Wisdom, when I am co-creator with my love, I will still have a name and a face.  I will still have a voice and a laugh, and ambitions and dreams.  I will still have vision of my own.  I will still be me, exalted, perfected, the achievement of my immortal potential.  I will be Goddess, too.

This knowledge helps bring Her home for me.  I can imagine her face, I can imagine her smile, I can hope I'll look like her someday.  It also brings Him home.  He loves me.  He speaks to and instructs me.  They relate to me.  They are related to me.  Their very human reality informs my testimony and my destiny, and gives me some perspective on this matter.

How deeply I wish this post wasn't so unusual.  How I wish we talked about this more.

Work and Glory

I'm (slowly; it's overwhelming and kicking my butt) making my way through a book called Heart of the Visionary: A Workbook to Empower Women's Work.  The section about money kicks off with a poem called "Mama Goes to Market", and it has been floating around in my head for a few days.  The woman is a mother and an entrepreneur, she is wise and discerning, decisive, joyful, personable, and prepared for her work.  In turn, she attracts customers like herself, and merchant and buyer both are blessed with abundance by each other.  This is the kind of life I want to live, to lead, and the kind of life I struggle to build.

This morning, I met the infant son of one of my chiropractors, whom she had brought to work, and he had been sleeping in a back room.  There she was, working outside the home, yet mothering at the same time, just like the woman merchant in the poem.

This is a matter I've struggled with for many years.  At times when my business has rebooted (practically every year...) I've told myself I'm too busy working to date... not that men have been busting down my door!  Hey, it gave me an excuse (albeit potentially controversial in LDS culture) not to be getting on with the whole settle-down-and-make-babies business, since that wasn't happening anyway.  I could have a reason.  Well, I gave it up as a "reason" a few years ago and have grudgingly embraced that I'm just not dating and getting married and making babies.  It just ain't happening.  (I mean that in the present tense, not the present-future "I've made a decision that it's not what I'm going to do" sense.)  It'll happen eventually, I'm confident, but for right now... nil.  So, I have a job, and it's pretty much my life.  It is my husband/lover and my baby all wrapped up together.  I have drawn the line at two for my cat collection, so I needed something else to love and inject with my energy, clearly.  And I do love my job.  It is very satisfying  to see someone come out of my workroom with a smile and dropped shoulders.  I know that I've worked something good in them, and if I can't get the usual shot of oxytocin, I'll take that.

Thing is... it's not really a replacement or a placeholder anymore.  I've been planning for years that once I get married, maybe once I'm pregnant, I'll quit my job and settle in to be a stay-at-home-mom.  That's a rough goal in this area, but not impossible.  And having a predictable, safe, reliable parent presence is extremely, extremely important for children; I fully embrace that truth.  My hands would no longer be used to heal and help the grown, but the growing.  It is a noble thing, but I have been holding back on going all-out in my business because I don't want to "get in too deep" and then have to drop it if/when I get married.  Seven years later, look at all the good that did me!  Way to go, self!  I know we've been counseled to pursue education and careers and not count on getting married because some of us just don't, but by golly I had a written statement of intent from God in my Patriarchal Blessing!  It could happen any day!  Look how quickly I got engaged to my last boyfriend!  (The creep.)  Hope springs eternal!  Any. Day.

.... Yeah. *sigh*  Way to go, self.  Totally smart.

Anyway, all of that rambling to say, I was thinking about the poem earlier and a scripture came to mind.

Moses 1:39  "For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man [and woman.]"

These are the Lord's work and glory... so what is my work?  What is my glory?   As I reflected on those questions, I got a lot of answers.  A lot of things came to mind.

Behold!  This is my work and my glory--To bring relief to the suffering and unload the burdens of the pained; To give comfort to the aching and bring joy to the sorrowed; to shelter the hurting and be a friend to those with need; to counsel the questioning and enlighten the asker.

This is my business.  This is my work.  This is my glory.  To be wise in learning and wise in teaching, to help bring to pass the health and vitality of those under my hands.

Is it the same thing we've always been told?  No.  Would I be okay with still working with massage and doulary and whatever else I choose after I'm a wife and mother?  Heck yes.  Will I find a way to make it work for me, my family, and my accountability to God?  Undoubtedly.  Am I a juicy woman and a liver of life?

;)