I sometimes run across content online that wants to assert, without question, that The Book of Mormon is racist. Given all the focus on rooting out prejudice in our modern culture, it makes sense that some words or ideas in The Book of Mormon could hit sunburned spots in people’s minds and hearts. Not only is racism in the headlines, but we’ve been encouraged by latter-day prophets to be alert to and root out prejudice of any kind.

I recently rediscovered this article, written by a black convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “How we misinterpret “black” and “curse” in the scriptures – Insights from an African American convert” https://www.ldsliving.com/how-we-misinterpret-black-and-curse-in-the-scriptures-insights-from-an-african-american-convert/s/88562

In the article, Marvin Perkins shares about the reality that racism exists in our culture (and unfortunately sometimes in the Church). He encountered some of this prejudice when he was learning about the Church back in the late 1980s (and we know it’s not gone). But his experiences with God and the Book of Mormon (and learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ) anchored him and helped him move forward with his decision to join the Church.

Since then, he’s done a lot of study about questions related to if racism exists in The Book of Mormon. In this article, he shares some of his insights. I also appreciated hearing his point of view about the different colors of skin we have and what that means to him.

There’s an old saying that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I think we need to be careful about judging a book only by potential trigger points, especially a book that is considered scripture. If we are reading the Book of Mormon only with the lens of modern language or hot-button topics, there may be things we are missing. Words like “skin” and “curse” and “mark” and “white” and “dark” don’t necessarily mean what we think they might mean at first glance with our current cultural sensitivities. In my experience, considering synonyms to these words in sacred writ can also yield great insights. The more I engage the scriptures with questions and curiosity, the more I realize that there is so much they have to teach me that I’m not seeing. So much depends on the mindset and lens and questions I’m bringing to prayerful engagement with the text.

Of course, no writer of ancient scripture was perfect, and again, as latter-day prophets have taught, we need to be alert to prejudice of any kind. And yet prejudice, blind spots, biases — whatever words we may choose — can also reach backwards in time. Just as we are working collectively to leave behind racial bias that may have been passed down to us through false traditions of our forebears, we can seek to stay alert to our own 21st-century biases as well. We can learn to engage ancient texts on their own terms. With the Book of Mormon, we can also engage its promise, that we can know from God personally about the truthfulness of its message and purpose.

Our ancient scriptural teachers had a mission, and that was to point us toward the One who can help us all see more clearly. God invites us to learn about Him through imperfect vessels and vehicles, and there is beauty in that. (So many of the writers acknowledged their imperfect outright, in fact, from Moses to Moroni.) If we engage the scriptures with open hearts and minds, seeking God’s Spirit to help us, we can see beyond any of the writers’ imperfections (and sometimes see more because of them) to learn about the most inclusive message in the world: That God loves all of His children and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us all.

The post Is the Book of Mormon Racist? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Because of COVID-19, there is no live Christmas concert with the Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square (which concert always features a special guest artist or two).

But for the first time ever, you can watch one of these concerts (last year’s) on television or your computer! (COVID has opened a lot of new opportunities for sharing and experiencing beautiful things.)

This performance includes guests Kelli O’Hara and Richard Thomas. The concert will premier today at BYU-TV at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST.

It will be rebroadcast Sunday, December 20th, at 7:30 ET/4:30 PST and Wednesday, December 23rd, at 7:30 EST/4:30 PST.

Hear some of Ms. O’Hara’s thoughts about being able to perform with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, and catch a glimpse of what goes into making one of these concerts a reality.

Many thanks to those who did what it takes to help make this concert available for us this year!

The post 12 Days of Christmas Music, Day 4: Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra, Kelli O’Hara and Richard Thomas appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Further, the statement rejoices in the fact that Mormons and Catholics “have worked together on issues of faith, morality and service to the poor and needy. We value the relationships that have been formed in these joint efforts and are grateful for the good that has been accomplished.

“We look forward to pursuing together, as the Apostle Paul wrote, all things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report (see Philippians 4:8).”

God bless you, Pope Francis.

The post LDS First Presidency extends well wishes to Pope Francis appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new digital release of an updated version of its scriptures and study aids (in English).

The last update to the Church’s English scriptures—the Holy Bible, theBook of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—was completed in 1981. The improvements made for that edition, including the addition of extensive study helps in each book of scripture, were significant and crowned 10 years of work.

The 2013 edition includes revisions to study aids, new photos, updated maps, and adjustments to chapter and section headings.
 

The print edition of this updated version will be available in August of this year.

Read more about this updated edition of the LDS scriptures can be found here.

The post 2013 Edition of the LDS Scriptures released appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The post David Archuleta still singing! Los Pastores a Belén appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Catherine has some thoughts for mothers who don’t feel like they are enough:

When You Think You Are Not Enough

I hear this from women. Often. I read it in your emails and comments. I hear it in our conversations, in the pitch of your voice. I draw it out of the lines on the screen and I understand. Because I say it too.

Read how Catherine’s personal experiences and challenges are helping her challenge the “not enough” feelings that are all too common among mothers.

– – – – – –

We missed the chance for a link-up, but we love the invitation they extended. It’s called Mother Letters. (Read more about how the idea started here.)

“If you had the opportunity to write your own Mother Letter to another mother, what would you say?” The idea is to share encouraging words for someone who might be struggling or needing some support in their mothering. Write your own Mother Letter, and mail it, or post it on your blog, or share it in the comments below.

And be sure to take a look at some of the Mother Letters that were written and linked at the bottom of the link-up post.

– – – – – –

Michelle (a different Michelle from Mormon Women’s Michelle!) captures beautifully the power of motherhood. Again, the topic of not letting those voices of “not enough” or “do more to prove your worth” are addressed:

Toppling the Queen

Ask the world, and my influence score is shockingly low.

But for my children and the people around me, I DO matter. And I can’t be toppled by those minions whispering, “you make a mess of everything!” “what is wrong with you?” “why do you even try?” In fact I’d very much like to be one of those women who when I get up in the morning the devil says, “Oh no! She’s awake again.”

My little chess mavens taught me the best way to defeat the queen is to distract her; create all kinds of chaos around her, then take her down. Our world could scarcely contain more distractions for women– beauty secrets, social networks, PTA, Pinterest– we are expected to hide our wrinkles, watch our weight, serve the community, maintain a career (at least a little something on the side), all while nurturing children, making dinner and cultivating a happy marriage.

We are all, each of us (mothers or wives or not) more powerful than we believe.

You’ll want to read the whole post. It’s so good. There is power in motherhood.

– – – – – –

Read Kathryn’s reflections on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and lessons we can learn from pondering her life:

Like Mary, the Mother of Jesus

To me, Mary is a sacred symbol, as well as spiritual evidence, to all of mankind, of the worth and dignity of the sacred calling of every woman, as a mother. As we study the life of Mary, the mother of the Savior of the world, the pattern of motherhood is clearly marked.

Read more about the several patterns Kathryn sees in Mary’s life.

– – – – – –

Rachel opens up and shares how Mother’s Day has been hard for her and for her mother.

Celebrating Mother’s Day may not always feel like a celebration, but a day of guilt, especially when we compare ourselves to other women. On Mother’s Day we’re reminded of all the things we should be doing, we hear how wonderful and “perfect” other mothers are, and we think how our lives and situations aren’t like those of the women around us.

Read what she and her mother did to try to have a different experience on Mother’s Day.

Turning the Pain of Mother’s Day into Joy

– – – – –

The post Mother’s Day Posts – Links we Like appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Mormon Women: Who We Are is now on Pinterest. We’re just getting started, and we’d love your help filling our boards. Take a look at the topics we have so far, suggest other board ideas, and send us links that we could include on the different boards.

Right now, you’ll see that we have a board for food storage, for facing trials with faith, for pornography addiction education/prevention/healing, for Mormons in the news, general information about Mormonism, and more. We also would love to build our connections with Mormon bloggers, so comment below if you are a Mormon blogger and have a post or blog you think would be good to pin to our board.

Find us on Pinterest here: Mormon Women.

The post Mormon Women on Pinterest appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The post Integrity, Virtue, Moral Excellence — A different kind of talent agency appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

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. There are a lot of great posts on Particles of Faith.

The post “Particles of Faith” — Latter-day Saint women share their stories appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The revamped site brings tools and teachings to members of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints to help them in their lives and efforts to build personal and family spirituality. The site also has much to offer those who are interested in learning more about the Mormon faith. You can read more about basic Mormon beliefs, for example…and you might see an increase in Mormons around you using the site to share videos and other multimedia content via social networking sites.

Teachings of living prophets have a prominent place on the site, with a particular focus on most recent messages and on learning more about our leaders’ lives.

The site contains updated tools for personal online scripture study and study of other Church materials, which will allow users to take notes, highlight and underline key passages, keep a study journal, and electronically file materials for future use.

Search engines have been updated and content will be eventually presented in 11 languages.

And local congregation websites at the ward and stake level will have new capabilities for directories and calendars.

It’s exciting for us to see how the Church continues to try to harness the power and potential of the internet to help support Church members and encourage us to share this gospel that matters so much to us with others.

The post New lds.org Website appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.