“Why Can’t I Stop Reading Mormon Housewife Blogs?”

Matchar’s article ends with her saying:

Clearly, life for the Mormon wife is not all crafts and cupcakes. Even if it were, I seriously doubt that crafts and cupcakes are all that much fun when you do them all day, every day.

But the basic messages expressed in these blogs — family is wonderful, life is meant to be enjoyed, celebrate the small things — are still lovely. And if they help women like me envision a life in which marriage and motherhood could potentially be something other than a miserable, soul-destroying trap, I say, “Right on.” I won’t be inviting the missionaries inside for hot cocoa now or ever, but I don’t plan on stopping my blog habit any time soon.

Right on, Ms. Marchar. Thanks for your article.

If you liked the article, you might enjoy some of the thoughts from Mormon women about it.

Yesterday, Brenda shared some thoughts about the article and also explored reasons why many LDS women have blogs:

Ask a Mormon Woman: Why Are There So Many Mormon Women Bloggers?

You might also enjoy this news story, as well as an interview with another Mormon Mommy blogger (and manager of Mormon Mommy Blogs) who shares her thoughts about the article in the video below.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

This discussion addresses the Salon article and a couple of other articles out there, and explores a little more of Mormon motherhood and the challenges we face in trying to do our best to find lasting happiness through what matters most, and guide our children to do the same: Tiger Mothers, Mormon Mommy Bloggers, and Happiness

The post Self-proclaimed Feminist Atheist “Addicted” to Mormon Mommy Blogs appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

By Brenda

First of all, can I tell you how much I loved the Salon article by Emily Matchar entitled “Why Can’t I Stop Reading Mormon Housewife Blogs?” Emily even described us in our own vernacular: “uplifting.”  Uplifting is exactly the way Mormons would like to be seen. This article gave me chills mainly because it reminded me of a prophecy Spencer W. Kimball, a Mormon prophet, gave several decades ago.

“My dear sisters, may I suggest to you something that has not been said before or at least in quite this way. Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world. … Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and the spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.”

My favorite part of that quote is the fact that we will be seen as distinct and different – in happy ways – from the women of the world. I’d personally like to thank C. Jane, Nie Nie, and many, many others for leading the way in showing the world the happiness that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bring to a family.

Here at Mormon Women we don’t shy away from providing stories about and resources for people who are suffering from addiction, divorce, depression and other problems in the world today. Mormons are not immune from the woes of life. But an understanding that we are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and that death and sorrow will be swallowed up by the Atonement of Jesus Christ can bring lasting happiness.

Many of the commenters on the Salon blog wondered, “Why are there so many Mormon Women Bloggers?” As a long-term Mormon Mommy blogger I’d like to give my opinions on that subject. I think that the main reasons are family history work, social interaction, education, community, and a tradition of sharing.

Family History: Because Mormons believe that families are eternal we are doctrinally motivated to seek out our ancestors. Finding a journal of a deceased loved one is a particular treasure as it provides a window into their life. How my ancestors felt and reacted to the struggles of life gives me hope that my troubles can be overcome as well. Stories passed down from grandmothers and grandfathers give me a background to my own personal narrative. Knowing how much I love to read about things my ancestors did motivates me to record even the mundane. I write with my grandchildren and great grandchildren in mind. I want them to know me through my words.

Home-based Social Interaction: One indelible memory I have of my mom is her walking around my house on a 50-ft spiral telephone cord talking with her friends. She loved to clean while on the phone and her phone cord could reach all the way from the kitchen to the back corner of our family room. I like to talk to my friends just as much as my mom did, but I do it online. It would be very hard to hold a conference call with 60 of my best friends worldwide, but blogging makes long distance relationships very accessible. Blogging has made journaling a social event where I can share and discuss my life with my family members and friends. Instead of stuffing my best thoughts in a locked journal under my mattress I can share them and converse with my friends at their leisure.

Education: Mormon women have been encouraged to obtain all the education they can in this life and the next. Lifelong learning is stressed annually in our Sunday lessons from primary age through adult. Most of the Mormon women I know in my area have at least earned a bachelor’s degree. Some have not, but they are no less articulate because our church culture encourages leadership, study, and thought. And we teach, oh how we teach! Nearly all of the callings, or volunteer church positions, in our church are teaching roles. The process of reading and distilling that material into a lesson best suited to the needs of a class is very similar to blogging. Being a member of Relief Society also encourages the development of talents. Every Sunday and at least once a quarter on a weekday, we gather together to improve our talents, increase our faith or provide service to the community. The Relief Society supports women in reaching their highest potential intellectually, spiritually, and physically without compromising the divinity of motherhood.

Community: Mormons are community builders. Our church’s legacy begins with the early Mormons building community after community seeking a place to safely practice our religion. We continue to build spiritual centers of community called wards and stakes worldwide. Mormons also are known for having large(r) families than others. At first glance you may not see what these facts have to do with blogging. Let me explain. I have quite a few first cousins. Many of them blog. Many of the women in my ward and stake blog. I went to Brigham Young University, all of my college roommates were LDS. They all blog. As do many of the girls I knew in my collegiate congregation. Now that I’m a mother of four I have four times as many social lives to conduct and I interact with women of many different faiths at the public school, at the park, and at Kung Fu class. Can you see how finding people to talk to online in these circumstances would build a large online community quickly? Blogging is a great fit for building and sharing community.

Sharing We are encouraged to share our faith at home, at school or work, at church and online. In fact, we have specifically been asked by our highest ranking leaders to share our message online. Elder Russell J. Ballard writes in a guide to share the gospel online,

“Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration.”

In this month’s Ensign, a monthly periodical produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is a four page insert encouraging members to “join the conversation” on the new Mormon.org. As I am writing this I am wishing I already had my profile up to link to. Maybe you can search out your favorite Mormon blogger to see if they have a profile online at Mormon.org.

I love blogging. It has connected me with old and new friends in a medium I enjoy. I especially like reading blogs by Mormon women. Like Emily Matchar, I find them very uplifting.

Why do *YOU* think there are so many Mormon bloggers?

The post Ask a Mormon Woman: Why Are There So Many Mormon Women Bloggers? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

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LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson recently met with US President Barack Obama. Read more here. Read the ABC News story here. See another news story, including a brief slideshow of past meetings of Church leaders with US Presidents here. Read the official LDS Newsroom story here.

Read President Obama’s statement about the meeting on the White House website here.

Many other news reports can be found here.

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Learn more about Larry Echohawk, who was recently appointed Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs by President Obama.

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Read about John Huntsman, recently appointed by President Obama as ambassador to China, here, here, and here. Read the text of President Obama naming Huntsman as ambassador  here.

Know of other interesting news stories about Mormons in your area? Have any interesting/uplifting links to share? (They don’t have to all be LDS -related.) Please let us know! Email us at gmail, with username ‘mormonwoman’ or ‘mormonwomen’

The post Links We Like — Mormons in U.S. News: Mormon Woman Wins Prestigious Award in the U.S. Coast Guard; LDS Church President Meets with President Obama; LDS President Meets with U.S. President; Mormons Recently Appointed/Nominated by President Obama for U.S. Positions appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The Church’s annual Pioneer Day Broadcast will be shown tonight on the internet at 7:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. Other broadcast times, including for international broadcast through satellite and other media, can be found here.

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Today we link to one of the official sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, mormon.org that has a wealth of information about Mormonism.  This particular link is a testimony of The Restoration of Truth in which we believe.

“God knows you personally and loves you more than you can comprehend. He wants you to be happy now and always. To accomplish this purpose, Heavenly Father has provided a plan called the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; His teachings are the way to peace in life and joy for eternity…” Read more here.

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Mormon woman in WNBA was recently inducted into its Hall of Fame. She talks a little about pursuing her dream to play basketball, and of her family’s support. “My whole family supported me, saying ‘You know what you want and if that’s what you want to do, you can do.'” She also referred indirectly to Family Home Evening, a beloved program of the Church. We almost always have a family activity on Monday night. A lot of times, we’d go over to church and play basketball. We had a great time.”

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Mormon woman Mariah Nogueria named Female Athlete of the year; will play soccer for Stanford

She also plays softball and volleyball. A fun clip from the article follows:

Nogueira also likes cooking, scrap-booking and playing the ukulele, none of which are all that competitive. Early in the morning, though, Nogueira’s competition is the alarm clock.

She’s a member of the Mormon church, and Nogueira is at seminary at 5:30 a.m. every day. So when does she have to get up?

“Five minutes before I leave,” she said with a laugh.

The post Links We Like: Pioneer Day Commemoration Broadcast; Truth and God’s Love; Mormon Woman in Sports (WNBA’s Hall of Fame, playing for Stanford’s soccer team) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.