Women and Authority: Re-Emerging Mormon Feminism [Paperback]

Maxine Hanks (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992

Mormon women today might be surprised to learn about their foremothers' views on feminist theology and women's issues, according to Maxine Hanks.

In 1842, founder Joseph Smith foresaw the LDS Women's Relief Society as "a kingdom of Priests," that he "would ordain them to preside over the society...just the Presidency preside over the church." Originally, the LDS Women's Relief Society paralleled the LDS men's priesthood quorums. Women were "ordained" to various positions, as well as set apart to be healers "with power to rebuke diseases."

In the 19th-century, Mormon theology also spoke of a Mother God, having "all power and glory" with the Father in Heaven. Mormon doctrine also hinted at the divine status of Eve, Mary, and Mary Magdalene.

The 19th-century Woman's Exponent, published by the LDS Women's Relief Society, editorialized in favor of "equal rights before the law, equal pay for equal work, equal political rights." The magazine's masthead read, "The Rights of the Women of Zion and the Rights of Women of All Nations."

One Relief Society founder, Sarah Kimball, referred to herself as "a woman's rights woman," while another leader, Bathsheba Smith, was called on a Relief Society mission in 1870 to preach "woman's rights" throughout southern Utah. According to the Woman's Exponent, a woman's place was not just "in the nursery" but "in the library, the laboratory, the observatory."

Women were encouraged to pursue formal education and career opportunities, study medicine and involve themselves in politics. Mormon women were assured that "when men see that women can exist without them, it will perhaps take a little of the conceit out of some of them."

Women who served inside LDS temples were termed "priestesses," while LDS Women's Relief Society president Eliza R. Snow was known as a "prophetess." Snow discouraged women from confiding their personal issues to male bishops, saying that such matters "should be referred to the Relief Society president and her counselors."

In 1875, LDS Women's Relief Society president, Emmeline B. Wells, could say with confidence: "Let woman speak for herself; she has the right of freedom of speech. Women are too slow in moving forward, afraid of criticism, of being called unwomanly, of being thought masculine. What of it? If men are so much superior to women, the nearer we come up to the manly standard the higher we elevate ourselves."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maxine Hanks is a feminist theologian, writer and lecturer on women's studies in religion. She was a visiting fellow at Harvard Divinity School and a research fellow with Utah Humanities Council. She has lectured in women's studies at the University of Utah, and guest lectured at BYU, Utah Valley State U., Weber State U., Salt Lake Community College, and Harvard Divinity School. She has presented at the National Women's Studies Association, Mormon History Association, Sunstone Theological Symposia, and Claremont Graduate University.

Her other books include Mormon Faith in America, Getting Together with Yesterday, and A History of Sanpete County. She has authored many articles on women's topics in Mormonism and in religion, including an essay in Secrets of Mary Magdalene.

In 1993 she was one of the "September Six," hereticated for her work on Mormon feminist theology. Since 1999, she has served as Gnostic clergy in Salt Lake, while chairing Utah Women in Ministry and Interfaith Week in Utah. She serves on the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable, the Utah Attorney General's Safety Net Committee, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch's Women's Council.

Product Details

• Paperback: 494 pages
• Publisher: Signature Books (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560850140
• ISBN-13: 978-1560850144
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spirituality has no gender!, January 7, 2005

By 

Conny Svensson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women and Authority: Re-Emerging Mormon Feminism (Paperback)

This book is just jolly good! I mean you get to read about all these aspects of LDS women's life and spirituality. The editor has really done a remarkable job, gathering all these essays from believing and cultural LDS, which illuminate the situation of many passed and present women of LDS.

Some essays are interviews with LDS women, there is a long excerpt from the 19th century LDS women's magazine, a lot of space is dedicated to the equal rights movement taking place in US and how LDS women handled it. The question of authority and priesthood is discussed which gave a great knowledge about the old days, when the LDS movement was charismatic, not so institutionalised as it became later. It is not only the facticity of women healing, administering to the sick, praying and having religous seances that is mentioned, but also how how this can be used today, in women's and men's lives. Do we actually need female priests? What kind of measures would it take? Is there a possibility for creating a forum besides the Relief society to empower women's sprituality?

The role of language and its patriarchal structure, another essay, reminded of my own church's struggle (I am Swedish Lutheran) in the 1950s when the first women were ordained to be priests. The question of language is also connected to the image of god, is it a man, a father, and how comforting can a father image be, when fathers seem so absent in our lives? There is according to LDS a mother in heaven but she is rather silent, but through this book you get to know people who were touched by her and answered by her.

I loved the book and you will like it independently of your relation to the LDS movement, because it raises important questions and can be a start-off for a change, just like that research which finally opened the priesthood for all males regardless of skin colour in 1978. But as always, change takes time, I mean it took five hundred years for the Lutherans in Sweden to finally "let" the women become priests, it will take time and a lot of effort. As an essay in the book says, there is hardly any women in the place where the action in the church takes place, because many posts in the LDS hierarchy are connected to the priesthood, so it will take time. It is a faith-promoting book in many ways, it showed how faithfulness to the religion can be empowering even if it never gives you the actual chance to be empowered.

Two constructive suggestions, when editing another collection: one: why the silence about polygamy? How did it affect authority? How did it effect women's chance to be priestesses and godesses of the new heavens and earths? I mean even if the women had an independence during Joseph's life time and a bit afterwards, many of them, were living in polygamous relationships. It is sad that not one essay mentioned this and I believe that polygamy had to do someting with the Relief society in the beginning and that polygamy helped institutionalise the patriarchy in the church so that women's voice was never heard, only their exit, when they could not handle it. Two: the book is in some way very US-focused, especially in the equal movement part, maybe I am too European living in Europe but it hardly mentions anything about the church in other countries. How is women's spirituality and authority affected by the church in countries with another religous/secular tradition? So, bro' or sis' I recommend and especially for the men in the LDS church!

21 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An powerful examination of Mormon Feminism., April 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Women and Authority: Re-Emerging Mormon Feminism (Paperback)

This beautifully edited books is a collection of articles written by Mormon women of this century who have come to realize the negative impact that Mormon patriarchy has imposed upon them.

Aside from the controversial nature of these works, every Mormon female should read this book, perhaps in conjunction with the book "In Sacred Lonliness" a biography of the many polygamous wives of Joeseph Smith. When the lives of the strong, powerful and empowered women of the past are imposed over the current lives and roles of women today, one can clearly see the deterioation of the female "godhead" once so central to church doctrine.

This is a wonderful book. As I read it, I felt not only empowered, but enervated and comforted as well. Any Mormon woman who has heard the phrase "Men can enter the priesthood, but women make sure their feet are clean before they do" and has felt some unquiet in their soul will likely find some soul sisters or soul mates in this text.

As a 5th generation Mormon female and given the promise that the prophet Joseph Smith made to the women of the church which referred to their roles as those of "...healer and goddess..." I think I can safely say that I would rather be a goddess than a doormat!

Best wishes to the authors and editors of this magnificent book - read it if you are interested in Mormonism, women's roles in any church, or Mormon Feminism.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reclaiming Female Spirituality in Mormonism, March 31, 2003

By 

Maria (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women and Authority: Re-Emerging Mormon Feminism (Paperback)

This book is an amazing collection of women's voices. Unlike many feminist books which protest religion or agitate for change, this book takes a positive approach that celebrates and reclaims women's spirituality in Mormonism. The book heals women's loss of spiritual power in the Church simply by reclaiming that power, individually. These voices are brave and authentic, spiritual and sincere. They show that Mormon women have not lost their connection to God, but are finding their inner pathway to the divine. None of these voices is weak or plaintive, they have the energy of living spirituality, flowing from the true source, God. Reading this book fills one with the Spirit. It is soundly based on Mormon theology and doctrine, careful to reclaim female spirituality without veering outside of the faith. Every Mormon woman could benefit from reading this book, and may find that it strengthens her testimony of Mormonism, increases her personal connection to God, and expands her spiritual life. This is a healing book for Mormon women.