Topics you never hear at Church
 

Ok...a previous discussion with another poster made me think...at General Conference, and especially at the priesthood session.

You hear talk after talk to the men, to 1) avoid pornography, 2) keep yourself morally clean; 3) get off your duff and be anxiously engaged...in something productive; 4) do you duty...yadda yadda yadda...

So...why is it that there are no corresponding "talks" in General Conference or a General Relief Society Broadcast that addresses the ills of womanhood?

How many of you have seen a bishop or stake president take on the women and issues that they are having? I really don't know if I can come up with an example where they have?

Anyone?

I've seen several talks about gossip.

Because the vast majority of these talks are given by men who have a much better grip on the problems men create? Or maybe the "womens" issues are simply contained in other talks and presented in a gender neutral way because woman are less likely to respond well to being "taken to task" than men are, and are more likely to respond if they can "liken" it to themselves on their own.

I tend to think that this is a problem in more wards than a few...yet, I have heard talks on this in a 'general' sense...when indeed there was a big riff caused in a ward regarding this very thing (now that you mention it).

But, again, it was discussed in a general, candy coated way instead of taking the women to task.

Perhaps the notion of them responding way differently than men do has some merit. Would be kinda entertaining just to see though!

Stephen Robinson at BYU told his students that some church leaders believe that the analogous equivalent to the problem men have with pornography in the church is the problem women have with prudishness. To make matters worse, one can easily see where this starts a rather vicious cycle.

But find for me one general authority who will teach in the name of God and as a representative of the church that wives need to give it up more often and I'll show you one guy who's name is gonna come up after the words "any opposed by the same sign."

Not for me, mind you. But somebody will.

I ranted about this in our Marriage/Family relations class in Sunday School a few months back. My thesis was this:

Basically all talks in the Church directed at women are positive and upbeat: "You're doing a wonderful job. You are wonderful daughters of our Father in Heaven. Be happy. Our Heavenly Father loves you. Have Joy. We all love you."

Basically all talks in the Church directed at men are to point out some area where men are failing in their responsibilities. "Stop looking at porno. Do your home teaching. Stop looking at porno. Love your wife and kids. Stop looking at porno. Don't gamble. Stop looking at porno. Oh yeah, do your home teaching."

You may find a counter example here or there but the sum of all talks definitely flows in the direction of chastizement for men and postive encouragement for women.

Amen, brother. Well said.

This is done out of guilt. The Church is extremely patriarchal. In the Church, women are second class citizens and everyone knows it. We still cling to the notion of a woman's place being in the home, barefoot and pregnant. When leaders extol the virtues of women in the Church, they are throwing them the proverbial bone, trying to ease their own guilt.

lol....totally agree with this.

Women are pretty hard on themselves as it is. We're never pretty enough or skinny enough. It doesn't take much to make us feel like a crappy mother, wife, etc. We compare ourselves to other women and we never measure up. One of our greatest faults IS being too hard on ourselves and that is addressed in all of those encouraging talks we hear in conference.

It is true, many women could use a good talk on not nagging their husbands (my mom and sisters-in-law for example).