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RELIEF SOCIETY
Total Articles:
7
Organization of adult women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which complements the priesthood. The Relief Society was organized by the Joseph Smith in 1842. Since women in the LDS church have no authority nor title, they are given Relief Society.
Only men (generally all men, including boys age twelve and up) hold the priesthood in the church, and thus only men are in positions of authority. Even where women act as leaders in the women's organization (the "Relief Society"), they are supervised by men. Women are trained to serve and obey their husbands (or fathers, if unmarried).
The Relief Society has been simply a "figurehead" since the inception of Correlation when they no longer could govern themselves.
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| | Standardized Protocol For Relief Society President?
Article Archived: Tuesday, Mar 1, 2005, at 10:43 AM
Stored Under Topic: RELIEF SOCIETY
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Anonymous |  | |
Question:
Is there a standardized protocol for being the President of the Relief Society in the ward? I need more info, like does she have control of money paid out for applicants, or are recommendations all forwarded to the financial officer and subject to approval? How many duties does she have? How much time is expected from her in this job?
Answer:
First, there is a standard protocol for ward RS presidents. Their duties and responsibilities are outlined in a special section of the official Church Handbook of Instructions. You might be able to find more information at lds.org - check under "Serving in the Church" and find the section for the RS. There's no separate website for the RS.
Second, nobody applies for membership in Relief Society any more. Any woman in the church who turns 18 is automatically a member of the Relief Society. So are any teenagers who get married or pregnant before their 18th birthdays.
Since there aren't applications for R.S., there are no longer dues, either, nor is there an RS magazine. (Neither are there fundraising bazaars, for that matter.) The women are given a budget for the year (a budget dictated by the finance men in SLC, apportioned by the ward finance clerk and bishop - all men. The women can propose a budget, but the men have final say) The RS Presidency can spend it as needed for RS functions and classes. If RS members need financial or other assistance, the RS president refers those members to the bishop but will likely assist the member in going grocery shopping with church funds if the bishop gives his approval to help the RS member.
On Sundays, RS presidents spend the usual 3 hours in regular meetings and most probably spend at least another hour or two in ward leadership meetings and presidency meetings. They organize and run the RS Sunday meetings, but don't usually do much visibly in class other than teach once a month. There are also Stake leadership meetings to attend, and many bishops expect RS presidents to be regular temple attenders if there's a temple within driving distance. RS presidents are often asked to meet with new ward members and welcome them into the ward and may feel the responsibility to visit sisters with particular needs.
They are called upon to help with funeral arrangements, so if lots of people in the ward are dying, they can be busy organizing that. They oversee all the functions of the RS program, making sure there are teachers, lessons, visiting teaching assignments, casseroles available to sick people, spiritual nourishment for shut-ins, etc. She's often the go-to person when people need help with anything related to women and the ward, and likely gets phone calls and emails at all hours of the day and night; if not directly for her, if from people thinking she knows the answer. Some wards call upon their Relief Societies to plan for food at ward parties and pancake breakfasts. If there's a missionary conference in town, there's a good chance the RS will be providing food for that, as well.
If a woman is a good delegator and planner, and if she has reliable people working with her, she'll have to spend less time doing all those things herself. She won't be able to delegate many of her administrative meeting requirements, though, so Sundays can be long.
Credits: Librarian, Seenitinaction
| 1. There is no place in the hierarchy for women in the Mormon Church.
All women serve under the men. They can never officiate in any ordinance or assist in anyway. They cannot even hold their own baby to give it a name and a blessing.
2. No real redress.
They have no real voice or redress if it conflicts with a man in authority. Just try it and find out. They might talk big about it, but in reality, it does not exist. Even getting an apology, or acceptance of responsibility from a male is almost always impossible, if a female has been wronged in any way.
3. Secondary to men and even young boys.
The position of women in the church is as a "help meet" and and a lot of lip service is given to women's greater "spirituality" however, that is just a way of attempting to make them believe they are as equal and just as important as men. It is a feeble attempt at depreciation by the males to say that women are "more spiritual."
4. Obedience to men never women.
The interesting thing is that in theory the real doctrine makes a grand attempt to make women equal to men. The women wear the "holy garment of the priesthood" (which means they hold the priesthood, only as a priestess to a male, but do not officiate) just as the men do, and a man cannot be exalted to the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom without a woman.
But, in reality, just the opposite is true. Women are to obey their husbands, obey the Lord, obey the male leadership in the home (which, technically can be a 12 year old Deacon- on up), etc.
The doctrine of obedience is a higher doctrine than equality. Love is conditional, based on obedience.
Women are not just second class in Mormonism, they are technically third class -- below the Aaronic Priesthood, which is often their sons!
5. Polygamy as a law of heaven is demeaning.
Polygamy is the worse disrespect of women and children and feeds into making women obedience, brood-mare slaves.
6. Role of women as mothers.
Women are to be the mothers and the men are are to officiate in the priesthood. That is how Heavenly Father wants it.
7. Control of her sexuality.
A females in the Mormon Church are expected to be chaste which means she is non-sexual unless married in their only accepted fashion.
8. Men must give approval for a woman to have a "calling".
A woman's husband or father is consulted first before a calling is extended to a female.
9.Confession by females to males.
A female is commanded to confess her sins and transgressions to a male - husband, bishop,stake presidency, regional representatives, etc, never the other way around.
I could go on and on and on!
When I converted to Mormonism in 1961 as a young woman, I had no idea that this would be my role!
Trying to make this role fit me was like buying a dress that was too high waisted, too tight in the arm pits, and too long so that I walked on it.
But, I donned the dress, ignored the uncomfortable fit and went along to get alone because, by the time I figured it out, I was married to a TBM RM in the temple, and continued, for years and years to figure out what was wrong with me!
Mormonism is a strange fit for women!
No wonder it didn't fit. It is not a religion for independent, authentic adult women!
http://www.exmormon.org/boards/w-agor...
| | | Young Women's Program Is Designed To Obliterate The Individual
Article Archived: Monday, Sep 19, 2005, at 07:25 AM
Stored Under Topic: RELIEF SOCIETY
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Anonymous | | |
I'm sure it's probably true of the scouting program as well, but since I don't have experience with scouts, I;m only going to talk about the YW program.
I remember lesson after lesson about the importance of a temple marriage, as if that was the destination. There was nothing outlined after that, just a vague sense that you would bring spirit children into the world, give them a body and have them follow you to kolob where you'd all live together in bliss.
We occassionally had lesson's designed to develop our talents -- well not really our talents as individuals, just our collective talents, like cooking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, singing, babysitting, mending, ironing, stain removal, yadda, yadda, yadda.
There was never an emphasis on education, too worldly and unnecessary to the forgone plan for your life -- you'll get married to that perfect priesthood(place)holder, start making tabarnacles for sweet spirits, and if you've played your cards right, smiled sweetly, raised no eyebrows, you'll one day become one of the select few nameless/faceless bishop's wives.
Yes, everybodies got a role to play -- collectively speaking of course!
http://www.exmormon.org/boards/w-agor...
| | | What is that SUCKING SOUND?!?!? RS Conference report: How to get sucked even deeper into the CULT
Article Archived: Thursday, Sep 29, 2005, at 07:25 AM
Stored Under Topic: RELIEF SOCIETY
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Anonymous | | |
The treat: The great (supposed) guidance of the Lawd.
The cost: SUBMISSION of your own mind
The future cost: Submit
yourself EVEN MORE, and your daughters.
From Anne C. Pingree, Second Counselor in the Grief Society general
presidency:
The submission of the will is the best way to be in tune with the Lords guidance. I bear
witness, my beloved sisters, that in order to truly be an instrument in the hands of God, in order to fully have that blessing
bestowed upon us in the day of this life in which we perform [our] labors, we must, as Elder [Neal A.] Maxwell says, finally
submit ourselves to the Lord.
Sister Pingree related the process by which she enabled herself to be an instrument in
the hands of God. She first searched the scriptures, fasted, prayed, attended the temple, and lived faithful to temple covenants.
Next, she put complete trust in the Lord and sought personal revelation. In even the smallest details of each day, I
submitted my will to the Lord's, for I so needed His help, His guidance, and His protection. As I did, my relationship with
my Father in Heaven changed.
His protection?!?! LOL Yeah sure. And when you get squashed like a
little bug then it was his will.
If there is a God, and if he does listen to everyone, he must be really pissed off at
people like Pingree for praying about every gawd damned thing in their miserable lives.
Like the incessancy of a four
year old, mom this, mom that, dad why does, dad should I, mom what should I, dad why do you, mom.. dad...
http://www.exmormon.org/boards/w-agor...
| Our ward is dealing with the move to quarterly enrichment nights by having a monthly book club for the women in the ward. The first book was Ravenspell: Of Mice and Magic, so clearly safety trumped any desire to use the opportunity to read great literature.
DW has been in other book clubs. The first one (with women in a previous ward) included books by Dickens, Voltaire, Stegner, etc. They actually discussed how the books illustrated life's ambiguity (among other things), even when the ideas didn't mesh with the "restored gospel".
The first dilemma was whether or not to have an opening prayer. After some discussion, they decided that book club was not a church meeting. They then talked about the book for 5 minutes. Given the safety of the book, I'm sure there wasn't much to talk about.
Much more time was later spent trying to come up with a reading list. Someone suggested The Red Tent, a collection of stories told by the patriarch Jacob's daughter about her four mothers and life as a woman in their tribe. (The red tent was where the women would go to have their children or while they were menstruating.) DW loved that book. At this point one of the other women suggested that they should make sure that anything they read was completely in harmony with the teachings of the gospel. I wish that DW had commented that they already had a book club like that called Sunday School. Man, you would have thought that people were recommending Grant Palmer's book.
Other people suggested other books that were shot down because they might offend someone. I think that a vast majority of Mormon women would feel comfortable reading a wide variety of books on their own, but many are so afraid to admit to groups of other women that they might read books that might have a little sex, profanity, or worldliness. In a previous ward, there was an official ward book club that didn't last long after one family complained about Harry Potter being on the list. (They were afraid that their children might want to drop Mormonism for Satanism.)
So here we have yet another illustration of how fear drives people in the church. It might be more pronounced with women, I don't know. I was just thrilled that DW came home and complained about the closemindedness of the other women. She's TBM, but she's not blind. Hallelujah!
| | | Check Out My Ward's Relief Society Message! Apparently Women Are Under Attack By Satan
Article Archived: Wednesday, Mar 1, 2006, at 07:21 AM
Stored Under Topic: RELIEF SOCIETY
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: redman | | |
Here is the exact text of this month's Relief Society Presidency message from my ward, with my thoughts interjected in parentheses:
"Women and all the good they stand for have been under attack for several decades. Satan keeps using new and increasingly nefarious methods to debase women and make them captive to his lies. As with all good things, Satan creates a counterfeit and sells it loud and long as the real thing, only to laugh and mock the resulting devastation. The movement to make women equal in society had many noble and valuable purposes, but became corrupted when it led to the Sexual Revolution, no-fault divorce and the drive to "have it all."
(Apparently, she prefers women to remain ignorant of their sexual potential, as well as stay trapped in miserable and abusive marriages.)
"The current wave of attacks on women further debases us all and strives to convince those who participate that they become more free."
(Hmm, maybe they really do become more free and actually like it).
"This current assault on women is taking a new twist on an old theme. The image the world has created of what a great woman should be is based almost solely on her measurements and her level of permissiveness. That standard is being set by the fashion industry, Hollywood, and the porn industry. The lengths that women go to achieve the perfect body leave them no happier and still seeking.
Who sets the standard for us? It is extremely difficult to live in this world and not feel the constant pull of the worlds standards. But that pull is a downward pull. We have a standard that is eternal and unchanging. It is the Lords standard. If Satan succeeds in distracting the women of the world and especially in the Church from our God-given mission as nurturers, wives, mothers, and sisters and as the spiritual barometer for society he is one step closer to achieving the downfall of society."
(In other words, you must not have any aspirations to a career or anything remotely similar or you are contributing to the destruction of society)
"If we waste our existence pursuing the perfect body or perfect life as defined by the world, we are just as surely lost as those who intentionally walk away. (Thats us!) Satan does not care which path we take as long as it leads down.
When I ask my kids, How did you get to be so smart? my husband taught them to say: Good genes! Sisters, we all have good genes! It doesnt matter where we came from, we are Gods creation, we are His daughters. We have a great work to do and the ability to do it. I challenge all of us to read and re-read Sister Tanner and Elder Hollands talks from the most recent General Conference. We must resist the pull of the world and stand proudly as worthy and exemplary daughters of God. We teach that standard daily through our dress, our deeds, and our words. Whether we have children or not, and regardless of our age, we teach our daughters and our sons how vital and important the role of true womanhood is in Heavenly Fathers plan."
(In other words, we must pass our sexist attitudes on from generation to generation in order to keep the Mormon church strong.)
"We must teach them how to measure by the true standard that only He (the Mormon church hierarchy, that is) can set."
I just found this piece to be really negative and shrill and depressing. Notice how many times Satan is mentioned and how apocalyptic she comes across. I can't believe that the women buy this crap. My wife read it and agreed with me that the tone was retarded but she basically is ok with everything said.
| | | Remember Relief Society Homemaking Projects? This Is The One I Will Never Forget!
Article Archived: Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006, at 07:27 AM
Stored Under Topic: RELIEF SOCIETY
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: SusieQ#1 | | |
This is one of the stories in my autobiographical collection.
The Relief Society (Mormon Church) Homemaking Project- decorated waste baskets from ice cream barrels, early 1960's 37th Married Student Ward, on BYU campus.
One of the many Relief Society Homemaking projects that I will never forget involved ice cream barrels that we procured from the local ice cream stores in Provo, UT in the 60's.
Some of us would call the ice cream shops and pick them up before they were thrown out.Then we would wash them and dry them.
Then, we would decorate them in Relief Society Homemaking Meeting in the basement of one of the Wymount Terrace buildings on campus.
I remember putting all kinds of funny things on them: tiny pom-pom balls, rick-rack and covering them in cloth or wall paper! We were recycling even back then!
One Christmas as very poor students, I decorated one waste paper basket for my mother and one for my mother in law as presents and managed to get them in our little car and drive them all the way to Portland, Oregon.
The one I gave to my mother was kept by her favorite over-stuffed chair in the living room. Mother had polio many years before then suffered many strokes and now spent a lot of time in her favorite chair next to her small bookcase reading and doing crossword puzzles, and napping.
Mother loved her dogs. She had a little white cock-a-poo-mix, called "Cookie" that never left her side and used to sit by her on the wide arm of her large chair. "Cookie" got old and a little blind and would often sleep on the arm of that chair with Mother. Most days both of them fell asleep in the chair.
One day, when I called home, I asked about her little dog "Cookie." Mother told me that "Cookie" died. "She is pretty old," I said, "I guess it was her time."
"Well, mother said, "Cookie fell into the waste basket and broke her neck!" I gasped! "The waste basket?" I asked. "Yes," she said, "you remember the one you made me for Christmas a long time ago?"
I have never been sure whether "Cookie" died on the arm of the chair and fell off or fell off in her sleep and the waste basket broke her neck and she died. Either way, that little decorated ice cream barrel is forever associated with the death of "Cookie" and a Relief Society Project of recycling by very poor students at Christmas time!
Ahh, the days of Relief Society Projects!
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