FAIR - User contributions [en]

Brigham Young/Women not to meddle

2009-06-27T06:10:53Z

HeidiBialik: /* Response */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==

Brigham Young said women "have no right to meddle in the affairs of the Kingdom of God." This is used to portray Brigham as authoritarian and sexist.

===Source(s) of the criticism===

* {{CriticalWork:Denton:American Massacre|pages=38}}

==Response==

Sally Denton uses this quote, and uses D. Michael Quinn, as her source. Unfortunately, Denton omits the context which Quinn's volume provides:

:[women] have no right to meddle in the affairs of the Kingdom of God[—]outside the pale of this they have a right to meddle because many of them are more sagacious & shrewd & more competent [than men] to attend to things of financial affairs. they never can hold the keys of the Priesthood apart from their husbands.{{ref|quinn.1}}

Brigham then continued, "When I want Sisters or the Wives of the members of the church to get up Relief Society I will summon them to my aid but until that time let them stay at home & if you see females huddling together veto the concern."{{ref|seventies.1}}

Brigham's statement about "meddling," then, in no way reflects on women's competence or skills—he insists that many know better than men. Brigham's point is that women have no right to priesthood government. This statement was probably precipitated by Emma Smith's use of her role as head of the Relief Society to resist Joseph's teachings, especially plural marriage.{{ref|emma.1}} Brigham is signaling that those without priesthood power may not dictate to ordained priesthood leaders about ''priesthood'' matters.

===Presentism===

The author relies on presentism, since Brigham and virtually all of his contemporaries (men ''and'' women) likely had attitudes about women's roles which would strike us as "sexist." Though the quote seems offensive and exclusionary, we need to remember the context of the time. Attitudes toward women during that time, and even 100 years later, were far from our current attitudes. It is unreasonable to expect people living in a different time to fit 21st century perspectives. Brigham was, however, quite liberal for his day—he encouraged women to get an education: for example, he even assigned several to travel to the eastern United States to get training as physicians.

==Conclusion==

Brigham's intent has been distorted, and the author has used presentism to bias the reader against him.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|quinn.1}} {{CriticalWork:Quinn:Mormon Hierarchy|pages=650}}
#{{note|seventies.1}} Seventies Record, 9 March 1845, holograph, LDS Church Archives (cited in Beecher, see below).
#{{note|emma.1}} {{Sunstone1|author=Maureen Ursenbach Beecher|article=Women in Winter Quarters|date=July 1983|num=8:4/15|start=note 37}}

Question: Why did Mormon leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States?

2009-02-28T01:18:37Z

HeidiBialik:

{{draft}}
==Question==

Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

==Answer==

Critics assume that because the Church opposed the proposed "Equal Rights" Amendment, that the Church opposed equal rights for women. In fact, the Church did not oppose equal rights for women, but rather was opposed to other potential consequences of the ERA. Church leaders felt that the ERA would have a negative impact on women's rights and families. Furthermore, the Church felt that the Constitution already prohibited sex discrimination and that an amendment was unnecessary.

===The Church's Stance on Equal Rights===

Church leaders have spoken out against inequality on several occasions and have never condoned abuse or oppression. Men and women are seen as equally important in the plan of salvation, the happiness and fulfillment of both being equal priorities.

The Church felt that equality could be obtained without trying to blur the distinctions between men and women. Leaders and members also felt that women might ''lose'' rights specific to women, for instance, the right to depend on her husband financially and stay at home caring for her children.

===The Excommunication of Sonia Johnson===

Sonia Johnson, a feminist and ERA activist, was excommunicated. Her excommunication came after she gave a speech, titled "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church."{{ref|sj.1}} She spoke several more times on the topic, always harshly criticizing the Church and its leaders.

Johnson often cites her stance on ERA to be the reason for her [[Excommunication|excommunication]], although there is no indication that this is actually the case. The reasons for an individual's excommunication are rarely publicly released by the Church. In this particular case, however, Johnson and those close to her claimed that she was excommunicated for apostasy.{{ref|sillitoe.1}} When one considers the scathing and critical tone of her public speeches, it isn't hard to imagine that she would be excommunicated for apostasy. No other individual has ever claimed to have been excommunicated for their stance on the ERA, although a number of other members did publicly disagree with Church leaders on the issue.

===Conclusion===

The Church opposed the ERA, but not equal rights, as expressed by the campaign slogan, "Equal Rights, Yes. ERA, No!"

==Endnotes==
#{{note|sj.1}} Sonia Johnson, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" speech given at the American Psychological Association Meetings, New York City, 1 September 1979. {{link|url=http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon415.htm}}
#{{note|sillitoe.1}} {{Sunstone1|author=Linda Silitoe|article=Church Politics and Sonia Johnson: The Central Conundrum|num=19|date=January-February 1980}} {{pdflink|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/019-35-43.pdf}}

==Further reading==

==FAIR Wiki Articles==
{{WomenWiki}}

==FAIR Articles==
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai138.html|topic=Gender & Women's Issues}}

===External links===

* {{Ensign1|author=Anonymous|article=The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue|date=March 1980|start=insert: 1}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f8a4615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* {{Ensign1|author=Boyd K. Packer|article=The Equal Rights Amendment|date=March 1977}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d13b1f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}

Question: Why did Mormon leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States?

2009-02-27T05:30:56Z

HeidiBialik: /* Endnotes */

{{Equal Rights Amendment}}
==Question==

Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

==Answer==

It may seem that because the Church opposed the "Equal Rights" Amendment, that the Church opposed equal rights for women. In fact, the Church did not oppose equal rights for women, but rather was opposed to other foreseen consequences of the ERA. Church leaders felt that the ERA would have a negative impact on women's rights and families. Furthermore, the Church felt that the Consitution already prohibited sex discrimination and that an amendment was unnecessary.

===The Church's Stance on Equal Rights===

Church leaders have spoken out against inequality on several occasions and have never condoned abuse or oppression. Men and women are seen as equally important in the plan of salvation, the happiness and fulfillment of both being equal priorities.

The Church felt that equality could be obtained without trying to blur the distinctions between men and women. Leaders and members also felt that women might ''lose'' rights specific to women, for instance, the right to depend on her husband financially and stay at home caring for her children.

===The Ex-communication of Sonia Johnson===

Sonia Johnson, a feminist and ERA activist, was excommunicated. Her excommunication came after she gave a speech, titled "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church."{{ref|sj.1}} She spoke several more times on the topic, always harshly criticising the Church and its leaders.

She often cites her stance on ERA to be the reason for her excommunication, however there is no indication that this is actually the case. The reasons for an individual's ex-communication are never published publicly, however Johnson and those close to her have said that she was officially ex-communicated for apostacy.{{ref|sillitoe.1}} Considering the scathing and critical tone of her public speeches, it isn't hard to imagine that she would be ex-communicated for apostacy. No one else has been, or claims to have been, ex-communicated for their stance on the ERA, although other members did publicly disagree with Church leaders on the issue.

===Conclusion===

The Church opposed the ERA, but not equal rights, as expressed by the campaign slogan, "Equal Rights, Yes. ERA, No!"

==Endnotes==
#{{note|sj.1}} Sonia Johnson, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" speech given at the American Psychological Association Meetings, New York City, 1 September 1979. {{link|url=http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon415.htm}}
#{{note|sillitoe.1}} {{Sunstone1|author=Linda Silitoe|article=Church Politics and Sonia Johnson: The Central Conundrum|num=19|date=January-February 1980}} {{pdflink|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/019-35-43.pdf}}

==Further reading==

==FAIR Wiki Articles==
{{WomenWiki}}

==FAIR Articles==
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai138.html|topic=Gender & Women's Issues}}

===External links===

* {{Ensign1|author=Anonymous|article=The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue|date=March 1980|start=insert: 1}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f8a4615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* {{Ensign1|author=Boyd K. Packer|article=The Equal Rights Amendment|date=March 1977}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d13b1f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}

Question: Why did Mormon leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States?

2009-02-27T05:30:22Z

HeidiBialik: /* Endnotes */

{{Equal Rights Amendment}}
==Question==

Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

==Answer==

It may seem that because the Church opposed the "Equal Rights" Amendment, that the Church opposed equal rights for women. In fact, the Church did not oppose equal rights for women, but rather was opposed to other foreseen consequences of the ERA. Church leaders felt that the ERA would have a negative impact on women's rights and families. Furthermore, the Church felt that the Consitution already prohibited sex discrimination and that an amendment was unnecessary.

===The Church's Stance on Equal Rights===

Church leaders have spoken out against inequality on several occasions and have never condoned abuse or oppression. Men and women are seen as equally important in the plan of salvation, the happiness and fulfillment of both being equal priorities.

The Church felt that equality could be obtained without trying to blur the distinctions between men and women. Leaders and members also felt that women might ''lose'' rights specific to women, for instance, the right to depend on her husband financially and stay at home caring for her children.

===The Ex-communication of Sonia Johnson===

Sonia Johnson, a feminist and ERA activist, was excommunicated. Her excommunication came after she gave a speech, titled "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church."{{ref|sj.1}} She spoke several more times on the topic, always harshly criticising the Church and its leaders.

She often cites her stance on ERA to be the reason for her excommunication, however there is no indication that this is actually the case. The reasons for an individual's ex-communication are never published publicly, however Johnson and those close to her have said that she was officially ex-communicated for apostacy.{{ref|sillitoe.1}} Considering the scathing and critical tone of her public speeches, it isn't hard to imagine that she would be ex-communicated for apostacy. No one else has been, or claims to have been, ex-communicated for their stance on the ERA, although other members did publicly disagree with Church leaders on the issue.

===Conclusion===

The Church opposed the ERA, but not equal rights, as expressed by the campaign slogan, "Equal Rights, Yes. ERA, No!"

==Endnotes==
#{{note|sj.1}} Sonia Johnson, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" speech given at the American Psychological Association Meetings, New York City, 1 September 1979. {{link|url=http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon415.htm}}
#{{note|silitoe.1}} {{Sunstone1|author=Linda Silitoe|article=Church Politics and Sonia Johnson: The Central Conundrum|num=19|date=January-February 1980}} {{pdflink|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/019-35-43.pdf}}

==Further reading==

==FAIR Wiki Articles==
{{WomenWiki}}

==FAIR Articles==
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai138.html|topic=Gender & Women's Issues}}

===External links===

* {{Ensign1|author=Anonymous|article=The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue|date=March 1980|start=insert: 1}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f8a4615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* {{Ensign1|author=Boyd K. Packer|article=The Equal Rights Amendment|date=March 1977}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d13b1f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}

Question: Why did Mormon leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States?

2009-02-27T05:24:58Z

HeidiBialik:

{{Equal Rights Amendment}}
==Question==

Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

==Answer==

It may seem that because the Church opposed the "Equal Rights" Amendment, that the Church opposed equal rights for women. In fact, the Church did not oppose equal rights for women, but rather was opposed to other foreseen consequences of the ERA. Church leaders felt that the ERA would have a negative impact on women's rights and families. Furthermore, the Church felt that the Consitution already prohibited sex discrimination and that an amendment was unnecessary.

===The Church's Stance on Equal Rights===

Church leaders have spoken out against inequality on several occasions and have never condoned abuse or oppression. Men and women are seen as equally important in the plan of salvation, the happiness and fulfillment of both being equal priorities.

The Church felt that equality could be obtained without trying to blur the distinctions between men and women. Leaders and members also felt that women might ''lose'' rights specific to women, for instance, the right to depend on her husband financially and stay at home caring for her children.

===The Ex-communication of Sonia Johnson===

Sonia Johnson, a feminist and ERA activist, was excommunicated. Her excommunication came after she gave a speech, titled "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church."{{ref|sj.1}} She spoke several more times on the topic, always harshly criticising the Church and its leaders.

She often cites her stance on ERA to be the reason for her excommunication, however there is no indication that this is actually the case. The reasons for an individual's ex-communication are never published publicly, however Johnson and those close to her have said that she was officially ex-communicated for apostacy.{{ref|sillitoe.1}} Considering the scathing and critical tone of her public speeches, it isn't hard to imagine that she would be ex-communicated for apostacy. No one else has been, or claims to have been, ex-communicated for their stance on the ERA, although other members did publicly disagree with Church leaders on the issue.

===Conclusion===

The Church opposed the ERA, but not equal rights, as expressed by the campaign slogan, "Equal Rights, Yes. ERA, No!"

==Endnotes==
#{{note|sj.1}} Sonia Johnson, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" speech given at the American Psychological Association Meetings, New York City, 1 September 1979. {{link|url=http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon415.htm}}
#{{note|ls.1}} {{Sunstone1|author=Linda Silitoe|article=Church Politics and Sonia Johnson: The Central Conundrum|num=19|date=January-February 1980}} {{pdflink|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/019-35-43.pdf}}

==Further reading==

==FAIR Wiki Articles==
{{WomenWiki}}

==FAIR Articles==
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai138.html|topic=Gender & Women's Issues}}

===External links===

* {{Ensign1|author=Anonymous|article=The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue|date=March 1980|start=insert: 1}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f8a4615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* {{Ensign1|author=Boyd K. Packer|article=The Equal Rights Amendment|date=March 1977}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d13b1f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}

Question: Why did Mormon leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States?

2009-02-27T04:25:03Z

HeidiBialik: /* External links */

{{Equal Rights Amendment}}
==Question==

Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

==Answer==

It may seem that because the Church opposed the "Equal Rights" Amendment, that the Church opposed equal rights for women. In fact, the Church did not oppose equal rights for women, but rather was opposed to other foreseen consequences of the ERA. Church leaders felt that the ERA would have a negative impact on women's rights and families. Furthermore, the Church felt that the Consitution already prohibited sex discrimination and that an amendment was unnecessary.

===The Church's Stance on Equal Rights===

Church leaders have spoken out against inequality on several occasions and have never condoned abuse or oppression. Men and women are seen as equally important in the plan of salvation, the happiness and fulfillment of both being equal priorities.

The Church felt that equality could be obtained without trying to blur the distinctions between men and women. Leaders and members also felt that women might ''lose'' rights specific to women, for instance, the right to depend on her husband financially and stay at home caring for her children.

===The Ex-communication of Sonia Johnson===

Sonia Johnson, a feminist and ERA activist, was excommunicated. Her excommunication came after she gave a speech, titled "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church". She spoke several more times on the topic, always harshly criticising the Church and its leaders.

She often cites her stance on ERA to be the reason for her excommunication, however there is no indication that this is actually the case. The reasons for an individual's ex-communication are never published publicly, however Johnson and those close to her have said that a letter given to her by her bishop stated that she was ex-communicated for apostacy, . Considering the scathing and critical tone of her public speeches, it isn't hard to imagine that she would be ex-communicated for apostacy. No one else has been, or claims to have been, ex-communicated for their stance on the ERA, although other members did publicly disagree with Church leaders on the issue.

===Conclusion===

The Church opposed the ERA, but not equal rights, as expressed by the campaign slogan, "Equal Rights, Yes. ERA, No!"

==Endnotes==
#{{note|sj.1}} Sonia Johnson, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" speech given at the American Psychological Association Meetings, New York City, 1 September 1979. {{link|url=http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon415.htm}}
#{{note|ls.1}} {{Sunstone1|author=Linda Silitoe|article=Church Politics and Sonia Johnson: The Central Conundrum|num=19|date=January-February 1980}} {{pdflink|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/019-35-43.pdf}}

==Further reading==

==FAIR Wiki Articles==
{{WomenWiki}}

==FAIR Articles==
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai138.html|topic=Gender & Women's Issues}}

===External links===

* {{Ensign1|author=Anonymous|article=The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue|date=March 1980|start=insert: 1}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f8a4615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* {{Ensign1|author=Boyd K. Packer|article=The Equal Rights Amendment|date=March 1977}} {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d13b1f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}

Question: Why did Mormon leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States?

2009-02-27T01:08:56Z

HeidiBialik:

{{Equal Rights Amendment}}
==Question==

Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

==Answer==

It may seem that because the Church opposed the "Equal Rights" Amendment, that the Church opposed equal rights for women. In fact, the Church did not oppose equal rights for women, but rather was opposed to other foreseen consequences of the ERA. Church leaders felt that the ERA would have a negative impact on women's rights and families. Furthermore, the Church felt that the Consitution already prohibited sex discrimination and that an amendment was unnecessary.

===The Church's Stance on Equal Rights===

Church leaders have spoken out against inequality in several occassions and have never condoned abuse or oppression. Men and women are seen as equally important in the plan of salvation, the happiness and fulfillment of both being equal priorities.

The Church felt that equality could be obtained without trying to blur the distinctions between men and women. Leaders and members also felt that women might <i>lose</i> rights specific to women, for instance, the right to depend on her husband financially and stay at home caring for her children.

===The Ex-communication of Sonia Johnson===

Sonia Johnson, a feminist and ERA activist, was excommunicated. Her excommunication came after she gave a speech, titled "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church". She spoke several more times on the topic, always harshly criticising the Church and its leaders.

She often cites her stance on ERA to be the reason for her excommunication, however there is no indication that this is actually the case. The reasons for an individual's ex-communication are never published publicly, however Johnson and those close to her have said that a letter given to her by her bishop stated that she was ex-communicated for apostacy, . Considering the scathing and critical tone of her public speeches, it isn't hard to imagine that she would be ex-communicated for apostacy. No one else has been, or claims to have been, ex-communicated for their stance on the ERA, although other members did publicly disagree with Church leaders on the issue.

===Conclusion===

The Church opposed the ERA, but not equal rights, as expressed by the campaign slogan, "Equal Rights, Yes. ERA, No!"

==Endnotes==
* Johnson, Sonia, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" speech given at the American Psychological Association Meetings, New York City, September 1, 1979. {{link|url=http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon415.htm}}
* Silitoe, Linda, "Church Politics and Sonia Johnson: The Central Conundrum", Sunstone Magazine, Issue No: 19, January-February, 1980, www.sunstone.com {{link|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/019-35-43.pdf}}

==Further reading==

==FAIR Wiki Articles==
{{WomenWiki}}

==FAIR Articles==
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai138.html|topic=Gender & Women's Issues}}

===External links===

* “The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue,” Ensign, March, 1980, insert: 1{{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f8a4615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* Packer, Boyd K. "The Equal Rights Amendment", Ensign, March, 1977 {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d13b1f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* {{link|url=}}

Question: Why did Mormon leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States?

2009-02-27T01:08:25Z

HeidiBialik: New page: {{EqualRightsAmendment}} ==Question== Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)? ==Answer== It may seem that because the Church opposed the "Equal Rights" Amendmen...

{{EqualRightsAmendment}}
==Question==

Why did church leaders oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

==Answer==

It may seem that because the Church opposed the "Equal Rights" Amendment, that the Church opposed equal rights for women. In fact, the Church did not oppose equal rights for women, but rather was opposed to other foreseen consequences of the ERA. Church leaders felt that the ERA would have a negative impact on women's rights and families. Furthermore, the Church felt that the Consitution already prohibited sex discrimination and that an amendment was unnecessary.

===The Church's Stance on Equal Rights===

Church leaders have spoken out against inequality in several occassions and have never condoned abuse or oppression. Men and women are seen as equally important in the plan of salvation, the happiness and fulfillment of both being equal priorities.

The Church felt that equality could be obtained without trying to blur the distinctions between men and women. Leaders and members also felt that women might <i>lose</i> rights specific to women, for instance, the right to depend on her husband financially and stay at home caring for her children.

===The Ex-communication of Sonia Johnson===

Sonia Johnson, a feminist and ERA activist, was excommunicated. Her excommunication came after she gave a speech, titled "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church". She spoke several more times on the topic, always harshly criticising the Church and its leaders.

She often cites her stance on ERA to be the reason for her excommunication, however there is no indication that this is actually the case. The reasons for an individual's ex-communication are never published publicly, however Johnson and those close to her have said that a letter given to her by her bishop stated that she was ex-communicated for apostacy, . Considering the scathing and critical tone of her public speeches, it isn't hard to imagine that she would be ex-communicated for apostacy. No one else has been, or claims to have been, ex-communicated for their stance on the ERA, although other members did publicly disagree with Church leaders on the issue.

===Conclusion===

The Church opposed the ERA, but not equal rights, as expressed by the campaign slogan, "Equal Rights, Yes. ERA, No!"

==Endnotes==
* Johnson, Sonia, "Patriarchal Panic: Sexual Politics in the Mormon Church" speech given at the American Psychological Association Meetings, New York City, September 1, 1979. {{link|url=http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon415.htm}}
* Silitoe, Linda, "Church Politics and Sonia Johnson: The Central Conundrum", Sunstone Magazine, Issue No: 19, January-February, 1980, www.sunstone.com {{link|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/019-35-43.pdf}}

==Further reading==

==FAIR Wiki Articles==
{{WomenWiki}}

==FAIR Articles==
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai138.html|topic=Gender & Women's Issues}}

===External links===

* “The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue,” Ensign, March, 1980, insert: 1{{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f8a4615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* Packer, Boyd K. "The Equal Rights Amendment", Ensign, March, 1977 {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d13b1f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
* {{link|url=}}

Racial issues and the Church of Jesus Christ/Brigham Young/Race mixing punishable by death

2009-02-27T00:06:10Z

HeidiBialik: /* Response */

{{RacePortal}}

==Criticism==
"...Brigham Young said race mixing was punishable by death."

===Source(s) of the criticism===
*{{CriticalWork:Martin:Kingdom of the Cults|pages=194}}
*{{CriticalWork:Tanner:Changing World|pages=296}}
* Bill Maher, ''Real Time with Bill Maher'', HBO, 16 February 2007.

==Response==
It is unknown exactly what Maher was using as the source of such a comment, nor does he seem to have spent much time exploring the history of this issue.

It seems likely, however, that Maher was referring to a statement made by Brigham Young:

:Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. The nations of the earth have transgressed every law that God has given, they have changed the ordinances and broken every covenant made with the fathers, and they are like a hungry man that dreameth that he eateth, and he awaketh and behold he is empty.{{ref|jd1}}

The "chosen seed," in LDS doctrine, are those who hold the Melchizedek priesthood (see {{s||DC|107|40}}). So, Brigham is likely addressing his remarks particularly to those under the "oath and covenant" of the priesthood. This is not surprising, since the rest of the United States was certainly not listening with any respect to the Mormons, whose polygamy and doctrines they regarded with abhorrence.

With the Civil War at full burn, Brigham went on to declare: "I say to all men and all women, submit to God, to his ordinances and to His rule; serve Him, and cease your quarrelling, and stay the shedding of each other's blood." He is thus in the mode of condemning the United States and the "nations of the earth" for their sins, and he then says:

:If the Government of the United States, in Congress assembled, had the right to pass an anti-polygamy bill, they had also the right to pass a law that slaves should not be abused as they have been; they had also a right to make a law that negroes should be used like human beings, and not worse than dumb brutes. '''For their abuse of that race, the whites will be cursed, unless they repent'''.{{ref|jd2}}

==Brigham's Remarks in Historical Context==

Brigham made his remarks, then, in the context of a civil war over the issue of slavery. Brigham condemned the ''white male'' (and perhaps priesthood holder) who "mixes" with black Africans. Why?

When would a white person "mix their seed" with the blacks? At the time, black slaves could not legally marry—this was a "human right," and the slave-holding states were very careful not to let blacks marry, since to do so implied that they had human rights (and, if they have one right, why not a right to be free?) As a history of marriage in the United States noted:

:The slaveholder's callous lust—his moral violence as well as his physical cruelty—gave abolitionists their most effective theme. Sexual abuse of female slaves by rape, incest, forced mating, and concubinage figured even more sensationally in abolitionist literature than the sale of slave family members..."No part of the dark and hidden iniquities of slavery" deserved revelation more than its travesty of the "nuptial covenant" with "odious lusts," the abolitionist George Bourne intoned, referring to the master's unchecked freedom to use the bodies of his female slaves.{{ref|cott1}}

Representative Justin Morrill, who would help write the first anti-polygamous legislation, thundered that "By the license of Slavery, a whole race is delivered over to prostitution and concubinage, without the protection of any law."{{ref|morrill1}}

So, under what conditions would a white priesthood holder (or any white) be mixing their seed with a black woman? All too often, this was under the context of what was essentially rape and assault. Many slave-holders kept their own children in slavery, as they sired children on black slaves who could not refuse. By law, any child born to a slave was automatically a slave. One southern woman wrote:

:God forgive us, but ours is a monstrous system...the mulattoes one sees in every family partly resemble the white children. Any lady is ready to tell you who is the father of all the mulatto children in everybody's household but her own. Those, she seems to think, drop from the clouds.{{ref|cott2}}

Blacks created a variety of their own arrangements which formalized these "informal" marriages, but families were always at risk of being broken up and sold by their owners, with no recourse. A major element of post-Civil War federal policy was the establishment of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, which had "the aim to reorient slaves' sexual and family behavior around legal marriage,"{{ref|cott3}} a goal which had been impossible under generations of slavery.

Intermarriage with blacks was either illegal or virtually unheard of, and for decades after the Civil War, courts repeatedly rebuffed efforts by mixed race couples to legalize their unions.{{ref|cott6}}

Thus, a good part of Brigham's objection likely rested on the circumstances which would attend most white male/black woman pairings in his day. He would have likely known of no counter-examples—no relationships with blacks could be legal, and most resulted from duress.

Spiritual death seems an appropriate punishment for a priesthood holder who behaved in such a way, and literal capital punishment might not be too severe if "the law of God" could be administered by a genuine prophet. There are few crimes more grievous than to treat others as subhuman, and rape the powerless.

==Conclusion==

In 1863, couplings between black women and white men would virtually always be a relationship of a staggering power imbalance, with few rights for the woman, who was often forced into sexual activity. Her children would have been automatic slaves if she was a slave, and the men under no legal responsibility to provide for her or the children. (This failure to provide for offspring was a common Mormon criticism of Gentile non-marriage relationships when contrasted with plural marriage.)

Unlike contemporary 1860s fears for the virtue of ''white women'' when subjected to the predation of black men,{{ref|cott4}}. Brigham was far more worried about white men abusing their position of political and cultural superiority.

This is not to say that Brigham did not share some ideas about the desirablity of keeping races separate; virtually everyone of his era did. American ethnologists taught that whites and blacks were separately created races, the mixture of which would corrupt both.{{ref|cott5}}

But, when in the same speech Brigham Young condemns the whites for their treatment of blacks, and threatens punishment for white men who have intercourse with black women, it is not really fair to portray him as a ravening racist with no concern for the downtrodden. His fire and brimstone is all for the aggressor; his sympathy is for those who were mistreated.

==Endnotes==

# {{note|jd1}} {{JoD10_1|start=110|author=Brigham Young|title=The Persecutions of the Saints, etc.|date=8 March 1863}}
# {{note|jd2}} {{JoD10_1|start=111|author=Brigham Young|title=The Persecutions of the Saints, etc.|date=8 March 1863}} (emphasis added)
# {{note|cott1}} Nancy F. Cott, ''Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation'' (Cambridge, Massechusetts, Harvard University Press, 2000), 58.
# {{note|cott2}} Mary Boykin Chestnut, diary, from ''Root of Bitterness'', ed. Nancy F. Cott (New York, E.P. Dutton, 1972), 209; cited in Cott, ''Public Vows'', 59.
# {{note|morril1}} Morrill (Vermont), 1860; cited in Cott, ''Public Vows'', 74.
# {{note|cott3}} Cott, ''Public Vows'', 84.
# {{note|cott6}} Cott, ''Public Vows'', 101–104.
# {{note|cott4}} See Cott, ''Public Vows'', 98—99.
# {{note|cott5}} Cott, ''Public Vows'', 98–99.

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