Women's Studies Commons^™

Loving The Goddess In Hinduism, Nancy M. Martin

Religious Studies Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"But what if ultimate reality is experienced as female, as Goddess? How is love for Goddess in Hindu traditions experienced and expressed? Who is she? In what sense is she feminine? And on what terms does a human man or woman approach her?"

Mirabai In The Academy And The Politics Of Identity, Nancy M. Martin

Religious Studies Faculty Books and Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Modern Feminism, Religious Pluralism, And Scripture, Jo Ann Davidson

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

The Church As A Social Support For Women: Perspectives Of Female Members Of Selected Seventh-Day Adventist Churches, Norma Greenidge

Dissertations

Problem. The subject of social support and its role in health and well-being ofindividuals has become an important topic to many researchers. This study was designed to discover to what extent female members of Seventh-day Adventist churches perceive their church as providing them with social support.

Method. The instrument used was the Social Provision Scale which measures six aspects of social support--attachment, guidance, nurture, reliable alliance, social integration, and worth. Scores from the 99 White and 48 African American women were compared for each of the six aspects on the basis of ethnicity, age, and marital status using Analysis …

1 Corinthians 11 And 14: How Does A Woman Prophesy And Keep Silence At The Same Time?, Keith A. Burton

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Women, Teaching, Authority, Silence: 1 Timothy 2:8-15 Explained By 1 Peter 3:1-6, Ed Christian

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Reclaiming A Sacred Domain: An Ethnographic Study Of Mormon Women Overcoming The Media-Supported Message Of Acceptable Birth Practice Through Giving Birth At Home, Celeste Elain Witt

Theses and Dissertations

This study ethnographically explores the experiences of 30 American Mormon women who chose to give birth at home, a practice which differs from the culturally expected birth practice supported by most media birth scenes. The dominant birth practice among American Mormon women aligns with the biomedical birth system nearly universally practiced in the United States.
Recent research indicates that the biomedical model is supported by most media portrayals of birth (Elson 1997b). Mormon women who had given birth at home with a midwife were located and invited to participate. A semi-structured interview guide was used to frame the research process. …

The Role Of Faith In God In Administrative Decision-Making: A Descriptive Multiple Case Study Of Three African-American Christian Women Administrators Of American Higher Education, Nancy Ann Link

Dissertations

Problem. Faith in God is a phenomenon that is difficult to define. Yet, it can be seen as an attitude of complete trust in God. As Proctor (1995) stated, faith in God is believing that there is a purpose and a power (called God) available to each of us, giving us an "inexhaustible source of evergreen inspiration" (p. xvii). Therefore, this study focused on how faith in God impacted administrative decision-making practices of three African-American Christian women administrators of higher education.

Method. To achieve the purpose of this study, the literature was reviewed to identify existing theories. This descriptive …

Love And Longing In Devotional Hinduism, Nancy M. Martin

Religious Studies Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"As Julius Lipner has so eloquently stated in his chapter earlier in this ..r\. volume, Hinduism is stubbornly multiform, a tapestry of interwoven worldviews, practices, and beliefs characterized by a fundamental and irreducible orality, a movement from multiplicity and outward appearance toward identity and interiority, and a search within a constantly shifting world for ordering principles and centers of meaning around which to shape meaningful lives. I would now like to explore one current within this broad river of tradition - the devotional or bhakti path. The passionate love shared by devotee and God that is the driving force of …

Religious Women, Medical Settings, And Moral Risk, Peggy Desautels

Philosophy Faculty Publications

As we think about the ethical issues surrounding women and aging, it is important to ask the following questions. What do women in our society actually experience at various stages of their life cycle? Which of these I experiences put women at moral risk? In what situations are women's senses of moral value and selfhood likely to be ignored or discounted? I, along with a number of feminist philosophers, advocate approaching feminist ethics by starting with women's actual situations and experiences.¹ No doubt, a wide variety of aging women's experiences call for moral analysis. I focus here on the …

Oral Performances As Ritual: Animating The Invisible In Mormon Women's Miscarriage Stories, Kristin Leifson Ballif

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is comprised of ten Mormon women's miscarriage stories and it is their stories that are used as the text for my analysis. The purpose of the study is to provide a space for these women to share their experiences and to reveal their cultural values and beliefs. Because the women are all Mormon, there are some distinctive cultural and religious values that are shared within their stories and it is these aspects that are analyzed and discussed within the text.

Women need to be able to share their miscarriage stories so as to alleviate feelings of isolation and …

President Mrs. Kimball: A Rhetoric Of Words And Works, Janelle M. Higbee

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars of rhetoric and speech communications have suggested that the study of a women's rhetoric should focus on the "distinctly female modes of leadership" that may be found among women in "out-groups" that challenge established political authority. Such leaders must be especially inventive to be effective, and are thus likely to be talented rhetoricians. In looking for such leaders, the religious and political rhetoric of early Latter-day Saint women provides a noteworthy, unique study. Nineteenth-century Mormon women not only battled discriminatory political norms—arguing fervently for both universal woman's suffrage and for the freedom to practice polygamy—they did so from their …

The Influence Of Out-Group Network Ties On The Television Usage And Attitudes Of Mormon Women, Lois D. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of survey data collected from more than 400 LDS women (n=429) indicates that as the number of non-LDS or inactive LDS network associates increases, so does the women's identification with modern female TV characters. The frequency of network conversations about television also correlates to several television behaviors and attitudes such as watching entertainment and informational TV programming, identifying with modern characters, and regarding TV as useful. Mirroring the national trend, LDS women who are more educated use television less. A model is presented which details the flow and impact of personal network influence on the television habits and attitudes …

Women In A Divided Church: Liberal And Conservative Catholic Women Negotiate Changing Gender Roles, Christel Manning

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

The Catholic Church in America is deeply divided, and gender issues (especially reproductive choice and women's ordination) have become a symptom of this division. This paper examines the language used by liberal and conservative Catholic women to talk about gender. It is argued that although similar divisions over gender exist within Protestantism and Judaism, Catholic women are in a unique position to confront them, Unlike conservative Protestants and Jews who have separated themselves from their more liberal counterparts by forming independent Evangelical and Orthodox denominations, conservative Catholics co-exist with liberals in the mine church. The paper shows that being forced …

Mormon Women's Sense Of Empowerment, Stace Hucks Christianson

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the empowering experiences of LDS women within the patriarchal structure as organized by the LDS church. Women in the LDS church empower themselves by drawing both external and internal resources. The degree of flexibility that leaders and member of the LDS church adopt externally influences the degree of empowerment that LDS women. The more internal factors an LDS woman adopts the greater her internal sense of empowerment.

Defecting In Place: Women Claiming Responsibility For Their Own Spiritual Lives (Book Review), Christel Manning

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Book review by Christel Manning.

Winter, Miriam Therese, Adair Lummis, and Allison Stokes. Defecting in Place: Women Claiming Responsibility for Their Own Spiritual Lives. New York: Crossroad, 1994. ISBN 9780824514174

Women-Church And Egalitarianism: Revisioning "In Christ There Are No More Distinctions Between Male And Female", Susan A. Farrell

Publications and Research

This chapter from The Power of Gender in Religion (eds G.A. Weatherby and S.A. Farrell) illustrates how women in the Roman Catholic Church are expanding the roles of women and challenging the patriarchal and hierarchical Roman Catholic Church practices. They are accomplishing this through an umbrella organization of feminist groups which maintain their catholic identty while critiquing the church from within.

Christian Feminist Publications And Structures Of Constraint: A Comparison Of Daughters Of Sarah And Exponent Ii Within The Contexts Of Neo-Evangelicalism And Mormonism, Sasha S. Cluff

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses content analysis to compare two conservative Christian feminist publications: Daughters of Sarah, produced by neo-evangelical feminists, and Exponent II, produced by Mormon feminists. Findings are based on insights from three main theories: Debra Minkoff's organization-environment perspective, Nancy Folbre's model of collective action based on structures of constraint, and the church-sect typology from the sociology of religion literature. Although both organizations similarly endeavor to integrate feminist and religious identities, the loose boundaries of evangelicalism allow Daughters of Sarah to explore a more liberal feminist agenda and interact with broader feminist sources while still remaining within the …

Women's Experience Of Cappe Review Committees: Lions' Den Or Circle Dance, Elizabeth Jean Bower

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the past few decades women have been educated by the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education (CAPPE) in increasing numbers. This research looked at women's experience of the CAPPE Review Committee. Nine women who had experienced Review Committees at the Regional and/or National levels of CAPPE were interviewed. Inductive content analysis of the data indicated that women experienced Committees as generally competitive or collegial in their style of functioning. Although women were resourceful in responding to competitive Committees, they thrived both personally and professionally with collegial Committees. The implications for CAPPE are to examine the standards and criteria …

"Yet I Must Submit": Mormon Women's Perspectives On Death And Dying 1847-1900, Julie Paige Hemming Savage

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores Mormon women's experiences with death as revealed in their personal writings from 1847-1900. The study includes an examination of women's involvement in caring for the sick and tending to the dead, as well as an exploration of women's personal reactions to death. A careful reading of Mormon women's writings from this period reveals that Mormonism equipped believers with powerful doctrines and rituals which helped women cope with the sorrow and profound grief that accompanied the deaths of those they loved. In addition, members living in Mormon communities rendered invaluable physical, emotional, and spiritual support to each other …

Enacting The Divine: Feminist Theology And The Being Of God, Richard Grigg Ph.D.

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This essay's central claim is that there is an implicit motif in much of current feminist theology according to which God is a relation that human beings choose to enact.

Discusses the concepts of feminist theology. God as a relation that human beings choose to enact; Feminist commitment to divine immanence; Centrality of relationship in human existence; Feminist enactment model of deity.

Active Latter-Day Saint Working Mothers: Their Effect On Their Daughters' Future Plans, Nissa C. Bengtson Allred

Theses and Dissertations

This research looks at the effect employed active LDS mothers have on their daughters' future plans for education, career, marriage, and children. Mothers' educational level, type of employment, and daughters' attachment to the LDS church were taken into consideration. It was found that a majority of daughters are definite in their plans for education, career, marriage, and children regardless of the employment status of their mother. Daughters of employed LDS mothers are more definite in their plans for a career than daughters of unemployed LDS mothers. No effect was found for mothers' employment on daughters' future plans for college, marriage, …

Nursing And Health Care Among Mormon Women: An Analysis Of The Relief Society Magazine, 1914-1930, Sarah Walker Barney

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study examined the nursing and health care activities of Mormon women in the pre-depression period of 1914 through 1930 through analysis of the official voice of the Relief Society, the Relief Society Magazine. Entries from the Relief Society Magazine that dealt with any nursing or health care topic were coded according to the themes they addressed. Five themes emerged: Nursing, faith, healing, women's health, children's health, and public health.

In each of the themes, the Relief Society Magazine showed that the members of the Relief Society recognized the health care problems of their communities and claimed responsibility …

Employment And Happiness Among Mormon And Non-Mormon Mothers In Utah, Kimberly Grace Andersen

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of maternal employment status on the happiness and/or unhappiness of married Utah women with children were studied. The independent variables were employment status, age, and denomination. Covariates were health, husbands income, and number of children. Denominational differences were not found to impact happiness, but age and employment status were related to happiness, with non-employed and younger mothers being happier.

Book Review Forum On Patricia Grimshaw's Paths Of Duty: American Missionary Wives In Nineteenth-Century Hawaii, Claudia Knapman, John Young, Nancy F. Cott, Mary Catherine Bateson

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

When Unity Is Torn Asunder: The Distressing Case Of Thomas And Lucia Holman, Sandra Wagner-Wright

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

A Study Of African American Women And Their Perceptions Of Life In Utah, Jennifer Caye Demayo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine, through the use of the ethnographic interview (Spradley, 1979), residential preferences, as well as the stated reasons for relocation of African American women who live in a predominantly White, Utah Mormon culture. The "push and pull" factors that impacted the women's decisions to come to and/or remain in Utah were qualitatively analyzed in some detail. The end goal of the research was to determine whether Utah was perceived as a desirable residence by and for African American women.

Residential preference is a complex issue which requires an in depth explanation. The prominent …

Amy Brown Lyman And Social Service Work In The Relief Society, David Roy Hall

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the life and accomplishments of Amy Brown Lyman, particularly as they relate to charity activities and social service work of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It considers her early life, her call to the General Board in 1909, her contributions to the creation of the Relief Society Social Services Department in 1919, her association with national and international leaders of reform, and her efforts in sponsoring and supporting social welfare legislation in Utah. Also examined are her work with the Social Services Department during the Great Depression, her mission to …

Saturday's Women: Female Characters As Angels And Monsters In Saturday's Warrior And Reunion, Nola Diane Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Using theories of feminist criticism as explained by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, the study concludes that both Saturday's Warrior, a "home literature" style play, and Reunion, a more artistically challenging play, reflect repressive cultural images of women. Both plays cast female characters into the roles of passive Angel, domestic Angel/Monster, and active Monster.

"But Where Shall Understanding Be Found?" Searching For Sophia, Personified Wisdom, Kathleen Damiani

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The thesis examines the image of Sophia, divine feminine wisdom, from the point of view of -archetypal psychology. The paper describes the emergence of Sophia in the Old Testament against the background of the development of monotheism in Judaism. Modern scholarship defines Sophia in religious terms, thus restricting her meaning to the limits imposed by the Judaeo-Christian concept of God. When the "problem" of Sophia is removed from the language of theology, however, and re-examined from the perspective of archetypal psychology, new meanings emerge. The position taken is that Sophia is an archetypal image which personifies the capacity of reflection …