The thought idly crossed my mind early in the morning, shortly after waking up but before getting out of bed. I can remember women from the bible, Ruth, Naomi, Esther, but I couldn't remember the name of a single woman from the book of mormon.

I was raised mormon. There were years when I read it every single day. How messed up is it that I couldn't remember the name of a single woman from it? They play no notable roles in the BoM. They're always someone's wife, someone's mother, or someone's daughter. Most of the women in the bible were those things too, but they also had their own stories. Some were queens and rulers. Some were prophets. Some fought to protect themselves and their countries. They made a difference in the world around them. Did any of the women in the book of mormon do anything of significance?

I had to google "book of mormon women" to remember any of their names. I found this:

http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Women_in_the_Book_of_Mormon

For those who don't want to read the entire article, I'm going to post a few quotes that I think sum up TSCC's attitude toward women nicely:

"...no women are mentioned as religious or military leaders..."

Not a single damn one. That tells you something about this book doesn't it? Not to mention the church's attitude towards putting women in leadership positions.

"...marriage and childbearing were expected..."

Because what else are women good for? If you don't want to be a baby incubator, you're worthless.

"Women's dancing is associated with leisure and sometimes with wickedness..."

So why do they have church dances? Oops.

"The Book of Mormon women Sariah, Abish, and Isabel can be viewed not only as historical figures but also as archetypal figures of, respectively, the righteous mother, the godly servant, and the attractive but sexually impure outsider."

And this sums it up nicely. Women are only useful if they're servants, virgins, or if they're popping out babies. Obviously women can never be sexual, because we all know that's bad! This article shows just how scared TSCC is of women being in control of anything, up to and including their own bodies.

Not to mention, there are only three named women in the BoM (not including the ones that are in the bible). That's it. THREE. Compared the to... how many in the bible? Probably at least several dozen. This actually makes a lot of sense if you think of the bible as Joseph Smith's own personal Marty Stu-esque biblical fanfic. Of course all the heroes are men. A man wrote it. At least Ruth and Esther had their own books. None of the BoM women do. It's so sexist. I mean, you have to be really fucking sexist to outdo the bible.

But wait! Not everything the BoM says about women is horrible...

"...they were not excluded from, or segregated during, worship (2 Ne. 26:28-33); nor is there any indication that they were considered ritually unclean during menstruation."

So I guess that's a step up from the bible? I'm not sure. If women were excluded from worship it would probably be harder for the brethren to indoctrinate them. I'm also relatively certain the only reason they're not considered unclean during their periods is due to the development of sanitary products. Maybe the mormons don't ban women from church or temples, but they still want to own them and breed them like cattle.

"In extreme crises women took up arms in war alongside their men..."

My sister would love this one. She's a TBM and a member of the army. They didn't allow women in combat back when she joined though, and religious beliefs are likely the reason.

There's talk near the end of using women as imagery, particularly to refer to God's people. I've always rolled my eyes at that. It sounds possessive, especially when God is said to be married to them.

"The biblical imagery of God as husband and his people as wife is continued in the Book of Mormon."

Is that some roundabout way of saying we're all God's bitch?

When you strip out all that was plagiarized fron the bible, there isn't a huge amount left. When you compare the number of women mentioned in the bible to the number of men, it is still pathetic.

When you have men making up patriarchal tall tales about the supernatural, women don't come across as too important.

...grinding maize on stones to make tortillas and cornbread.

"The Book of Mormon women Sariah, Abish, and Isabel can be viewed not only as historical figures but also as archetypal figures of, respectively, the righteous mother, the godly servant, and the attractive but sexually impure outsider."

Mormon women archetypes? Carl Jung would be so fucking proud of the apologist who wrote this schmaltz! The archetypical Boner.

Corianton’s main squeeze, "the harlot Isabel", would have been fine if she was, say, his foster daughter or nanny. According to Joe's thinking apparently.

Horny Joe gets it wrong again.

Isabel is a Hispanic name with no connection whatsoever to Hebrew or even Reformed Egyptian.

Evidently all the women stories will come forth when the 2/3
sealed portion is translated.

The stories are so sacred that the first rock-in-the-hat wasn't
able to do it, an upgrade will be required.

Actually just because Isabel does not figure in ancient biblical texts, it *is* a Hebrew name, commonly used during the era when Joseph Smith lived, among Jewish households.

There are quite a few Isabelles and Isabellas in my Jewish German family tree, dating back 2-3 centuries. It's right up there with the Rivkahs and Suzannes.

Isador is the male equivalent of Isabelle in Jewish families.

Isa is a pet form of the name, for the women.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2016 09:45AM by Amyjo.

I see a correlation today. Have any of you ever read Mrs. Kimballs biography? "Cammile" I think it sums up why women aren't in books, (their lives after marriage are too boring).

I know Margarie hinkley had a book written about herself and a few others, were they worth reading?... probably not.

Obviously, they were too busy making babies. They had a brave new world to populate just in time for millions of Nephites to be killed off by the Lamanites.

When Joey wrote his fictionalized account of the ancient Americas, women were chattel and he perceived them as such, and treated them as inferior to himself and to other men.

He used them, exploited them, and capitalized on them. He didn't regard women as fully human, or unique only insofar as they helped advance him in his sociopathy. They were good for making hay, making babies, and making him his breakfast.

He depended on the goodwill of women in his family and inner circles. How else could he have copulated with so many of them, and called them his wives insofar as he could manipulate them and get them to do his bidding? In many ways he was as exploitative of the men, sans the sex.

He didn't give women a second thought, in other words, when writing his fictionalized account of ancient pilgrims.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2016 10:14AM by Amyjo.

> "The Book of Mormon women Sariah, Abish, and
> Isabel can be viewed not only as historical
> figures but also as archetypal figures of,
> respectively, the righteous mother, the godly
> servant, and the attractive but sexually impure
> outsider."


Actually, a more accurate and succinct rendition:

* nag
* servant
* whore