Comments on: Relief Society Lesson 4: Freedom to Choose http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/ Am I Not a Woman and a Sister? Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:02:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Caroline http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14847 Caroline Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:10:27 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14847 Kristine, I think it's ridiculous that your ward came down on you for using a couple of Okazaki quotes. She was in the General Relief Society Presidency, for goodness sake! A woman just gave this lesson on my ward and used several quotes from various books and magazines to help make her points. In the past, she's even used poetry. My RS pres had no problem with it. Anyway, I wonder if it would be helpful to have a further conversation with your RS pres or her counselor about this. Using these quotes as interesting contributions to the gospel discussion only enhances these spartan, sparse lessons we have. To bring interest and insightful ideas to these lessons (even if they come from a RS presidency person) is a good and thoughtful thing to do for your sisters. There's my two cents, for what it's worth. Good luck with all this. I hope you won't give up trying to get insightful and spiritual voices, particularly women's voices, into your lessons. Kristine,
I think it’s ridiculous that your ward came down on you for using a couple of Okazaki quotes. She was in the General Relief Society Presidency, for goodness sake!

A woman just gave this lesson on my ward and used several quotes from various books and magazines to help make her points. In the past, she’s even used poetry. My RS pres had no problem with it.

Anyway, I wonder if it would be helpful to have a further conversation with your RS pres or her counselor about this. Using these quotes as interesting contributions to the gospel discussion only enhances these spartan, sparse lessons we have. To bring interest and insightful ideas to these lessons (even if they come from a RS presidency person) is a good and thoughtful thing to do for your sisters. There’s my two cents, for what it’s worth. Good luck with all this. I hope you won’t give up trying to get insightful and spiritual voices, particularly women’s voices, into your lessons.

]]> By: Kristine http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14846 Kristine Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:43:51 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14846 I very much enjoyed your comments and shared several of your quotes from Okazaki in my lesson. Unfortunately my ward is not ok with this! I was told I can only use the manual and scriptures and to leave other books, no matter how interesting out of it. I am a little frustrated about this. Has anyone else run into this? I very much enjoyed your comments and shared several of your quotes from Okazaki in my lesson. Unfortunately my ward is not ok with this! I was told I can only use the manual and scriptures and to leave other books, no matter how interesting out of it. I am a little frustrated about this. Has anyone else run into this?

]]> By: Karen http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14845 Karen Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:24:27 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14845 Thanks everyone for all of your ideas on Lesson 4. I am looking to reading your thought and ideas on Lesson 5: The Creation. Thanks everyone for all of your ideas on Lesson 4.
I am looking to reading your thought and ideas on Lesson 5: The Creation.

]]> By: Caroline http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14844 Caroline Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:30:21 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14844 thank you, everyone, for all your comments and suggestions. I'm happy to know that these ideas were interesting or helpful in some way. Aimee, how depressing that that was the direction your lesson went. Agency is such an inspiring idea. Muffling it under authoritarian ideas is a wasted opportunity. thank you, everyone, for all your comments and suggestions. I’m happy to know that these ideas were interesting or helpful in some way.

Aimee, how depressing that that was the direction your lesson went. Agency is such an inspiring idea. Muffling it under authoritarian ideas is a wasted opportunity.

]]> By: Sterling Fluharty http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14843 Sterling Fluharty Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:56:04 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14843 Thanks for the ideas! I got to use some of them today during my class. And if the comments I received were any indication, you are doing some great work with these lesson suggestions. Thanks for the ideas! I got to use some of them today during my class. And if the comments I received were any indication, you are doing some great work with these lesson suggestions.

]]> By: Aimee http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14842 Aimee Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:43:32 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14842 What a wonderful lesson, Caroline. Reading this after my own church experience today has been healing. I'm sort of amazed at how often a lesson on agency can still become a lesson on how to be better subjects to authority of all stripes. I am much more thrilled by the possibility that our Heavenly Parents are eager for us to use this life to become more like them by choosing to develop a relationship with them, exercising our individual agency and honing our unique righteous desires. Too often in my ward it seems we shy away from the responsibility and freedom real agency offers and we end up putting God and ecclesiastical leaders back in charge of all our choices. Which plan was that again? Diane, your ant analogy was a particularly good one. I only wish I'd read your comment before class as it may have been a good way to take the discussion in another direction. What a wonderful lesson, Caroline. Reading this after my own church experience today has been healing.

I’m sort of amazed at how often a lesson on agency can still become a lesson on how to be better subjects to authority of all stripes. I am much more thrilled by the possibility that our Heavenly Parents are eager for us to use this life to become more like them by choosing to develop a relationship with them, exercising our individual agency and honing our unique righteous desires. Too often in my ward it seems we shy away from the responsibility and freedom real agency offers and we end up putting God and ecclesiastical leaders back in charge of all our choices. Which plan was that again?

Diane, your ant analogy was a particularly good one. I only wish I’d read your comment before class as it may have been a good way to take the discussion in another direction.

]]> By: Diane http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14841 Diane Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:50:35 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14841 One other note -- for those of you looking for used books at reasonable prices, try www.thriftbooks.com. They have millions of books available, and ship world-wide. The three owners (one of which is my son) are all returned missionaries, and most of the upper management are also LDS. :) One other note — for those of you looking for used books at reasonable prices, try http://www.thriftbooks.com. They have millions of books available, and ship world-wide. The three owners (one of which is my son) are all returned missionaries, and most of the upper management are also LDS. :)

]]> By: Diane http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14840 Diane Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:48:32 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14840 I am teaching this lesson today. One example I will use is "ants." Ants accomplish great things, yet have no choice in their individual contribution. An ant will never refuse to do his job, or ask to sleep in, or aspire to greatness. Insects have no agency -- they don't even know that there are choices to be made. This is what our life would be like under Satan's plan, in my opinion. I am teaching this lesson today. One example I will use is “ants.” Ants accomplish great things, yet have no choice in their individual contribution. An ant will never refuse to do his job, or ask to sleep in, or aspire to greatness. Insects have no agency — they don’t even know that there are choices to be made. This is what our life would be like under Satan’s plan, in my opinion.

]]> By: mtboston http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14839 mtboston Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:20:59 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14839 Thank you so much for your insights. I was sort of panicking wondering how to teach this lesson, which reads a little too "basic" and cut-and-dry for my taste. Thank you so much for your insights. I was sort of panicking wondering how to teach this lesson, which reads a little too “basic” and cut-and-dry for my taste.

]]> By: Shelley http://www.the-exponent.com/2010/02/10/relief-society-lesson-4-freedom-to-choose/comment-page-1/#comment-14838 Shelley Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:52:09 +0000 http://the-exponent.com/?p=4178#comment-14838 I'm teaching this lesson tomorrow, and I'm drawing a lot from President Monon's Oct. 2004 General Conference talk entitled "Choose You This Day." I especially like his three-fold formula to help us make good choices: fill your minds with truth, fill your hearts with love, and fill your lives with service. http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=4f54a7b37c11c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD I’m teaching this lesson tomorrow, and I’m drawing a lot from President Monon’s Oct. 2004 General Conference talk entitled “Choose You This Day.” I especially like his three-fold formula to help us make good choices: fill your minds with truth, fill your hearts with love, and fill your lives with service.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=4f54a7b37c11c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

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