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Sabbath Devotional :: Learn, Love, Act
During this time of COVID, our empty nest has expanded with four other people in the house since March — a baby and a three-year-old and their parents who both have full time jobs in DC. Our son and daughter-in-law manage their careers remotely from our place in the West, and we all spend segments of the day with the littles. We are all healthy. All things considered, for the worst of times, this is the best of times. Despite the lovely landmarks like first teeth, learning to count to 100, and Sunday home church when we share the sacrament, I admit that I still feel unsettled, unfocused, subpar, and…
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Rethinking Anger and Peacemaking
When scrolling through social media or listening to the news, it seems lots of people are angry, for a lot of different reasons. It may be tempting to dismiss such anger as divisive. However, as a professor and student of rhetoric, I am troubled by this tendency to dismiss other people and their arguments simply because we believe those arguments are made in anger. If we are committed to peacemaking and eliminating injustice, we need to be open to discussions, even if the framing or content of those discussions makes us uncomfortable. Not all anger is equal I want to be clear: I’m not saying we should give a pass…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Of Peacemaking and Piglets
The Third Principle of Peacemaking reads: Peacemaking demands great tolerance for people and none for injustice. This is so hard. I’m tempted to think it’s impossible. With the news this week of the commutation of Roger Stone’s sentence, a scripture has reverberated in my head: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Is that true? In whose court? Under what authority? Day after day the onslaught continues. Which government appointee is just a toady for another one higher up? Which elected official takes our trust and swaps it for prestige, influence, protection or money? (It has been said,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Prayer of the Peacemaker
As a kid, I had kind of a love/hate relationship with the story of Abinadi. I loved the example he set of testifying of truth but, honestly, was a little terrified by how things ended for him. I was also fairly shy, and extremely conflict-averse, so the thought of standing up in front of a group of people and telling them a whole bunch of things that made them angry was nearly as terrifying as Abinadi’s untimely death. And yet, I knew it was important to follow the example of people like Abinadi, to use my voice to “stand for truth and righteousness.” At the Mormon Women for Ethical Government…
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The Way of Openness :: Conventions for Productive Dialogue
Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye was the plenary speaker at the 2020 Mormon Women for Ethical Government spring conference. These are her remarks. To view the video of her presentation, click here. Thank you very much for the privilege of speaking to you today. I am very humbled to have this opportunity to share useful tools for difficult conversations. First, I will explain where I’m coming from, the experiences that shape my worldview. Then I’ll explain the Way of Openness, which is a set of conventions for productive dialogue, and give examples of how these conventions work in practice. Finally, I’ll leave you with some thoughts from where I am right now,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Conflict, Contention, and Courage
Today’s Sabbath Devotional muses on “Conflict, Contention and Courage” — peppered with quotes from Birthday Boy Abe Lincoln and others. On February 12, Abraham Lincoln would have been 211 years old. Happy birthday, Abe! This remarkable man knew a lot about conflict, division, and the difficulties and rigors of unity. These are topics we MWEG women confront and wrestle with regularly. Here are samples of his wisdom: “You must remember that some things legally right are not morally right.” “It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest.” “A statesman is he who thinks in the future generations, and a politician is he who thinks…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Creative Process and the Making of Peace
“Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty.” When I first heard those words in Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf’s General Conference talk over 10 years ago, I was both intrigued and inspired. At the time, I was trying to grapple with being a full-time caretaker to my young sons while nourishing my own creative spirit. I am an adequate housekeeper at best, an introvert who would rather spend time alone with a book or at my piano than cooking, cleaning, or frankly, playing on the floor with children. But I grew up…
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MWEG Members in Action
Hot on the heels of the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference and with voter registration in full swing, MWEGers have been busy keeping up with current political events, while doing their part to engage in civil discourse online and in person. Members were called to action regarding the lowering of refugee resettlement to an all-time low of 18,000 by the current administration, along with a call to contact their representatives to make the full copy of the whistleblower complaint available to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees (the complaint was released to the public on September 26). These calls to action keep our representatives accountable to their constituents and…
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Peacemaking on Social Media
When we enter a conversation online with the intent to try and force a change of opinion, we elicit defensiveness and frustration. But when we bring a peacemaking mindset to these interactions, we offer posts and comments that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy. As MWEG members have learned about the Six Principles of Peacemaking and practiced using them in our Facebook discussion group, they have been inspired to apply them in their personal social media use as well. Here are a few examples: “I have a friend who recently started sharing a lot more unkind memes about politics, ones that say ‘How dumb are you if you believe xyz??’ or…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Praying the Beatitudes
I have been using a scripture study practice called lectio divina to ponder the Beatitudes. (I learned about this practice from the podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.) Recently, I studied Jesus’s saying, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” First I read the verse. Then I read it again, slowly, listening for the meaning that the Spirit might wish to impart to me. Then I reflected on the meaning that came to mind. I felt prompted to work for a better understanding of the phrase “pure in heart.” After consulting the concordance, I found that another way to understand “pure in heart” is “clear in…
