The Righteous Mind

Do you ever get to a point where you feel like you're just not learning anything anymore? It's all kind of the same? You've heard it all? Well, I was at a book club, and some of the ladies were talking about a book from a different book club, and when I heard what it was about, I thought: "I think I'd like that!"

There are few books that have been totally awe inspiring and perspective changing to me. I'd say the first one was A Return to Modesty. Others have been Outliers, Freakonomics, and Why Gender Matters. The latest one is The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt.

This is a book about moral psychology, something I've never heard of. A lot of what Haidt says just makes sense. He also gets into religion and speaks positively of how it unites people (and blinds them), but how it's generally good for communities by creating connection and collaboration. During parts of the book, I was a little bit afraid that it would weaken my testimony because he was pointing out just how practical organized religion is and how our brains create reasons for things (like why the gods do certain things to certain people), but near the end of the book as I was evaluating my feelings, I realized religion is more than community connection or rewards/punishment from the gods that humans have created. I've experienced things that are more than oxytocin. I've seen experiences in people's lives play out that shouldn't have. I think Haidt is right, but I think religion still goes deeper.

In the end, couldn't our Heavenly Father have used masterful psychology as part of his perfect plan? I already believe he used science in His creation, so it only make sense He would use other disciplines, too.

I started out by taking a few notes on paper, so I don't know exactly where Haidt said some of this, but later, I just started bookmarking my audiobook and can note a reference time. Anyway, here are a few thoughts worth saving:

(Chapter 1, I think?) Haidt talked about our brains systemizing and empathizing. Those who systemize too much fall in the autism spectrum.

Psychology is based on behavior observation, not measured like science and math [religion is the same way - not measured, which is why some people have a hard time believing]. There was a decreased in non-science/measurable disciplines as science gained popularity [a loss of faith in things they couldn't see and and increase in things they could see and measure].

He talked about coming to feel that dead bodies were sacred. That's something I've always felt, but my husband is opposite. I found it interesting that my husband isn't the only one!

Men lean toward tribalism and loyalty and being a traitor is really bad. Women lean toward coupling.

(Chapter 2, maybe?) Without punishment, people are selfish.

(5:10) If there's no disgust, then there's no sacred [opposite?]. Sacredness leads to a moral community. Liberals appeal to care and fairness. Conservatives appeal to care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity. WOW. When I heard this, it explained a lot about how my husband and I think differently. It explianed Republicans and Democrats. My husband is definitely a care and fairness guy, but I also value the other three. He doesn't really value loyalty, authority, and only partially, sanctity.

(8:13) Synchrony Builds Trust: When we do things together/have commonalities, we are more likely to trust each other and help each other out. We create commonalities/groupishness with how we look, dress, talk, shared name, birthday, move together, exercise, haka, sing, march, parties, karaoke.

(8:14) Create healthy competition between teams (armies, sports, corporate divisions), not individuals.

(8:25) The Hive Switch: Becoming a part of the whole through awe in nature, Durkheimian drugs, raves; oxytocin binds people to their groups, not all of humanity.

(8:28) College football example: makes you feel like you are part of a whole, even though it is costly, wasteful, and extravagant and "impairs people's ability to think rationally." Moves people "from profane to sacred" (Durkheim), leads to donations, improved school experience, stronger community.

(8:31) Morality Binds and Blinds: Scientists miss the point by studying religious "individuals and their supernatural beliefs rather than focusing on groups and their binding practices."

(8:46) Successful religions expend precious resources to spread, just like a virus, you can also spread religion to make groups cohesive and cooperative (8:48). The Gods of larger societies are "concerned about actions that foment conflict and division" (murder, adultery, false witness, breaking of oaths). 

(8:49) People cheat less when there is an image of an eye nearby, or when the concept of God is activated in memory. They cheat more when the lights are dim. Gods who can see everything and hate cheaters and oathbreakers is a good way to reduce cheating and oathbreaking (good for society).

(8:51) The more "costly sacrifices" a religious commune provided, the more likely it was to survive [think Pioneers]. "Giving up alcohol and tobacco, fasting for days..., conforming to a ... dresscode..., cutting ties with outsiders." Demands for sacrifices in secular communes did not work. Rituals, laws, and other constraints work best when they are sacralized. When secular groups ask for a sacrifice, individuals want a cost/benefit analysis and "many refuse to do things that don't make logical sense." Ritual practices are a solution to bringing cooperation and rationality. "Sacredness binds people together, then blinds them to the arbitrariness of the practice." Gods help a group succeed. Haidt mentions the spread of "Mormonism" here at about 8:54.

(10:18) Corporations are super-organisms that will change their host countries. National governments are the only thing that can stand up to the large corporations.

(10:24) Haidt talks about pollutants driving up rates of ADHD, so maybe we do need to give more money to the EPA so that pollutants will go down, ADHD will go down, and we'll have potential less violence and crime.

(10:30) Example of absurdity of using insurance for routine practices and and how this inflates prices.

(10:42) Social capital: High levels of immigration and diversity actually reduced social capital. Bridging capital is trust between groups. Bonding capital is trust within groups. Diversity reduces both types of social capital. Diversity triggers social isolation. Diversity makes people more selfish and less interested in contributing (turtling). Turtling is opposite of hiving (working together like bees in a beehive). So, in an effort to break down oppression, exclusion and arbitrary barriers, liberals (meaning to care and provide fairness) inadvertently push for changes that "weaken groups, traditions, institutions, and moral capital." Inner city poor help > welfare programs > reduced value of marriage > increased out of wedlock birth [others may say this change was also created by the availability of birth control]. Emphasizing differences makes people more racist, not less, so we need to focus on our similarities.

(10:47) Animosity between political party candidates increased when politicians stopped moving to DC with their families and people didn't have to live and work together to cooperate. Cross party friendships are disappearing.

(11:00) Find commonality with others and develop trust. Give praise, develop interest.

Helping YW understand why they aren't ordained to priesthood offices

 We've been having a temple-related Sunday School class in our ward for a couple months now which has been amazing. I'm still not sure if they were supposed to deviate from "Come Follow Me," but it was fortuitous that the temple class was happening right when the most recent changes at the temple were made. It has been such a sacred space! Anyway, in the class yesterday we were talking about women and the priesthood. I was sad to hear that some of my dear sisters felt "less than" as women in the gospel. I still can't say I've really felt that personally, but I'm sad to know that in my generation women have still felt that.

I'd have to say three contributing factors to me NOT feeling that way are:

1. My mom served a mission back when not so many women served missions (1970s), and she went to Argentina! This really gave me a sense of pride and if my mom could do it, I could do it, too (although I chose not to serve a mission).

2. When I was about 12, my mom gave me this for my bulletin board. (Well I'm pretty sure it was this one!)

Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.

Among the real heroines in the world who will come into the Church are women who are more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish. These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. Remember, it is as wrong to do things just to be seen of women as it is to do things to be seen of men. Great women and men are always more anxious to serve than to have dominion.

Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and the spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.

-Spencer W. Kimball, delivered by his sweet wife Camilla in 1979.

3. In my early days of college the Proclamation to the World came out.

In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. 

-Read by Gordon B. Hinckley, 1995

Then there are other quotes that helped me feel strong after that time like,

4. “Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

(Margaret D. Nadauld, “The Joy of Womanhood,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 15)

And then of course there was lots of good stuff by Julie Beck, but I won't take the time to look that stuff up because that's not what this post is about!

Last summer I was called to serve as YW president in our new ward (we had a boundary change). I learned about some of these helpful YW presidency facebook groups and joined some. This morning I saw someone ask a question about helping young women who are wondering about why they don't hold the priesthood. The replies were so kind and well said. I just thought I'd list them here for future reference. I just remember back in the Kate Kelly days how contentious the topic got online, that it was just a breath of fresh-air to see this type of conversation without everything blowing up. There are all types of answers for this topic, and I think there may be truth in all of them, but honestly the bottom line is we don't know why women don't hold the priesthood (offices), but it can be helpful to study it all out. Here are things people shared:

1. Understanding priesthood office, priesthood authority, priesthood keys.

2. Understanding that women are authorized in the temple to give priesthood ordinances.

3. Latter-day Saint Women Podcast: 85 Rebecca Mehr "How Priesthood Power Offers Divine Help to Every Woman"

4. The Priesthood Power of Women by Barbara Morgan Gardner.

5. We have different roles: women bearing children, men holding the priesthood (I know this one can be controversial).

"Just because I carried and gave birth to our baby, doesn't mean the baby is any less my husband's. Likewise just because my husband carries and performs blessings and ordinances with the priesthood doesn't mean it's any less mine." -Someone named Lacy

"Both are equally important, just different." -Denise

Division of labor -Desiree

Different roles -Monica

"Women are the conduits for bringing Heavenly spirits to earth, and men are the conduits for bringing the power of Heaven on earth. This allows us to truly be a help-meet for each other." -Gwen

"Think of a circle. At the top is Heaven. At the bottom is Earth. Women's power is to bring the souls from Heaven to Earth. The Priesthood keys is to take the souls back to Heaven after death. Is the circle of life." -Diana

6. GOD COMES TO THE WOMEN

 writtten by Heather Farrell

Have you ever noticed how in the scriptures men are always going up into the mountains to commune with the Lord?

Yet in the scriptures we hardly ever
hear of women going to the mountains,
and we know why — right?

Because the women were too busy
keeping life going;
they couldn’t abandon babies,
meals,
homes,
fires,
gardens,
and a thousand responsibilities to make the climb into the mountains!

I was talking to a friend the other day,
saying that as modern woman
I feel like I’m never “free” enough
from my responsibilities,
never in a quiet enough,
or holy enough spot
to have the type of communion
I want with God.

Her response floored me,
“That is why God comes to women.
Men have to climb the mountain to meet God, but God comes to women where ever they are.”

I have been pondering on her words for weeks and have searched my scriptures
to see that what she said is true.
God does in deed come to women
where they are,
when they are doing their ordinary,
everyday work.

He meets them at the wells
where they draw water for their families,
in their homes,
in their kitchens,
in their gardens.

He comes to them
as they sit beside sickbeds,
as they give birth,
care for the elderly,
and perform necessary mourning and burial rites.

Even at the empty tomb,
Mary was the first to witness Christ’s resurrection,
She was there because she was doing the womanly chore of properly preparing Christ’s body for burial.

In these seemingly mundane
and ordinary tasks,
these women of the scriptures found themselves face to face with divinity.

So if — like me — you ever start to bemoan the fact that you don’t have as much time to spend in the mountains with God as you would like. Remember, God comes to women. He knows where we are and the burdens we carry. He sees us, and if we open our eyes and our hearts we will see Him, even in the most ordinary places and in the most ordinary things.

He lives.

7. Linda Burton, "Get Thee into the Mountain"

8. President Nelson "Spiritual Treasures"

9. It's ok to mourn or validate not holding the priesthood 

10. The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood -Oaks

11. A Future Only God Can See for You -Susan Madsen

12. Study the administrative and ministrative functions of the priesthood in the D&C. 

13. At Last She Said It podcast (I'm not sure what this is).

14. "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives" -Nelson

15. "The Two Trees." -Valirie Hudson Cassler

16. Women and Priesthood in Gospel Library

17. "Spiritual Treasures" -Nelson

18. "Attaining, Accessing, Using Priesthood Power" -David Clare, BYU Women's Conference, 2014.

That's kind of a lot, huh!? Maybe it will help clarify it for someone some day.

Someone pointed out that some women struggle because ultimately they will not hold the priesthood keys, they will not ever be a bishop or a prophet because we are a patriarchal organization. I don't know if it really answers anything, but yes, it is a fact. It's a definition of what our church is. Patriarchies are run with men in the head positions.

And I just want to add one last thought. In the Sunday School class, someone asked a question and I felt compelled to share right at the end. I can't remember exactly what she asked, but I explained that I think we're trying to emphasize that we definitely do have the power of God, but we're just trying to call it what it is: the priesthood. It's almost a rebranding. I think after the Kate Kelly movement, the Church wanted women to know that they act with authority of the priesthood since the priesthood IS the power of God. That may help some women, but I guess there's still the ultimate patriarchal structure that creates some unsettlement. Maybe the fact that it is a patriarchal structure is to just show the pattern after Christ, who was male? (I did not say the last few sentences in my comment, and it came out really well in my comment; it must have been inspired :).)