Monday Mormon Myths & Truths #5

 

MONDAY, JUNE 3, 2013

 Monday Mormon Myths and truths #5

I was asked by several different people over the past couple of weeks to discuss Mormon Women. With that being such a considerable interest with a lot of you, I have decided to break it up a little and answer a couple a week until they are all answered--

A Pulitzer Prize winner by the name of Wallace Stegner, authored a book in 1964 about the Mormon pioneers going westward in their migration to Utah and other western states. This is one of the things he said "I shall try to present the Mormons in their terms and judge them in mine. That I do not accept the faith that possessed them does not mean I doubt their frequent devotion and heroism in its service. Especially their women, their women, were incredible."

The LDS women today do not wear the pioneer dresses of the 1800s, but the women still lead remarkable lives and have a profound effect on other people. This coming from a self-professed late '20s, childless overeducated atheist feminist "I confess that reading Mormon housewives blogs, I have learned they are uplifting" she said that "their lives send out the message to the world, it is possible to be happy.....they love their homes, they love their husbands, family is their biggest priority, and life is meant to be enjoyed."
So who are LDS women, and what makes them so incredible? Where and how do they fit into the church, its society, and theology--I will answer all of the questions regarding women in the next few weeks.

  Mormon Myth: LDS women are more depressed than other women

Answer: NOT TRUE

I loved this question. I have gotten a few emails about this--to be quite honest with you, I had heard Utah had the highest usage of antidepressants in the nation and wondered about it myself--so this was great to study--thank you for the question--I guess I never thought about the fact that Utah with its 60%  LDS population would obviously be the reason why so many believe it has to be related to the lifestyle we live. 

A common myth has been circulating that LDS women are more depressed than any other women in America due to the demands, expectations, and religious lifestyle of Mormonism. This rumor started when Scripts reported in 2001 and 2007 that Utah, with its population of 60% LDS people, led the nation to use antidepressant medicines. Of course, people conclude that the high rate of depression was related to how the "Mormons live."

Many studies have examined the relationship between religion and depression, specifically Mormonism and depression. Most research indicates that LDS women are no more likely to experience depression than any other women in other religious groups.
 There was a study done in 2010 that compared thousands of LDS men and women with thousands of non-LDS men and women on twelve indicators of depression and found that, on average, LDS men who served missions (indicating their high religious activity in the church) reported less incidence of depression than any other.

And, you are now wondering about women, right? LDS women who served a mission (once again, indicating high activity in the LDS church) had significantly less depression than the national sample, reporting an average score of 1.0 days per week where depression symptoms occurred, compared to 1.39 days per week by the women on the national model (LDS women who did not serve a mission also reported a lower number than the national average of 1.11 days)
All this research concluded that "this study found no evidence that members of the LDS church experienced more depression than others across the nation. In fact, they discovered that, overall, LDS men and women with higher rates of religiosity had significantly lower levels of depression than the average American. So, the religious LDS lifestyle is a buffer against depression rather than what many LDS and non-LDS people have believed over the years.

  I have struggled with depression throughout my life, and for over 20 years, I have taken an antidepressant to help balance the serotonin levels in my body. For many years I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable discussing this with people, not only LDS members but non-members. The reason:

For me, it was because I felt if I told people, then they would have a lower opinion of me and that I would be looked at as a failure, not having the ability to control my thoughts or feelings. When I discovered I had cancer, I stopped taking all my antidepressant medicine; I have no idea why, except I thought it might be adding to the problem, and no doctor ever told me to stop taking it. Within a few months, I became extremely depressed and wanted to just die. When I went to the Mayo psychiatrist, he asked me why I stopped taking my medicine. My answer was, "I don't know, I just was so consumed with cancer I just stopped taking anything else, including vitamins" He then asked some questions about my childhood, and we talked about why I was initially taking the drug. He explained it so simple to me he said "If a person who is diabetic does not take their insulin, or a person who has heart problems does not take their medicine, they could get very sick and die, YOU and people like you who suffer with this anxiety and depression are no different, society sees them different, but medically you need to respect what your body is telling you and take the medicine that helps you"  I have never worried about it since, I take my medicine, I'm balanced, and I feel better. This has nothing whatsoever to do with my Mormon lifestyle of living. It has to do with genetics. There is a history in my family of depression and chemical imbalances.

LDS Women and the Priesthood:

Latter Day Saint women are not ordained to priesthood offices in the LDS church, and we don't know why. President Gordon B Hinckley said, "Women do not hold the Priesthood because the Lord has put it that way. It is part of His program" Although Mormon women do not hold the priesthood office, all the blessings and saving ordinances through the Priesthood are made equally available to both men and women.

To make it easier to understand, Priesthood is not a prideful thing or for power, position, or prestige- it is strictly designed to serve others.
Women are called to serve in organizational leadership positions of the church from the general Church level (Salt Lake City) down to the congressional level. They work together alongside the male Priesthood holders to serve all of God's children together.
No Priesthood "ladder" is necessary to climb in the LDS church to reach heaven; only priesthood ordinances are required for salvation, and they are available to both males and females.