A group is asking Mormon women to wear pants to church this Sunday as a sign of support for gender equity. I support the idea of gender equity and I am supportive of this effort, though I don’t know anything about the group that is behind it. It’s causing an uproar of sorts, and some backlash, even though the Church has stated that it does not officially take any position on the question of whether women should wear dresses or pants to church meetings:

“Generally church members are encouraged to wear their best clothing as a sign of respect for the Savior, but we don’t counsel people beyond that.”

-Scott Trotter, Church Spokesman (more…)

We’ve been hearing for a while now about the so-called “Mormon Moment,” a singularly insipid moniker for the period of time beginning roughly around the start of Mitt Romney’s candidacy for president in 2008 and probably now drawing to a close with his defeat this year. His non-stop candidacy over those years, combined with his role as a faithful Church member and leader brought unprecedented attention to the Church. This led directly or indirectly to all kinds media spotlights on the Church and gave rise to or influenced other cultural touchstones including political issues, a broadway musical, television shows and documentaries like The Mormons on PBS. Arguably, the attention even may have influenced some changes in longstanding Church policies and/or practices. (more…)