Does the Book of Mormon objectify women?

[_I have a question]

Blogger Emily Gilkey Palmer thinks it does.

But the pattern that keeps striking me, and is indeed the reason I stopped reading the Book of Mormon several years ago, is the reification of women. Reification, or objectification, is a term in feminist theory that signifies the act of treating someone as an object rather than a person.

https://www.the-exponent.com/the-reific ... of-Mormon/

The Salt Lake Tribune summarises the point Palmer is making, along with some examples from her blog article.

She notes a number of examples in the church’s signature scripture — and shows how they fit into feminist categories of objectification — including:

• When Lehi’s sons fetch Ishmael’s daughters as future brides. “The purpose of bringing the women out of Jerusalem, soon to be destroyed,” Gilkey Palmer writes, “was so that they could reproduce and perpetuate Lehi’s lineage.”

• When King Lamoni offers Ammon one of his daughters in marriage — even though the intended couple apparently had never met. “The daughter,” the blog states, “seemingly exists to cement desirable partnerships between men.”

• When King Noah’s wicked priests abduct Lamanite women rather than return to their wives. “They needed sexual services and female labor,” Gilkey Palmer explains, “so they just took some other women and replaced their former wives with new ones.”

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/06 ... rmon-land/

Returning to Palmers blog, in closing she poses some interesting questions that members, particularly female members, would do well to keep in mind during their study of the Book of Mormon.

This leads me to wonder what place the Book of Mormon should have in my life, given that I self-identify as a woman. I inhabit a female body. I present myself as female. I occupy feminine roles – mother, wife, sister, daughter. This book was written for our times and should guide us to truth. But the patterns that I see of women in the Book of Mormon consistently show that women are not people at all, but are instead objects to be used with varying degrees of benevolence or cruelty by men. What am I supposed to learn? Which female character am I supposed to rejoice in imitating? What female characteristics that I see modeled in the lands of the Nephites and Lamanites am I supposed to embody?

Interesting questions for the global membership of the all-male gerontocracy who consider the Book of Mormon a record of God's purest opinions.

[_Chap]

But the patterns that I see of women in the Book of Mormon consistently show that women are not people at all, but are instead objects to be used with varying degrees of benevolence or cruelty by men. What am I supposed to learn?

Why, you learn about the attitude to women of the man who wrote the book, Joseph Smith, attitudes that clearly conditioned his known behaviour towards all the women over whom he had power and influence.

This book was written for our times and should guide us to truth.

Evidently it wasn't and doesn't.

[_I have a question]

Why aren't any of the 11 witnesses to the Book of Mormon women?

[_moksha]

Susan Manzpleigni (@manzpleigni)
This was addressed in my seminal paper “Homosexual blowfish in a heteronormative ocean: a case against normalizing suffixes that portray the patriarchy in a positive light.”

Hope that helps.

[_Gadianton]

"Reification" is a pretty large word for describing a simple thing, and has that history to it. But such as it is, every character in the Book of Mormon suffers the same fate. Men are also objectified. In the text, perhaps men are the consumers rather than the consumed, but man as apex predator is no less an objectification than women as prey. And if we protest too simply, then it sounds as if the problem isn't the objectification, but confinement to a 'lesser' object. A lesser object would be the consumed rather than the consumer, and the question is, do we fix the problem by allowing women to share in consumption of others? If so, then the problem isn't objectification.

I have to wonder, as she hasn't said clearly, but in the Book of Mormon, are men presented as 'people'? If so, then the suggestion is that 'people' have the option of using others and retaining their personhood. In fact, if the dominance theme is really that pervasive, than the greatest feats of personhood are subjecting others as their objects of gratification. While many men may find this appealing, is it something that men should find appealing?