Welcome, dear readers, to the Spring 2022 issue of SquareTwo! We have a fine line-up of articles for you this issue.
First up, we have an essay by V.H. Cassler on the great global birth strike. Cassler wonders how it is possible that policymakers and demographers seek to understand the global drop in fertility without inquiring at all about the character of the relationship between men and women. Are women attempting to send men a message?
Second, Susan Madsen, Robbyn Scribner, and Allie Barnes share the results of a survey they conducted concerning the types of sexist comments that women encounter in Church settings. They note that “Sexism is not doctrinally supported within the Gospel of Jesus Christ, yet sexist comments and behaviors are common in many of our congregations.” The authors invite our readers to offer examples in the comments section of how to tackle this issue.
Third, Gwendolyn Stevens Wyne lays out a masterful vision of the matriarchal order and the ordinances of the flesh. She asks us to see what has been before our eyes all along, including how radically decentralized the matriarchal order is compared to the patriarchal order. A must-read.
Fourth, Ashley Alley reflects upon the multiple types of suffering we encounter in our lives. This typology helps us to understand that the healthiest response to suffering may differ according to the type of suffering it represents.
Fifth, Steve Cranney reminds us that there are good reasons why the Church does not “name and shame” foreign governments. The kingdom the Church is interested in is literally “not of this world,” for one.
Sixth, V.H. Cassler reviews a new book by Michele Noel entitled “Respect the Path.” A former addict herself, Noel pens a book of great wisdom concerning how to address addictions from a perspective rooted in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Seventh, our book review editor, B. Kent Harrison, reviews a new book by Susan Madsen entitled A Future Only God Can See for You: A Guide for Teen and Young Adult Women on Preparing to Lead, which is the first book of its kind aiming to instill a desire for leadership among Latter-day Saint women who often wrongly receive the message that leadership is not for women at all.
Eighth and ninth, we have responses from our editorial board to our previous Readers’ Puzzle, and pose a new Readers’ Puzzle on what our readers would give the United States for a present and for a warning as it approaches its 246th birthday this year.
Last, don’t forget our companion blog, The Latterday Crone, penned by our own V.H. Cassler. She is trying an experiment of blogging every few days, also with real-time commenting. Check it out for more of the SquareTwo experience you enjoy, now on a more frequent basis!
Enjoy this excellent new issue of SquareTwo!
Full Citation for this Article: Editorial Board, SquareTwo Journal (2022) "Editors’ Intro: Spring 2022," SquareTwo, Vol. 15 No. 1 (Spring 2022), http://squaretwo.org/EditorsIntroSpring2022.html, accessed <give access date>.
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