Author Profile: Joanna Brooks
Author Archive for Joanna Brooks
Unless you’ve managed to craft a mass-media-free universe for yourself, you’ve probably heard that conservative media heavyweight Glenn Beck (who is Mormon) recently urged his listeners to “run” from any church that preached “social justice” or “economic justice.” In response, some church groups have pushed back against Beck, calling for public dialogues, apologies, and even boycotts.
Last week, the following email arrived in the Ask Mormon Girl inbox from a fellow religion writer.
I’ve been following the latest Glenn Beck “social justice” controversy. Is there a Mormon angle here?
JD
Well, JD, several Mormons have stepped up in the national media to say that Beck’s comments on social justice are not in keeping with the spirit of Mormon belief and practice. Yesterday, Mormon author Jana Riess published an especially powerful rejoinder to Brother Beck, recalling from the Book of Mormon the beautiful words of that social justice crusader King Benjamin inMosiah 4 (see especially verses 16 – 26).
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Readers, from the traffic in my inbox this week and other regions of the bloggernacle, the universe seems to be signalling that it’s time to talk about parenthood:
Dear Ask Mormon Girl:
My wife and I are smack dab in the middle of a crisis of faith. We are struggling to give our kids the best of Mormonism. But we do not want our kids being taught things that we feel are untrue or things that we feel will restrict them in their journey to discover themselves and their true potential. And I have nightmares of my daughter going away to BYU marrying a “I’m the head of the household” priesthood holder and before you know it her husband will not allow our grandchildren to see us because we are a bad influence. Did I mention my daughter is only 7? Yeah, maybe we need to relax a little. I am curious if you share similar concerns? Deep down do you really think it is possible to raise your children in the church on your terms and if so how?
Thanks,
Vegas New Order Mormons
Dear Ask Mormon Girl:
What is your take on Mormon women’s domination of the blogworld? (I’m thinking about Dooce, Nienie, and Taza and a few others…) I find myself totally addicted to their blogs as well for reasons I can’t quite articulate.
Signed,
JJZ
Hold on to your hats and glasses, folks; this week’s query is bound to be a wild one.
Dear Mormon Girl:
I’ve noticed a lot of my gay and lesbian friends seem to love the show Big Love? Why?
Signed,
JKL
First, JKL, a true confession: I don’t watch Big Love. I know Mormons who do watch it. I know Mormons who love it. And I know Mormons who hate it, especially since the show televised to the whole stinking world portions of sacred temple ceremonies reserved only for the most dedicated members of the faith. Yup, that really bothered me.
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Dear Ask Mormon Girl:
My wife and I recently heard you on the radio, and we thrilled when you used the words “Mormon” and “liberal” in the same sentence to describe yourself. We sometimes feel like we are the only liberal Mormons in the Church. Can you direct us to other podcasts, writings, etc.?
Sincerely,
T & M in Tooele County
If you know SLC, dear Mormon Matters readers, this week’s query is for you:
Dear Ask Mormon Girl:
My sister, a 50-something non-Mormon single woman, has just recently moved to SLC for a job? How does she make new friends her age? And I mean just friends — people to hang out with so she’s not so lonely. She’s having a hard time because so many people her age in SLC are Mormons with families who don’t need new friends and are pretty set in their ways. (And she definitely doesn’t want to be the subject of missionary work!) And everyone she works with is much younger than she is. She’s feeling very much the stranger in a strange land.
Sincerely,
Christina in Ohio
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This week, dear Mormon Matters readers, Ask Mormon Girl takes a foray into the wild world of sports.
Perhaps you’ve heard about the unruly behavior San Diego State University Aztec basketball fans directed at Brigham Young University on Saturday, January 23, when a few dozen SDSU fans dressed up as LDS missionaries (complete with name tags and bike helmets), held signs taunting illness-stricken BYU guard Jimmer Fredette (“Jimmer, which one of your wives gave you mono?”), and compensated for their 71-69 loss by chanting “You’re still Mormon!” at departing BYU players and fans.
The episode caught national attention when Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis called the Aztec fan behavior “classless.” Two days later, the Deseret News picked up the story, and the following letter appeared in the askmormongirl@gmail.com inbox:
Dear Mormon Girl:
Don’t you live in San Diego? Don’t you work at San Diego State University? Can’t you control your people???!!!
Signed,
J. D.
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Hello again, Mormon Matters readers! Last Monday, the first edition of Ask Mormon Girl answered an inquiry from L.M., a 15 year-old Christian boy with a crush on a 16 year-old Mormon girl. Well, it wasn’t long before a second query from L.M. arrived in our askmormongirl@gmail.com inbox:
Hello Mrs. Brooks,
Thank you for your advice, I found it very helpful. I don’t know who she hangs out with, but I would like to get to know them…. If it turns out that she’s not interested, at least I will have made a few friends in the process. I’ll let you know what comes of it. By the way, what are some of the differences between Mormon and Christian beliefs that I should know about? The last thing that I want is to offend someone, especially such a nice girl as her.
Thanks again,
L.M.
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(Mormon Matters gives a hearty “Welcome!” to our latest Permablogger: Joanna Brooks. You can read more about Joanna on her web site, and on her new blog “Ask Mormon Girl“. Joanna is head of the English Department at SDSU, and has recently been featured on Radiowest and writes occasionally for Religion Dispatches. Welcome again, Joanna! So happy to have you aboard!!!!)
So, Mormon Matters readers, there I was: my askmormongirl@gmail.com account barely three months old, when it arrived from uncharted reaches of the internet universe–a bonafide query about the Mormon world I know and love.
“Hello Mrs. Brooks,
I have a 16 year old mormon friend, and I am attracted to her. I am 15, and I am not a Mormon. I am, however, a Christian. She knows that I like her, and I think that she likes me, too. I don’t know what I should do, because both of those things can create some problems if I ask her out. I turn 16 in April. Should I wait until then to ask her out? Any advice that you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
L.M.”
Now, readers, you may imagine how it felt to be the recipient of such important questions straight from such a young and tender heart. And who exactly am I to answer such a query? A lifelong member of the Mormon Church. A profesional scholar of religion and American culture. A writer. A Mormon woman writer who has gotten used to being the only Mormon woman in the room, in the company of non-Mormon people with a thousand burning questions they never dared ask before. A bossy older sister. A cosmic mother hen. And, could it be, as they would say in the Yiddish of my husband’s grandmother, a would-be yenta: an absolute sucker for the prospect of greater ecumenical understanding, teenaged love, and exceptionally thoughtful fifteen year old boys who research the faith traditions of their would-be crushes on the internet.
So I took a deep breath. Click-click-click went the keyboard. And here is what I said:
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