Brigham Didnt Dissolve Relief Society? (Katie Rich & Heather Sundahl)

Brigham didnt dissolver Relief Society! That’s what Katie Rich’s recent article on Brigham Young & the Relief Society claimed. It goes against the historical consensus and won an award at the Mormon History Association. She will explain her reasons here. We’ll also discuss how Exponent II accepts multiple positions on controversial issues. Is it hard to keep disparate opinions together? It’s only available to newsletter subscribers so sign up to gospeltangents.com/newsletter and I’ll send you the secret link to the final part of our conversation!

Check out this playlist for more info on this topic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGUWDGlv87I&list=PLLhI8GMw9sJ4VKeJi6eTv4OMaRZiZnA0h

In this concluding episode, we discuss the personal impact of Exponent II and a groundbreaking re-examination of 19^th-century history with authors Katie Rich and Heather Sundal. Katie shares her personal journey from being “terrified” to publish her first blog post in 2020 to becoming an award-winning historian. She describes Exponent II as an “incubator of voices,” providing a supportive community for women to move past the fear of being perceived as critical of the Church while exploring cognitive dissonance and authenticity.

The authors also address the “big tent” philosophy of their organization. Both emphasize that Exponent II allows them to remain in a community that “speaks their language” without needing to explain their complex identities.

Brigham didnt dissolver Relief Society

The highlight of the episode is a deep dive into Katie’s award-winning research regarding Brigham Young and the Relief Society. Contrary to the widely accepted historical narrative that Brigham Young “shut down” or “disbanded” the Relief Society in 1845 due to his frustrations with Emma Smith, Katie argues that the organization actually fell apart in March 1844 due to internal conflicts over polygamy. Key insights include:

Shadow Succession Crisis: While men were publicly debating who should succeed Joseph Smith, women were influencing the trajectory of the Church through their work in the Anointed Quorum and the Nauvoo Temple.
Polygamy Tension: The organization fractured a full year before Brigham Young’s infamous “incendiary comments” because Emma Smith was using the Relief Society to police morality and oppose secret plural marriages that her own counselors and secretaries were already participating in.
The “Great Gap”: While there was a nearly 20-year gap before the Relief Society was formally reorganized as an ecclesiastical body in 1867, women continued to lead through informal spiritual meetings, blessing one another and performing temple ordinances.

Don’t miss our other conversations about Mormon feminism: https://gospeltangents.com/lds_theology/feminism/

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