Women of Wisdom and Knowledge Book

Latter-day Saint women seeking to understand their individual identities and destinies in a world of conflicting roles and values may not find answers easily. But there are answers. With Isaiah's words "wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times" as a theme, this collection of talks from the 1988 and 1989 BYU Women's Conferences points toward some answers by examining aspects of LDS women's lives, including service, education, relationships, religion, and leadership. The following excerpts represent the scope and diversity of this book: "Our capacity to be taught is infinite. We can find a variety of ways to deny our capacity for learning, to lose faith in ourselves, to lose faith in the love of those around us, or to lose faith in God's love for us. By not believing in our capacity to learn, by not believing in our capacity to influence others for good, we deny the power of God in us."-Kate L. Kirkham. "Stability is the fruit of internalizing the gospel, of listening, praying, searching, lifting up our voices to attain wisdom from the Lord. Through testimony, friendship, charity, progression, and maturity we can maintain lasting stability, which will endure despite the clatter of these changing times."-Elaine L. Jack. "How can we, LDS women who know revealed truth and who are trained from our Primary days in leadership and organizational skills, in good conscience sit on the sidelines and leave the pressing problems of the day to others? I have seen what compassionate, competent Christian women can do to make a difference in the affairs of their communities."-Sheila Olsen. "How much better, surely, to read the well-crafted words of intelligent beings who have learned new things in this world and shared their discovery-or, more likely, who have shared their quest for understanding-than to suffer the assault of graceless language and extravagant claims."-Marilyn Arnold. "When our choices have been made after consulting our Father in Heaven and after receiving a spiritual confirmation that what we are about to do is right for us, we have no need to apologize to anyone for that decision, and others have no right to criticize us for the decision we have made."-Stephen G. Wood. "Education turns my leaves green, brings my blossoms out, and allows me the full measure of my creation. I have to know a lot of things before I am free to do many things. Still, it takes dealing with life to really teach us-the handling of the things that just happen. In this nurturing, this discovering, the constant growth ingredient has to be, 'I want to know more.'"-Emma Lou Thayne. "When you choose between two rights, leave guilt feelings for Satan to use on someone else."-Norma B. Ashton.