"Again I renew the call for a return to virtue" -Elaine S. Dalton

Two weeks ago, the world had the wonderful opportunity to hear from a Prophet of God and other of God's chosen leaders. The meetings were wonderful. One of my favorite talks was by Sister Elaine S. Dalton, a leader chosen by God to lead the young women's organization. Her talk hit on every point I strive to emphasize here on my blog. Though criticized by "Mormon Feminist Housewives", her talk was sensitive and straightforward in calling for respect of women. Their criticism actually motivated me  review and more carefully study Sister Dalton's, which proved to be a very uplifting and reaffirming experience. Here's my recap and commentary on her talk...

My favorite part of her talk was when she called for a return to virtue. She stated,

"Again I renew the call for a return to virtue. Virtue is the strength and power of daughters of God. What would the world be like if virtue- a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards, including chastity- were reinstated in our society as a most highly prized value? If immorality, pornography, and abuse decreased, would there be fewer broken marriages, broken lives, and broken hearts? Would media ennoble and enable rather than objectify and degrade God's precious daughters? If all humanity really understood the importance of the statement "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father," how would women be regarded and treated?" (emphasis added by me!)

This paragraph is the whole point of my blog. If we as a society based our morals on the belief that women are daughters of God, so much of what I see at the battered women's shelter would disappear, laws would reflect the serious nature of the crimes committed against women. (Sister Dalton may not have necessarily been talking about laws and crimes, but this is my commentary) Sister Dalton's comments reached every concern that is faced by women today- chastity before marriage, domestic violence, sexual assault, pornography. She was criticized by the "Mormon Feminist" group as being insensitive to the victims of sexual assault, yet I believe she has a better understanding of victims than the mormon feminists do. The feminists ridiculed her for using the scripture Moroni 9:9 "And notwithstanding this great abomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue-" They claimed that her use of this scripture was insensitive to those who had been raped/ sexually assualted because she was telling them that they had their virtue taken from them. First of all, the scripture states that, not Sister Dalton. Secondly, victims of rape have had their virtue stolen from them; that is what is so evil about the crime. By saying they have not had their virtue taken from them, it is like saying murders have not taken life. I think it is a grave injustice to victims to say they have not had anything taken from them. By not acknowledging this fact, victims are not given a chance to recognize their feelings and heal properly. There is nothing worse than discounting a woman's feelings! Instead of validation and healing, a woman could feel confused about her sense of loss and helpless. In using this scripture, Sister Dalton validates the victims' sense of loss. She sympathizes with them in calling for a renewed recognition of the importance of virtue. If the world understood how precious virtue is, and treated rape as a crime that robs a woman of her sacred virtue, don't you think it would be taken more seriously? Maybe instead of society questioning a rape victim and whispering that she brought it on herself or that she wanted it but just felt guilty afterward, maybe they would stand up for the injustice that it is and prosecute the perpetrator. Now in so saying that a victim's virtue has been taken from her (or him, I sometimes forget to include that men are victims as well), I want to emphasize that she can heal through the atonement of Jesus Christ- not repent, she/he has no need for repenting as it wasn't a sin on their part, but the atonement offers the potential for not only repenting but also for healing. Preach My Gospel states, "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement". That includes wrongs that were done to us at no fault of our own. Where sexual assault is rampant on the earth today, Worldwide Sexual Assault Statistics claims that 1 in 3 women in the world have been raped or sexually assaulted, Sister Dalton is pointing out that if the world focused on women's virtue, if children were taught from an early age that women were to be respected as daughters of God, this would greatly reduce the rate of violence against women and tolerance for it. Obviously the way we're handling things now isn't lowering the rate of sexual assault and domestic violence. Its time to call for media to "ennoble (I love that concept of an ennobled woman) and enable" women, time for the "wait until marriage" girl or boy to be celebrated instead of mocked, and time to recognize that when you mess with a woman, you won't just have to deal with her father, one day you'll answer to her Heavenly Father. Thank you Sis. Dalton for expressing the Lord's concern for His daughters to the world. Thank you for standing up for our virtue and worth!

For Elaine S. Dalton's full talk see: We Are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father