My thoughts on Daughters In My Kingdom (so far)

I recently started reading the new RS history, Daughters In My Kingdom. It's an interesting little book. Despite my impressions from some reviews I read, it is exactly what Sis. Beck said it would be over a year ago: it teaches the principles of RS by looking at its history, and it unites women from varied backgrounds. For example, on one two-page spread there is a picture of a temple in Finland, a quotation from the Doctrine and Covenants, minutes from an RS meeting, a list of what to do to prepare to go to the temple for the first time, and a letter from a woman to her relatives explaining baptisms for the dead. Every few pages, I see a quotation that I've loved but never known where to find. On this same two-page spread, I found this one: "Oh mother, if we are so happy as to have a part in the first resurrection, we shall have our children just as we laid them down in their graves." 

One reason I love having those quotations is that I know exactly what it said and where it came from. I can decide if this is something I want to teach in YW. I know where this came from: a woman's letter. It expresses her faith. But perhaps it should not be considered doctrine. In any case, the book itself presents quotations as they are: from letters, from minutes, from talks, from revelations, etc. In addition, I can read exactly what it said, and decide if the paraphrasing I've grown up on is accurate to the intentions of the author.

The format of the book reminds me of a magazine: short paragraphs and lots of pictures. Some of the paintings in the book are new to me. I like seeing several representations of the same event or activity. I especially appreciated seeing several representations of Emma Smith.

But aside from first impressions of the book as a book, so far what I've loved the most are all the quotations from Eliza Snow and Joseph Smith on the Relief Society. (The mores I read, the more I really wanted to get my hands on the RS minute book. And then it dawned on me I could check it out at the Joseph Smith Papers Project! Here's the link, if you're as curious as I am: http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/nauvoo-relief-society-minute-book#5)

I loved reading this quotation from Joseph on pages 14-15:

“This society is to get instruction through the order which God has established—through the medium of those appointed to lead—and I now turn the key to you in the name of God, and this society shall rejoice and knowledge and intelligence shall flow down from this time—this is the beginning of better days to this society.”

It seems to me that “the order which God has established” is equated with “through the medium of those appointed to lead.” Now, this could be read as referring to Joseph himself and all subsequent priesthood leaders. However, in the context, it seems to me to mean something different. The “order” is that there are appointed leaders, and in this case, there are leaders appointed to lead the Relief Society. They function as the receptacles of revelation for this organization. This seems born out by the phrase “I now turn the key to you.” We talk of priesthood keys, and here Joseph is giving the Relief Society organization its own kind of key. A key to revelation, a key which unlocks the doors to heaven to talk with God. It is not a priesthood key, because this is not a priesthood organization. (Yes, I know all the auxiliaries are now correlated with the priesthood for certain purposes, but that is not the kind of priesthood organization I am talking about right now.) The Relief Society will now receive “knowledge and intelligence” from heaven. What else would that mean, but that the leaders should and can receive revelation for their organization, just like Joseph received for the whole church? The Relief Society, it seems, wasn’t an organization "under" the priesthood. It was a separate organization, which followed the same pattern that the church did. But, remember that each of these Relief Society members was also a member of the church, and in that way every member of the RS was also “under” the authority of the priesthood, but the organization itself, it sounds to me, was not.

Indeed, for many many decades the RS ran its own organization, had its own sources of income, its own budget, its own manuals, etc. All of this was done without using tithing and without getting approval from anyone outside of the organization. (In fact, the RS basically had its own storehouse and lived a sort of law of consecration – there was a treasurer appointed to receive donations, and then the group decided who to help and how to go about it.) Again, remember that every individual sister was also a member of the church, and therefore she did pay her tithing and participate in temple ordinances, took the sacrament, and listened to the counsel of the Prophet. To say that the RS was not “under” the priesthood does not mean that it was against it or in competition with it. The RS was another, supplemental organization fulfilling the call Joseph Smith and others had extended: save souls, both temporally and spiritually.

This sounds to me like the relationship between the family and the church (though different, in that the family is eternal…). The family has its leaders, and the church has its leaders. The parent of a family receives revelation for that family. The Bishop of a ward receives revelation for that ward. A parent doesn’t receive revelation for the ward, and the Bishop doesn’t have to approve everything that goes on in a family. (See this talk by Elder Oaks.) They overlap in that the members of the family are also members of the ward. But this doesn’t mean that they are in competition.

I realize some things have changed since then, such as the RS working with tithing funds instead of having its own sources of income. Regardless of administrative changes, what I see in this quotation in our new RS history book is a principle about the "order God has established." Those in leadership roles, whether of a ward, a family, an auxilary, a beehive class, or wherever, have the ability and right to receive revelation. This seems very much in accordance with the recent broadcasts on ward councils. It also reminds me of Sis. Beck's talk from 2009:

If we work with this understanding, we will seek revelation and work in companionship with a bishop to fulfill the purposes of Relief Society in our own wards. As a result of operating in this way, if sisters and families need to be prepared for emergencies, the Relief Society can organize, teach, and inspire that preparation. If sisters and families need to prepare for the temple, the Relief Society can organize, teach, and inspire sisters to do that. If a bishop needs young single adult women to share the gospel and bring their friends back into activity, the Relief Society can organize, teach, and inspire that work. If mothers need to learn how to nurture and care for their children, the Relief Society can organize, teach, and inspire that work. If sisters need to learn and improve homemaking skills that will help their homes become a center of spiritual strength, then the Relief Society can organize, teach, and inspire that work. As has happened throughout our history, if priesthood leaders need to accomplish something significant, they can call upon the Relief Society to help them.

...Relief Society and priesthood leaders, this message will serve as your current official policy regarding additional Relief Society meetings. Should you have questions regarding anything we have taught here after studying this message, please counsel together in your own wards and stakes to discover the solutions you need.

Anyway, such are my thoughts. How has reading Daughters In My Kingdom changed the way you see Relief Society? And how might these changes affect the way you teach YW about Relief Society?