This booklet (it’s small and very short- easy to get through in a day) was okay. I expected to not like it, so “okay” might be a glowing endorsement.
The “Meh”
The book didn’t solve my issues with the temple and the sexist cultural norms I see embedded in the ceremonies.
One section of the booklet started to delve into “when you have concerns with the temple”, and I hoped this would be helpful to me and my issues with the temple, but the author opted to focus on why it might be difficult for some women to be comfortable with the parts of the temple where women act in ways that are more often associated with priesthood roles.
My issues are kind of on the opposite end of that spectrum, so I didn’t find it helpful. I can see where that might be an important angle to address for some.
The Good
The book was more up front about the temple than any other temple prep information I’ve been presented with. I appreciated that- thinking back to my own temple preparation course, there was really nothing preparatory about it.
There is one idea in the book that I keep coming back to. The author talks about “seeing God” in the temple. He acknowledges accounts of visions or visitations with God in the temple, but goes on to state that for most of us, this isn’t what “seeing God” in the temple is going to refer to, and instead focuses on how we can view the temple experience as a way to understand God more fully, or to be able to “see God” with different understanding than we maybe had before.
This idea made me consider the possibility of going to the temple again to work on my own ability to “see God”. I love the idea of the temple, and value the symbolism and tradition. Unfortunately for me, the sexism makes it difficult for me to attend and have much of a positive experience. Maybe going with the sole intent to look for God will help?