In the Women's session for the October 2019 General Conference, President Russell Lennelsohn

discussed how women in the church can tap into the power of God, telling them this.

What I can tell you is that accessing the power of God in your life requires the same things

that the Lord instructed Emma and each of you to do.

So I invite you to study prayerfully, Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants, and discover

what the Holy Ghost will teach you.

Your personal, spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand,

and use the power with which you have been endowed. Doctrine in Covenants 25 is a really

unique and powerful section. It's one of the few chapters or revelations in

scripture that's directly and specifically given for a woman, in this case Emma Smith. But it is

also unique because of what it says in this revelation to Emma and the progressive teachings it

contains in its historical context. Interestingly, by the way, this revelation was one of the few revelations copied and published

in the first anti-Mormon book called Mormonism Unveiled.

It's a radical revelation in many ways.

Professor Carter Charles from BYU's Religion Department has recently published a really insightful chapter on Doctrine Covenants Section 25.

And in 1830, July 1830, just about four months after the church is organized, the Lord is giving Emma special assignments that break away from, you know, those talks of exclusion of women.

DNC. 25 shows that the Lord is not just telling Emma and by extension the sisters of the church

that they can pray and speak, but they can engage in

expounding scripture. That's just one of the many forward-looking moves that the Lord is doing

in the restoration. On today's episode of Why Religion, be prepared to more deeply understand this forward-looking

revelation from 1830 and why it is still so powerful today.

I'm Professor Anthony Sweat, and this is Why Religion. religion.

...