e Atonement of Christ meant more to me now than ever. It was more needed now than ever—
how could it not be? Right in front of me were the words of the Book of Mormon: “For were it
not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the
foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have perished.”
Not just now, but forever. The Atonement was needed now more than ever, not just for me, but
also for them and her.
Here was the man who sat there, screaming from the TV screen's other side. For him—He was
the man who admitted to abusing his wife on camera. It was needed for a man who died in his
sins, not knowing any better. For the woman who lost all her siblings to poverty and now blamed
herself, thinking she would never see them again. It was not just for me; it was for them. Oh,
how the world needed it at this moment.
I often think about how the Atonement of Jesus Christ applies even to those who don't know
about it or who don’t know about Him. People like Lucky, who, while I was serving on my
mission, approached me and asked, “Who is Jesus Christ? Who is this man who you say you
know? I have many friends who are Christians, but no one can tell me who He is!” I remembered
how he told me, by no fault of his own, that he was so sad he would never be able to see his
father again because he believed his father would be reincarnated as a dog.
So I thought to myself “Would these people view their challenges differently if they had a new
perspective, or do they view their challenges precisely because of what is already in their
minds?”
I first think of the man from San Francisco. I think of the statements he made about the girl he
was seeing: “She can’t say ‘no,’ it has to be pretty much all ‘yes’—I’m the man of my house.”
Maybe this is how he was raised. Maybe he thought this was okay because every time he tried to
respect his mother, he was beaten. Maybe he was hurt by his mother as a child and is only trying
to protect himself now. You see, we never know what is going on in someone else's life. Most of
the time, they just don't know any better. People can't be judged all the same because they are not
all given the same knowledge. That’s why the Atonement must be in play—it must meet the
needs of those who acted without understanding.
Next, it’s important to consider who the intended viewers were for this presentation of stories.
From my perspective, it was for educated, first-world individuals. This conclusion can be drawn
from the fact that all the texts were translated into English—a language that, although widely
spoken, is only universally taught and accessible to a select few educated groups. This led me, an
English-speaking, first-world, unimpressed woman, to confront the realities of the large majority
of women around the world who aren’t afforded such privilege.
This brings me to the next topic: Women’s Rights.
I can still hear myself—little ol' me, a blonde-haired girl who had just finished her first all-state
math competition, riding home on a bus with a group of “nerds.” I was a woman, and I had just
competed in a math competition that, for years, had been dominated by men. I felt powerful,
especially after hearing an advisor tell me, “Keep up your interest in STEM, especially as a
woman—you’re in demand.” What was this I was hearing? Me? I? A woman? In demand?
What? This couldn’t be true. Do you mean that because of my sex, I was actually going to be
favored among the hiring pool? Where was the inequality and suppression everyone was talking
about in my textbooks? Women aren’t suppressed anymore! Not today! Not in this world!
This newfound discovery of gender empowerment filled my heart and shot from my toes to my
brain, and then out of my mouth came, “I love being a woman!” A few kids turned around on the
bus and gave me weird looks, but I was fine with it, because I was a woman, and nothing could
stop me.
For the longest time, I have felt similar to that eighth-grade, bright-eyed girl. In general, I do still
feel that way. Yet this empowerment is now coupled with sadness. Sadness that so many women
don’t know what it feels like to find joy in their gender. A large percentage of the world still
operates under the mindset that women are worth less—that human life, in general, is worth less.
Most of the places where women have unequal access to rights, however, are places where the
idea of "rights" for anyone is a foreign concept. These ideas sit on a shelf, alongside other
concepts like “savings accounts,” “indoor plumbing,” “meal prepping,” “marital agency,”
“dating,” “stoplights,” “birthday parties,” or “family time.” These concepts sit atop a dusty shelf
labeled “Things to worry about or learn exist once I know where my next two meals are coming
from.”
In reality, the reason I love being a woman is that a basic level of resources is provided to me—
resources like plumbing and female hygiene products, so I can still contribute to the economy
and class discussion even while on my period. Or an economy and parental financial stability
that allow me to go to school, without waiting in line for hours while the government rations
food. Or the fact that my parents had access to birth control, so I don’t have to stay home from
school to watch 14 siblings. Or even just having the option to attend school because I don’t have
to work to provide income for my family.
I understand and acknowledge that many other women, even within my community, have these
problems. I acknowledge that not all inequality against women is gender-biased but rather
survival-based. In many cases, social equality is far from their minds; all they can think about is
whether they will have clean water during a drought or food after not eating for 3 or 4 days.
So, I’m grateful for this film and the reminder that the state of women’s rights, or lack thereof,
illustrates there is still much work to be done. I am grateful for that reminder.
Overall, this documentary exposed me to the necessity of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I loved
hearing my classmates’ perspectives as they all shared their views of the Atonement. But I know
Jesus covers it all. I’m so grateful He made it right eternally
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