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LDS apostle D. Todd Christofferson has removed the words "feminist thinkers" from his recent General Conference address about the role of Mormon women in the version now online at lds.org.
During the afternoon conference session on Oct. 5, Christofferson said, "Some feminist thinkers view homemaking with outright contempt, arguing it demeans women and that the relentless demands of raising children are a form of exploitation."
The revised version now reads: "Some view homemaking with outright contempt, arguing it demeans women and that the relentless demands of raising children are a form of exploitation."
Slight editing of conference sermons is not uncommon, LDS Church spokeswoman Ruth Todd said Wednesday. "The Monday following every General Conference, each speaker has the opportunity to make any edits necessary to clarify differences between what was written and what was delivered or to clarify the speaker's intent."
Church editors had suggested to the apostle that "referencing 'some feminist thinkers' would inevitably be read by many as 'all feminist thinkers,' " Todd explained in a statement. "Elder Christofferson agreed and has simply clarified his intent."
After the Utah-based faith's October 2010 General Conference, senior Mormon apostle Boyd K. Packer modified his speech about gay marriage, same-sex attraction, pornography and addiction for the online publication.
Packer had originally said, "Some suppose that they were pre-set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember he is our father."
In the edited version, the word "temptations" replaced "tendencies" and the question about God's motives was dropped.
Peggy Fletcher Stack