Early Scenes in Church History: Faith-Promoting Series, no. 8

Sets & Series

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AD who is venerated in Western, Eastern, Oriental and African Christianity, for entering a life of penitence and prayer in the deserts beyond the Jordan River, after arriving from Egypt as a prostitute. As Western Europe transitioned from the Classical to Medieval Age, the male hierarchy with the Pope as its summit became a central player in European politics, however many women leaders also emerged at various levels within the Church.

In the East, a similar male hierarchy prevailed around the Patriarch at Constantinople. However, women rose to play an active role in religion after the Fall of Rome: Marian devotion blossomed, setting a model of maternal virtue at the heart of Western civilization. In the West, the Roman Catholic Church was the major unifying cultural influence in Europe during the Middle Ages with its selection from Latin learning, preservation of the art of writing, and a centralized administration through its network of bishops. In the Roman Catholic Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church , the priesthood and the ministries dependent upon it such as Bishop , Patriarch and Pope , were restricted to men.

The first Council of Orange forbade the ordination of women to the diaconate. With the establishment of Christian monasticism , other influential roles became available to women. From the 5th century onward, Christian convents provided an alternative for some women to the path of marriage and child-rearing and allowed them to acquire literacy and learning, and play a more active religious role. While non-aristocratic women were in many respects excluded from political and mercantile life in the Middle Ages, leading churchwomen were an exception.

Medieval abbesses and female superiors of monastic houses were powerful figures whose influence could rival that of male bishops and abbots: A major spokesman for the Church in the High Middle Ages 11th through 13th centuries was Thomas Aquinas , [19] one of the 33 Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church and renowned 13th-century theologian.

Geoffrey Blainey, writes that women were more prominent in the life of the Church during the Middle Ages than at any previous time in its history, with a number of church reforms initiated by women. Blainey cites the ever growing veneration of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene as evidence of a high standing for female Christians at that time. Irish hagiography records that, as Europe was entering the Medieval Age, the abbess St. Brigit of Kildare was founding monasteries across Ireland.

The Celtic Church played an important role in restoring Christianity to Western Europe following the Fall of Rome , due in part to the work of nuns like Brigid. She was conferred such titles as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven. Mary Magdalene's Feast Day was celebrated in earnest from the 8th century on and composite portraits of her developed from Gospel references to other women Jesus met.

The art historian Kenneth Clarke wrote that, if art is taken as a guide, then only from the 12th century did the cult of the Virgin come to appeal to the popular imagination in the West. The great Cathedrals of France were dedicated to her: Chartres Cathedral in particular honoured Mary with the elaborate splendour of its architecture. St Bernard of Clairvaux preached of her as an ideal of beauty and mediator between humanity and God. Clare of Assisi was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi.

She founded the Order of Poor Ladies , a contemplative monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition, and wrote their Rule of Life—the first monastic rule known to have been written by a woman. Following her death, the order she founded was named in her honor the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as the Poor Clares. Catherine of Siena — was a Dominican tertiary and mystic of considerable influence who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in Considered by her contemporaries to have high levels of spiritual insight, she worked with the sick and poor, experienced "visions", gathered disciples and participated in the highest levels of public life through letters to the princes of Italy, consultations with papal legates and by acting as a diplomat negotiating between the city states of Italy.

Arguably the most famous female Catholic Saint of the period is St. Considered a national heroine of France, she began life as a pious peasant girl. As with other saints of the period, Joan is said to have experienced supernatural dialogues which gave her spiritual insight and directed her actions - but unlike typical heroines of the period, she donned male attire and, claiming divine guidance, sought out the King Charles VII of France to offer help in a military campaign against the English.

Taking up a sword, she achieved military victories, before being captured. Her English captors and their Burgundian allies then arranged for her to be tried as a "witch and heretic", after which she was burned at the stake. A papal inquiry later declared the trial illegal. A hero to the French, sympathy grew for Joan even in England and in she was canonised a saint.

A network of European monarchies established power throughout Western Europe through the Medieval period. Men were generally given precedence to reign as monarch, however aristocratic women could achieve influence. A number of such women were singled out as model Christians by Pope John Paul II in his Mulieris Dignitatem letter on the dignity and vocation of women: She is an important figure in the spread of Christianity to Russia and commemorated by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Italian noblewoman Matilda of Tuscany — is remembered for her military accomplishments and for being the principal Italian supporter of Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy. Saint Hedwig of Silesia — supported the poor and the church in Eastern Europe and Jadwiga of Poland reigned as monarch of Poland and, within the Catholic Church, is honoured as the patron saint of queens and of a "united Europe".

Saint Elisabeth of Hungary — was a symbol of Christian charity who used her wealth to establish hospitals and care for the poor. As sponsor of Christopher Columbus ' mission to cross the Atlantic, the Spanish Queen Isabella I of Castille known as Isabella the Catholic , was an important figure in the growth of Catholicism as a global religion. Her marriage to Ferdinand II of Aragon had ensured the unity of the Spanish Kingdom and the royal couple held equal authority.

The Catholic Monarchs then conquered the last Moorish bastion in Spain at Granada in January and seven months later, Columbus sailed for the Americas. The Catholic encyclopedia, credits Isabella as an extremely able ruler and one who "fostered learning not only in the universities and among the nobles, but also among women". Of Isabella and Ferdinand, it says: The Reformation swept through Europe during the 16th Century, ending centuries of unity among Western Christendom and bringing Protestantism into being as both a political and religious opponent of Catholicism.

Mary I of England , was his eldest daughter and succeeded the throne after the death of her Protestant younger half brother Edward VI. Mary was the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, and thus remained loyal to Rome and sought to restore the Roman Church in England. Her re-establishment of Roman Catholicism was reversed after her death in by her successor and younger half-sister, Elizabeth I. Rivalry emerged between Elizabeth and the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots , finally settled with the execution of Mary in The religion of an heir or monarch's spouse complicated intermarriage between royal houses through coming centuries.

The throne was reserved for males, though women such as Theophanu and Maria Theresa of Austria , controlled the power and served as de facto Empresses regnant. The powerful Maria Theresa acquired her right to the throne of the Habsburg Monarchy by means of the Pragmatic Sanction of , allowing for female succession - but had to fight the War of the Austrian Succession to secure her right to reign. A liberal-minded autocrat, she was a patron of sciences and education and sought to alleviate the suffering of the serfs.

On religion she pursued a policy of cujus regio, ejus religio , keeping Catholic observance at court and frowning on Judaism and Protestantism - but the ascent of her son as co-regnant Emperor saw restrictions placed on the power of the Church in the Empire. She reigned for 40 years, and had 16 children including Marie-Antoinette , the ill-fated Queen of France. The Protestant Reformation , closed convents and effectively closed off the option of a full-time religious role for Protestant women, as well as one which had provided some women a life in academic study.

John Calvin agreed that "the woman's place is in the home. The majority of Protestant churches upheld the traditional position, [34] and restricted ruling and preaching roles within the Church to men until the 20th century, although there were early exceptions among some groups such as the Quakers and within some Pentecostal holiness movements. John Knox — also denied women the right to rule in the civic sphere, as he asserted in his famous First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women.

John Gill — comments on 1 Corinthians By this the apostle would signify, that the reason why women are not to speak in the church, or to preach and teach publicly, or be concerned in the ministerial function, is, because this is an act of power, and authority; of rule and government, and so contrary to that subjection which God in his law requires of women unto men. The extraordinary instances of Deborah, Huldah, and Anna, must not be drawn into a rule or example in such cases.

Methodist founder John Wesley — and Methodist theologian Adam Clarke — both upheld male headship, but allowed that spiritual Christian women could publicly speak in church meetings if they "are under an extraordinary impulse of the Spirit" Wesley , [37] and that such were to obey that influence, and that "the apostle lays down directions in chap.

In A Very Short History of the World , Geoffrey Blainey wrote that, in removing the institution of the convent, the Reformation at first indirectly reduced the power of women, for convents had been places where women could achieve power and influence, as in Zurich where the Benedictine abbesses had helped administer the town. However, the Protestant belief that all people should be able to read the Bible, wrote Blainey, led to an increase in female literacy, as a result of the opening of new schools, and the introduction of compulsory education for boys and girls in places like Lutheran Prussia beginning in A general tenet of the Protestant reformers was that Marian devotion and the 'cult of Mary" and the "cult of saints" should be rejected.

Thus, in the communities of Europe and North America that adopted Protestantism, the centuries-old rituals and theology associated with Mary and formal sainthood that had been built up by the Catholic tradition were largely expunged in the aftermath of the Reformation. Apart from convents being closed, images of Mary were in many cases torn down or decapitated. The Catholic Church meanwhile, responded to the Protestant Reformation with the Counter Reformation , in which exuberant baroque architecture and art was embraced as an affirmation of the faith and new seminaries and orders were established to lead missions to far off lands [41] The importance of Marian devotion within Catholic life was kept firmly in place.

Thus a new divide had arisen in Christianity: Renaissance and Baroque art produced new depictions of women in Christian art. According to Kenneth Clarke, while Mary had been in the Middle Ages "the supreme protectress of civilization" who had "taught a race of tough and ruthless barbarians the virtues of tenderness and compassion", during the Renaissance, Mary "became also the human mother in whom everyone could recognise qualities of warmth and love and approachability".

These human qualities were presented by Catholic artists like Raphael, in his Madonna and Child portraits representing Mary with the infant Jesus, and Michelangelo in his pieta statue, depicting Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus following his crucifixion. During the Baroque period, religious depictions of women in Catholic Europe became not only exuberant, but often highly sensual, as with the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Amidst the backdrop of Industrial Revolution and expanding European Empires, a number of notable educational and nursing religious institutes were established by or for Catholic women during the 17thth centuries; Christian women played a central role in the developing or running of many the modern world's education and health care systems.

Out of other Christian traditions arose women like Florence Nightingale , who assisted with the development of modern nursing. Within Catholicism, the Sisters of Mercy was founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin , Ireland in , and her nuns went on to establish hospitals and schools across the world. Joseph of the Sacred Heart as educative religious institute for the poor in and by the time of her death her religious institute had established a schools and had opened orphanages and refuges for the needy.

Many Christian women were instrumental in the movement for women's suffrage which achieved its first successes in Britain's Australasian colonies at the close of the 19th century and spread across the democratic world. For much of the early twentieth century, Catholic women continued to join religious institutes in large numbers, where their influence and control was particularly strong in the running of primary education for children, high schooling for girls, and in nursing, hospitals, orphanages and aged care facilities. The Second Vatican Council of the s liberalised the strictures of Catholic religious life, particularly for women religious ; however, in the latter half of the 20th century, vocations for women in the West entered a steep decline.

A number of beatifications and canonisations took place of Catholic women from all over the world: Josephine Bakhita was a Sudanese slave girl who became a Canossian nun ; St. Maria Faustina Kowalska — wrote her influential spiritual diary; [49] and German nun Edith Stein who died at Auschwitz. Catholic Poland suffered under Nazi occupation, and a number of women are recognised for their heroism during the period: In modern times, after the Second Vatican Council , four Catholic women have been declared Doctors of the Church , indicating a re-appraisal of the role of women within the life of that Church: Catherine of Siena , the 19th-century French nun St.

While Catholicism and Orthodoxy adhered to traditional gender restrictions on ordination to the priesthood, ordination of women in Protestant churches has in recent decades become increasingly common. As of , over half of all American Protestant denominations ordain women, [53] though some restrict the official positions a woman can hold.

For instance, some ordain women for the military or hospital chaplaincy but prohibit them from serving in congregational roles. However, one-third of all seminary students and in some seminaries nearly half are female. Army founder William Booth insisted on gender equality, writing in that "Every officer and soldier should insist upon the truth that woman is as important, as valuable, as capable and as necessary to the progress and happiness of the world as man" and women have been prominent in leadership positions in the history of the organisation.

Among the most famous women missionaries of the period was Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in for her work in "bringing help to suffering humanity". Many Christian women and religious have been prominent advocates in social policy debates - as with American nun Helen Prejean , a Sister of Saint Joseph of Medaille , who is a prominent campaigner against the death penalty and was the inspiration for the Hollywood film Dead Man Walking.

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This list is incomplete ; you can help by expanding it. Retrieved 15 January Prophet of the Restoration". The Prophet of the Restoration Meet the Mormons Homefront present Truth Restored present " I'm a Mormon " present. Wetzel Whitaker Scott Whitaker. A Proclamation to the World " Word of Wisdom. President List Russell M.

Retrieved from " https: Articles needing additional references from July All articles needing additional references Incomplete lists from May CS1 errors: Views Read Edit View history. This page was last edited on 31 October , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The true story of the decision faced by a young LDS serviceman forced to choose between social acceptance and obedience to the Word of Wisdom. A father's use of tobacco contributes to his inactivity in the Church and has an adverse effect on his two young boys.

Emphasizes the importance of temple marriage and of a good example. An anti-smoking video about a father trying to quit smoking. Features President Joseph Fielding Smith and his emphasis on the importance of genealogy and temple work. Historical vignettes dramatize events from the lives of the Prophet Joseph Smith's ancestors in order to create interest in our own ancestors. Belle Spafford, who was general Relief Society president at the time the film was produced, introduces the story of a visiting teacher who is not convinced of the worth of the visiting teaching program.

Through subsequent experiences, the visiting teacher learns how her labors can bring joy to herself and to others. Depicts the positive influence an adviser can have when a young LDS woman must make some difficult decisions about whom she will marry. Places emphasis on temple marriage. A young LDS woman is torn between her desire to marry a nonmember and her loyalty to her parents and to the Church.

This facetious look at a tobacco company's attempts to make cigarette smoking enticing both entertains and makes its point. An anti-smoking video about the dangers of cigarette smoking. The Gray family are Church members with human weaknesses and strengths. The effects of parental behavior and example on the children are clearly dramatized. Depicts the persistent and loving efforts of a Young Women leader to bring a teenage girl back into church activity.

An ineffective Sunday School teacher causes a young boy to become negative toward the Church. The patient efforts of a bishop eventually bring him back. Based on a true story of an Indian chief's dream wherein he was told to search for a people who possessed a book containing a history of his ancestors.

Recaps the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and emphasizes the ties between the American Indians and the Book of Mormon. Sunday golf seems to lose its importance as Joe hears his young son tearfully express a desire for his parents to be sealed in the temple. Joe's revived interest in his family and in genealogy helps him to become active in the Church. The Search for Truth. Documentary about the harmony of science and religion, featuring interviews with Wernher von Braun , Harvey Fletcher , and Henry Eyring.

A sheltered young LDS man goes away to college and runs into opposition to his faith and beliefs.

As he struggles, counsel from an Institute teacher and a nightmare dream about a car crash with his girlfriend, reaffirm his faith and his testimony. Shows how principles Christ exemplified and taught can help resolve interpersonal feuding problems among adults and children. Scenes from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's European tour highlight this presentation, which traces the musical heritage of the Church and emphasizes the importance of music in the Church. A young man must decide whether to follow the crowd and drink beer or to do what he knows is right.

Dramatizes problems youth may confront in dealing with peer pressure. Julie and Joe are determined to marry, in spite of counsel from friends and parents. It is not until Julie sees the unhappy circumstances of a married friend that she and Joe decide that a happy marriage is worth waiting for. The Windows of Heaven. A rancher's search for lost sheep and later for a lost boy is likened to the effort sometimes needed to locate lost genealogical information about ancestors.

Mckay concludes the film by encouraging members in their genealogical responsibilities.

List of films of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This story of an American Indian boy whose family is destroyed by alcoholism presents a powerful message for all ages and races. Sponsored by the Sunday School. This modern parable depicts three Sunday School teachers of varying degrees of effectiveness and how the diligence or slothfulness of each is reflected in the lives of their students.

A brief introduction to the history of the Church up to the production date of the film. Lowell Thomas narrates the prologue, and Richard L. Evans tells the story of the Church. Music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Man's Search for Happiness. Brief overview of the plan of salvation ; produced for the New York World's Fair. This dramatization depicts the long and difficult road a young man faces in repenting of unchastity and immoral behavior with his girlfriend.

Two young women who are roommates have differing philosophies. One disregards morals in an effort to win the affections of a boyfriend. The other fights to maintain standards. A different comes from each decision. Dramatizes how important effective communications in marriage can be and how difficulties may result when both partners cannot agree on their roles in marriage. Depicts the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage Jail; a narration with photography of the jail and the surrounding landscape in black and white.

A hardworking elders quorum president finds that loving all the members of his quorum is not easy when one of those members is a strong business competitor. Emphasizes the importance of finding answers to life's problems in the scriptures. A young lawyer devotes little time to his home teaching and finds his efforts of little value to his families. Discouraged, he asks for a release, because he considers his time to be precious.

A letter from a missionary whose parents are separating helps him to see how he has failed. The missionary's prayer for his parents is answered as the home teacher helps them toward reconciliation. A Sunday School seeks ways to better influence her students. Her vital interest in the everyday lives of her students brings her good results and great satisfaction. Stan and his younger sister, Cheryl, resent their parents' interference in what they consider to be their own affairs.

When the parents must leave town for a short time to be with grandma in the hospital, Stan is placed in charge. When conflicts arise, Stan acts like a parent, a role he has never before tried to understand. An engaged couple view four other couples at a New Year's office party.

Quick Overview

They are able to see different kinds of marriage relationships. Useful for both married and unmarried couples as a basis for discussion on building positive marital relationships. A photographed TV series about Tom Trails and the trials he goes through in High School including speaking in front of class, repenting of his sin with a woman, being falsely accused of attempted murder.

Although Doug and Marilyn have strong feelings for each other, they discover major differences in attitude that warn them of major conflicts should they decide to marry. A self-seeking girl thinks she has found the right man while on vacation at the horse ranch, but she is disappointed to discover that she really has little to offer when he becomes engaged to a more mature girl. She learns that it is more important to be the right person than to find the right person. An insecure teenager redirects his life to concentrate on those things he can do well, rather than on those things he cannot do.

This presentation is good for bolstering self-image. In Polynesia, Johnny has come to the island to bargain eight cows for Mahana to be his wife. Filmed at Laie, O'ahu, Hawaii. Dramatizes the conflict a young LDS woman faces in trying to decide if she will marry in the temple or outside of the temple. Filmed in California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Young women form the Young Women's Retrenchment Society as resistance against worldly trends.

As Rick becomes associated with wayward hippie friends who smoke and take drugs, the concern of an adviser and an unpleasant experience help him to realize the importance of some of the things he thought he could give up. Shows how love and persistence can bring back the "lost sheep. The story of a boy who discovers for himself that self-sacrifice in the service of others brings blessings. The story of a shy eight-year-old boy growing up without much love or acceptance from his family, teachers, or friends.

One day Thad gets bullied by his peers at church, and he throws a rock at the church window breaking it.

His two primary teachers try to figure out what went wrong with Thad. Illustrates some of the problems in making the Church program work on his behalf. The true story of a boy no one thinks is important. After his sudden death one winter morning, acquaintances begin to reflect on the needs of every individual child. This documentary shows Elaine Dart's success in dealing with cerebral palsy. Through perseverance and patience, she has learned to coordinate her feet to accomplish even such intricate tasks as threading a needle, stringing beads, and knitting.

John Baker's Last Race. The true story of a champion athlete who is given only six months to live. His last race, with time itself, becomes his greatest as he dedicates his life to the children he teaches, making every child feel important.

“Steadfastness and Patient Endurance”: - ensign

Scott is trying earn enough money for karate gear by working first as a paperboy, then at a Drive-in-Burger called Ripples; he is also trying to gain confidence to call Pam on a date. Filmed at Ripples in Provo, Utah. An elderly widow anxiously awaits mail from her family, but letters do not come. The neighbors make life bearable, but they cannot replace her family. Helps to motivate children and adults alike to maintain communication with their elderly parents and grandparents.

A young man begins to stray from church activity. His bishop involves him in the bishop's youth committee, where he finds fulfillment in service activities.

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