198 - Evolution of Women Doing Healing Rituals | Church History Matters I Women & Priesthood Series

About this episode

The episode explores the historical role of women in performing healing rituals within the Latter-day Saint tradition.

In this episode, hosts Lisa Tait, Casey Griffiths and Scott Woodward explore a fascinating and often overlooked chapter in Latter-day Saint history: the role of women in performing healing rituals. Drawing on early Church records, personal journals, and historical accounts, they highlight how women in the 19th-century Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints exercised profound faith by administering to the sick, offering blessings, and participating in sacred acts of healing. Figures like Eliza R. Snow and other Relief Society leaders emerge as powerful examples of women who understood healing as a spiritual gift rooted in faith, compassion, and covenant relationships. As the discussion unfolds, Casey, Scott and Lisa examine how these practices developed over time and how Church leadership gradually clarified the relationship between healing rituals and priesthood authority. While modern practices differ from those of the early Church, the episode emphasizes continuity in the principle that faith in Jesus Christ brings healing and power into individuals’ lives. This thoughtful conversation invites viewers to better understand the historical context of women’s spiritual…

People in this episode

Hosts: Lisa Tait, Casey Griffiths, Scott Woodward

Topics covered

• women in healing rituals
• Latter-day Saint history
• faith and healing
• priesthood authority
• spiritual gifts
• 19th-century Church practices

Keywords

• healing rituals
• women's roles
• Latter-day Saints
• spiritual gifts
• faith
• Eliza R. Snow
• priesthood
• 19th century

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Relief Society

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