Culture vs. Creed: Thoughts on Our Bodies

As we teach and learn together, we must distinguish between Church doctrine and local culture.

I see a disconnect sometimes, especially in online echo chambers, between my lived experience and the lived experiences of others within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These differences are often benign or unremarkable, but occasionally, they are so starkly different that it gives me pause. Some people feel oppressed by harsh rules and stigmas surrounding bodies, while I have always felt uplifted by the Church’s teachings about my body’s divine nature and potential. While I have certainly felt my share of negative body image, I have never ascribed it to the Church, but rather found its origins in broader culture as shown in popular media.

A team of scholars sought to understand the statistical connection between religion and body image. In their recent article for BYU Studies Quarterly, “In God’s Image: Associations Between Religiosity and Body Esteem,” Sister Kyla Yetter, Professor Sarah M. Coyne, Sister Talise Hirschi, and Professor Lauren A. Barnes studied members of the Church and their relationships with their bodies. While other studies indicate that “female members of the Church generally experience greater body satisfaction compared to those who are not of the faith,” the researchers still found that many people in the Church are negatively impacted by misunderstood or misapplied doctrines mixed with cultural norms. For example, some may pursue cosmetic surgery to earn God’s grace by becoming physically perfect. The authors explain that “a religion’s doctrine may teach body acceptance while the same religion’s culture may foster body perfection and comparison” (emphasis added).

Because “each congregation tends to develop its own localized culture—a set of implicit norms and expectations—that can shape how individuals in that congregation feel about their bodies,” we need to support each other by developing appropriate culture in our own congregations. The authors make several suggestions, such as focusing on physical and mental health and representing the wide diversity of “size, skin, or ability” that exists in the human family. We must work together as a Church community to root out the influences from the world that seek to denigrate the divine gift of bodies by “choosing to create a Church culture that emphasizes acceptance, love, and warmth.” When confronted with differing perspectives, we must not criticize people who have already been victimized by false teachings, and instead emphasize the truth: We are “created…in [God’s] own image” (Genesis 1:26). While “man looketh on the outward appearance…the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Discover more about where Church culture deviates from doctrine and how to correct this in “In God’s Image: Associations Between Religiosity and Body Esteem” by Sister Kyla Yetter, Professor Sarah M. Coyne, Sister Talise Hirschi, and Professor Lauren A. Barnes.

Source: BYU Studies Quarterly

—Faith Murri, Latter-day Saint Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY BÜŞRANUR ADYİN

Find more insights 

If you struggle with body image or self-esteem, check out the Church’s guide “Developing a Healthy Body Image” for some ideas and direction.

For more about how to recognize your divine worth, read the New Era article “More Than a Body: Seeing as God Sees,” by Lexie Kite and Lindsay Kite.

Take a look at Aaron Tobler’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Body Image—Why You Should Love the Skin You’re In” for some ways to show love and respect to your body.