Beatta Tuominen Bosworth was born in 1980 in Turku, Finland to a Latter-day Saint family with six children. Her father had converted as a child, and her mother’s family had joined the church after World War II, drawn initially to the Church by the free English classes it was offering. Beatta finished high school, spent a year working in England, and then decided to attend BYU. She credits the Church with enabling her migration to the United States, since she would not have been able to afford tuition at other US universities.
While at BYU, Beatta met and married a man who had served his mission in Finland. She became the president of Relief Society in her student ward in Logan, Utah, and finished her degree in fine arts photography at Utah State University. She and her husband moved to Irvine, CA where they are raising three children. Beatta now works as a photographer and manages the household.Beatta sees some differences in how the religion is experienced and practiced in Finland and in the US. She says that the Church in Finland is so small, but it’s filled with people who are loyal and dedicated. It’s hard to convince Finns to join, but once they decide to, they tend to be strong and stay with the Church. Also, she points to cultural differences, particularly regarding gender. In Finnish society, there tends to be more equality for men and women, and that was reflected in her experience at church. The
Church-sponsored Scout program included both boys and girls, and she felt like the Relief Society and Young Women presidents in her ward were seen and treated as part of the ward leadership with decision-making power. She also sees a difference in discourse around modesty. Because of Finnish sauna culture, nakedness is not necessarily sexualized, and when modesty discourse did arise at church in Finland, it tended to be more expansive and to focus on the whole self rather than only being about clothing.Beatta says that she is liking the direction that the church is taking now—getting back to basics, focusing on Christ and his teachings, and talking less about how to live life day to day. She says, “Everybody’s best looks so different. And if you’re trying your best to follow Christ, that will look different for everyone.”
Church-sponsored Scout program included both boys and girls, and she felt like the Relief Society and Young Women presidents in her ward were seen and treated as part of the ward leadership with decision-making power. She also sees a difference in discourse around modesty. Because of Finnish sauna culture, nakedness is not necessarily sexualized, and when modesty discourse did arise at church in Finland, it tended to be more expansive and to focus on the whole self rather than only being about clothing.Beatta says that she is liking the direction that the church is taking now—getting back to basics, focusing on Christ and his teachings, and talking less about how to live life day to day. She says, “Everybody’s best looks so different. And if you’re trying your best to follow Christ, that will look different for everyone.”