Today in False Doctrine and Chipper Platitudes meeting (aka Relief Society) our lesson was Uctdorf's priesthood session talk on living under our privilege. I believe we are:
1. The priesthood is for men. False. The priesthood has no gender. It is the power to act in God's name. Women are given the power in the temple and have limited authority to use this power. They can act in the name of God for their families and in the temple.
2. Men have the priesthood, women have motherhood. False. This relationship is illogical, misleading and needs to stop. It trivializes the importance of fatherhood and glazes over the true priesthood capacities of women. Further, not all women will be mothers.
3. Men have the priesthood to "catch up" with the more spiritual women. False. False elevation of women above men has been used to deprive women of power in many, many contexts. Let's not do it in church, people. Men have the priesthood for unknown reasons. Perhaps because it's just how God wants it or perhaps it's just how man wants it. But neither gender is more spiritual than the other. If this were true, wouldn't you want the putatively more spiritual gender in charge of running the show?
4. Joesph Smith said women can commune with angels. True. Women in Joesph Smith's time (although subjected to polygamy and its attendant horrors) were allowed to practice the laying on of hands, healing, and blessings. I do not see evidence of this practice today and it grieves me.
5 comments:
I was too busy trying to keep wee little one from being too obnoxious to pay a lot of attention to the lesson today, but I totally agree that priesthood and motherhood shouldn't be thought of as two equal powers given to the separate sexes. I don't know why women don't have the priesthood here on the earth right now, but I'm okay with not having that answer. Maybe it will be similar to when the church announced that the priesthood would be given to non-white males, that one day we will hear from SLC that all worthy members will be granted that privilege. Can you just imagine what a ruckus that would cause? :) Maybe it isn't too far of a stretch if you think along the lines of 'all things being restored' such as the fling with polygamy. But don't even get me started on that one...
Maret--I always like this quote! President Hinkley always had a great way of setting things straight for me!
“Women do not hold the priesthood because the Lord has put it that way. It is part of His program. Women have a very prominent place in this Church. Men hold the priesthood offices of the Church. But women have a tremendous place in this Church. They have their own organization. It was started in 1842 by the Prophet Joseph Smith, called the Relief Society, because its initial purpose was to administer help to those in need. It has grown to be, I think, the largest women’s organization in the world... They have their own offices, their own presidency, their own board. That reaches down to the smallest unit of the Church everywhere in the world...
“The men hold the priesthood, yes. But my wife is my companion. In this Church the man neither walks ahead of his wife nor behind his wife but at her side. They are co-equals in this life in a great enterprise.”
Amen.
As a white male when I complain, I can't help but think of the Louis C.K. bit about being a white male. So I preference my complaint with the fact that I really don't have anything to really complain about.
However, point number 3 drives me insane. It is offensive to both sexes to say that women are more spiritual and men need the priesthood to keep them straight. Does it make sense that God will entrust the power to act to people who need to stay on track. It doesn't make sense.
Anyway, instead of ranting more, I'm just going to watch Louis CK tell me how great it is to be white.
NSFW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4f9zR5yzY
I loved this post. Can I print it out and stick it in my scriptures?
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