learning about priorities
This is from page 100 of Sheri Dew’s book, Women and Priesthood: What One Woman Believes.
What about “Motherhood…is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind“? What about “The true spirit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives to woman the highest place of honor in human life.”
The lip service is wearying. You can tell women how important they are until your mouth falls off; if your highest priority is still priesthood keys, authority, and power, and you still deny women ordination to that priesthood, then women are not a priority.
We have half a church. If you walked into an LDS chapel for sacrament meeting and there were no women present, how much of the service could continue on as normal? A member of the bishopric could still conduct, with the bishop presiding. The sacrament would be blessed and passed. Male members would give talks and offer prayers. The most essential weekly ordinance in our faith could proceed without a hitch in the absence of women.
If you walked into an LDS chapel for sacrament meeting and there were no men present, how much of the service could continue on as normal? Almost none of it- and most importantly, not the ordinance we gather to participate in. It would be a devotional meeting at best.
PS: I recently heard someone castigate Ordain Women for describing priesthood as a power. He repeated that he never hears people talk about priesthood as a power, implying that supporters of Ordain Women misunderstand priesthood and are essentially power hungry. Yet here, a former counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency and prominent LDS woman clearly describes priesthood as a power, as did former Relief Society General President Julie B. Beck. This pattern seems to be widespread, at least in my own life, of men shunning the idea that priesthood is power while women uphold it.
Young Mormon Feminists 
6 Responses to “learning about priorities”
You capture the game: men pretend that priesthood isn’t power and women spend all their energy upholding that power-function in the men. It’s like playing “taboo” when you aren’t allowed to say the most descriptive words as clues.
Bingo
Priesthood is not power, it is the granted authority and keys to wield God’s power for good, as long as the person using that authority is faithful, worthy, and set apart by a higher priesthood holder who has those keys. It amazes me that you seem to have such a strong faith in, and testimony of, the restored gospel and the priesthood, and yet you don’t see that you are simply coveting something that someone else has. You are letting your envy of someone else’s responsibilities and duties, ruin your gratitude and humility for your own. It’s like the fox and the grapes analogy. What you are doing is not praiseworthy or of good note. In fact, you are helping Satan do what he wants most – to lead people astray and break down the church. That is petty and selfish to be honest. Do you really think that you can huff and puff and make God give you what you want? It is foolish to think that you can shout this tantrum to the world, and that your Heavenly Father will just grant you your desire. If you truly believe that women should hold the priesthood, then sufficiently humble yourself and pray from your knees. Be willing to hear the truth, and not what you believe the truth should be. The Lord hears the faithful cries of His children. Sit in the temple, the house of the Lord, and ponder long and hard for an answer. While there, think about the long-suffering that Christ has asked of you, and what He expects from faithful members. Remember that we have prophets on the earth today who receive guidance, direction, and revelation from God through the Holy Spirit, and that we have been promised that none of those prophets will be allowed to lead His church astray. More is yet to be revealed. The doctrine we have is not complete yet, it is just the most complete on the earth today. New doctrine is given from the Lord, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. If or when God wants women to hold the priesthood, He will make it happen. But it will happen in His divinely inspired time, and He will not be pressured or swayed by those of you who would try to force your own agenda’s. Be patient, be grateful, and be of good cheer. Take ye no thought for the morrow, for what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink, or where withal ye shall be clothed, for the Lord knoweth ye have need of these things. Remember what happened to the plates of Lehi because Joseph Smith kept pressing God to allow him to show them to someone, but God said no three times? God finally said yes, but warned that it would lead to disaster, and that is exactly what happened. For all we know, the answer to this was in those plates, bit either way, please believe that God will make the priesthood available to women if or when it should happen, and no man will be able to stand in the way if that is what the Lord wants. You are simply doing yourself a disservice, and helping to lead others astray in the process, by continuing these feminist, ungrateful, disruptive public rants. Please find a more productive way to reach the Lord, instead of the contentious and destructive one you have currently chosen. It isn’t too late yet to fall upon your knees to pray and repent. Please let go of the anger and contention that you are feeling, and that you are helping to inspire in others. Please repent and be patient. These words I leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I am not a feminist, so when I say this it is not really in defense of the author or article, just simply that you do not seem like a very cool person, no matter what context your response is given in, no offense, well yeah actually offense.
I gave that same sacrament meeting analogy to a friend a while back – it’s one I think needs to be trotted out more. To me it highlights that in far too many ways women ARE axillary in the church. Meaning we supplement but in every ritualistic, administrative, and authoritative aspect of it, we simply aren’t needed. The church could function without us. To be told that we’re valuable after realizing that really makes my bang my head on a table sometimes.
How could the Church function without sisters? I do not think you understand the great role we have to play in this Work.
The body can’t live without a brain. It also can’t live without a heart. That doesn’t mean they do the same thing. A body can’t live without white blood cells. Also without red blood cells. They have different purposes. They are both needed.