Tonight
was the General Women’s Broadcast for the LDS Church – basically the “Kickoff
Session” to the Semi-Annual General Conference that happens next weekend.
The past
few years there has been an organization of Mormon Women that have been trying
to pressure the leadership of the Mormon Church into making a change that would
allow Mormon Women to hold the Priesthood. Their demonstrations have included:
trying to “break” into the Priesthood session, the highly publicized “Wear
Pants to Church Day”, and this year (next weekend) they are organizing to break
into Priesthood sessions again – but this time into the Local Sessions instead
of the big one in Salt Lake City.
Really??? These women just don’t get it. First, as a
Mormon Woman, I can hold the Priesthood any time I want to – and snuggling in
front of a movie on a Friday evening, I typically do. OK, all joking aside – do you see Mormon Men
trying to break into the Women’s Session?
No, not one. Why? For the same reason I don’t attend Gambler’s Anonymous
Meetings or attend Physics Symposiums at the UofU – because they aren’t
relevant to me. Tonight was targeted specifically to a female audience, and the
speakers were mostly women. Women talking to women about women. Hmmmmm, I sense
a theme here.
So what’s
the big deal about attending the Priesthood Session??? NOTHING! There’s nothing secret that happens
there – heck, it’s even televised, posted on YouTube, and broadcast regularly
on KBYU. And they’ve published the talks in a magazine for decades (and make
them all available online within days). And men go to the Priesthood Session
with men – especially fathers and sons. There’s fabulous tradition of
generations of men attending together, often including ice cream together
afterward. It’s men talking to men about men. That’s all.
Honestly,
I don’t want to hold the Priesthood. It’s not that I’m some passive woman that
believes that women should come second place or be subservient – HECK NO! I am
a strong-willed and independent woman, and I do believe in equity between the
genders. But this whole “equality” view is wrong. Men and Women will never be
equal – we’re just built differently, inside and out – and that’s a good thing.
We balance each other out, and it’s about the give-and-take, the yin-and-yang,
the partnership and working together. Equitable, but never equal.
And my
personal philosophy is that men get the Priesthood as a Consolation Prize.
Admittedly, this isn’t Church Doctrine – but think about it. Women are given
the greatest, most God-like gift in this life: the Gift of Creation. OK,
admittedly men play a small part in that – but women are granted the amazing
opportunity of feeling life create within them. And there is nothing that a man
can experience in this life that even comes close. And that’s why, in my
opinion, men are given the Priesthood. Where women have the opportunity to feel
the Godly Act of Creation within their wombs, men are given the opportunity to Act
in God’s Name. And God knew that by dividing the responsibilities, that men and
women would have to work together – and that really is one of the great joys of
this life.
Besides,
women in general tend to be more nurturing and service-oriented than men anyway
– and working within the Priesthood compels men to nurturing and
service-oriented acts. Because acts of service come more spontaneously to
women, men have an organization that encourages them to do what comes to women
naturally.
So this
weekend I was happy to go to the General Women’s Broadcast with the women in my
family – and we had a great time, dinner and all. And next weekend I will NOT
be trying to break-in to the Priesthood Session – because not only do I not agree with
those women, but that I understand that I already have a higher place in God’s
plan: As a Woman.
Again,
not doctrine – but my personal philosophy. So, no,
I didn’t participate in Wear Pants to Church Day – but if there’s ever a Wear
Pajamas to Church Day, then give me a call.
Priesthood is the means whereby
the Lord acts through men to save souls.
-- Elder David A. Bednar
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