In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the righteous men are given the gift of the Priesthood. This means that they are able to give blessings to heal the sick, to bless the sacrament, and in other ways to use a small portion of God’s power for the benefit of their families and those around them. Because this gift is given to the men and not the women, some have questioned the woman’s place within the LDS church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reveres women. Each of the prophets has paid homage to women, to their intelligence, faith, strength, fortitude, and gospel knowledge. Women are not any less than men, and men aren’t any less than the women. When the family is organized and maintained in the way God has ordained, the man and the woman are equal partners.
You will hear of Mormon women who are treated badly by their fathers or husbands. In each and every case, these men are abusing their Priesthood authority. In no way, shape or form does the Church teach that women are less than men. These abusive men are going directly contrary to the teachings they have received and the instruction they have been given, and in some cases, will lose their Priesthood because of the way they treat the women in their lives.
The women of the Church are counseled to stay at home and out of the work force as much as possible. We are seen as the guardians and the defenders of the home, to create a place of safety for the family. This is not meant to demean us or keep us from becoming successful – rather, it is our inherent strength that makes us perfectly suited to the task of standing between our families and the dangers that would come in to our homes. There are of course times when working out of the home is necessary, but we are still given the most sacred charge of safeguarding our homes.
When a woman is treated as God would have her treated, she is honored as a queen. The righteous men of the Church know that it is through the women that much of God’s work on this earth is done, and they administrate in their capacity to support and honor the woman’s role. The women need never feel less because of their nurturing role. There is nothing so powerful, so needed and crucial, as a devoted, faithful, dedicated woman running her family in the way God has asked her to do.
So why isn’t the Priesthood given to women as well as to men? My bishop once said, “Because they don’t need it.” He was speaking lightheartedly, but the fact remains that the women were given another gift which is equally as powerful, and that is the gift of creation. We not only create children, but we create order out of chaos, we create beauty out of ugliness, we create meals out of a box of spaghetti and a can of tuna. The Priesthood of the men and the creative powers of the women work together just as the men and the women work together, to create marvelous things to bless the lives of their families and everyone around them.
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In Defense of “Women Who Know”