Skip to main content

Gender Roles in the Church

photo by Dominik Gwarek

I have been gearing up for a post about the Ordain Women Movement, but this blogger beat me to it and did a great job. Plus, I love her style!

"Mormonism, Feminism, and Being Snarky"

I also encourage you to join the Facebook group Mormon Women Stand. The admins post powerful quotes and talks and invite discussion about gospel truths.

Just some points to remember about women and men:
  • Men are not better than women, and women are not better than men. Neither is superior over the other. We are simply different.
  • We are incomplete without each other (1 Corinthians 11:11). We are supposed to become one, like two halves of a puzzle fitting together to complete a beautiful picture (Genesis 2:24).
  • We were given different innate qualities and different opportunities to develop those qualities. However, both men and women are supposed to develop all the qualities of Christ (3 Nephi 27:27).
  • We share the most important role we can be given: parenthood. For we are here to become like God, and God is a Father. Therefore, we are preparing to become eternal parents like Him. 
  • Men are not the priesthood and should not be referred to as such. They are priesthood holders or bearers. The priesthood is the power of God.
  • Women can act in God's name and perform miracles through faith, prayer and fasting, and obedience.
  • Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization under the direction of one who holds the keys of the priesthood. Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties."
  • Instead of focusing on what we think we lack, let us focus on improving what we have (Alma 12:9-10, 2 Nephi 28:30-31, Matthew 25:14-30). Let us magnify the callings with which we have been blessed.
Discussion: Are there any questions or concerns you have about gender and Church doctrine or practices?

Comments

DAD said…
wrong - I am better than you when it comes to bad jokes!

Popular posts from this blog

Mormon Messages

 ldsmediatalk.com  On the Church Web site, at the bottom of the home page and on the right sidebar, are featured videos called Mormon Messages. They are short clips from General Conference talks with music, photos, and background videos added to them. My favorite is the one entitled " Prayer ." Mormon Messages is a great way to share short and uplifting stories, testimonies, and counsel with family and friends, whether they are LDS or not. Above the featured video on the Church Web site is a toolbar allowing you to post the video or link on various social networking sites, such as Facebook. Mormon Messages also has a channel on YouTube, with videos in Spanish, to which you can subscribe. Share the light! Sharing Time: Which Mormon Message is your favorite?

"Far above Rubies"

Certain TV shows and previews reminded me of a quote from Sister Margaret Nagauld : "Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity." We need to be classy women--women with manners, discipline, integrity, virtue, sincerity, and charity. Sister Nagauld isn't the only one to have said this: 1. "It is, unfortunately, all too easy to illustrate the confusion and distortion of womanhood in contemporary society. Immodest, immoral, intemperate women jam the airwaves, monopolize magazines, and slink across movie screens—all while being celebrated by the world...

Put Down the Gavel

My friend posted on her blog an article about being a single LDS woman . Both ladies made many good points I will not reiterate here. Instead, I would like to discuss the motivation behind these posts: judgment. And judgment applies to all situations, not just to being single. In fact, once one of these women gets married, the judgment won't stop. The next nosy question she will be asked is, "When are you going to have children?" Then, "When are you going to have another child?" Then either, "Why aren't you going to have more?" or "Don't you think you have enough?" Then there will be comments and questions about her parenting choices and so on. Elder Neil L. Andersen shared this example in his October 2011 general conference talk : President J. Scott Dorius of the Peru Lima West Mission told me their story. He said: “Becky and I were married for 25 years without being able to have [or adopt] children. We moved several times...