In a recent broadcast, one of the top female leaders of the Mormon church made the following statement, “There is no other religious organization in the world that I know of, that has so broadly given power and authority to women.” (J. Anette Dennis, 1st Counselor in the LDS Church Relief Society General Presidency). Please join Amy McPhie Allebest (Breaking Down Patriarchy), Chelsea Homer (Lost & Found Club) and musical artist Mindy Gledhill as they discuss their reactions to this statement, and their experiences as women in the LDS/Mormon church.
Breaking Down Patriarchy – YouTube
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2 Responses
The church is always very vague about exactly what we have all this power and authority to do. Let’s take a look at things women are shown doing in the fluffy video they showed at the beginning of that RS meeting. According to that video, women have priesthood authority to do the following things:
– Smile.
– Walk around, specifically walk around temple grounds.
– Hug other women.
– (but never hug men, or even interact with them at all. In fact, there is no visual of women interacting with adult men in the whole video, except one woman holding hands with her husband while they walk around the temple grounds, and one woman taking the sacrament off a tray passed to her by a man. There is no footage of a woman leading or teaching any adult man or even talking with one…)
– Care for children, babies, and old women in hospital beds.
– Teach primary and other classes where adult men are not students.
– Read scriptures and pray
– Cook with other women
– Sew with other women
– do difficult unpaid labor and carry the mental load
A small video is worth 1000 words.
Also, if ever any of us were hopefully told that we’d be Co-God with your husband, check out this clear message from Joseph F. Smith:
“God is a man. His wife is queen, but is not and never can be, God! … No woman can attain to the Godhead … It is the same in regard to the Priesthood. A woman does not “hold a portion of the Holy Priesthood thro’ her husband (or father).” … Because a man is an Elder, a High Priest, or an Apostle, it does not follow that his wife is an Elder, High P-r or an Apostle, or that she “holds a portion” of the Melchisadec Priesthood.” — Letter from Joseph F. Smith to Susa Gates, dated 29 Jan 1888. Susa Young Gates papers, circa 1870-1933; MS 7692; scan of original letter available on the Church History Library website.
You said this so perfectly. Well done, and I couldn’t agree more!!!