Today is Mother’s Day, but I want to begin by telling you about my father. He is a kind, gentle man. He works hard to provide for our family. However, In terms of discipline, he was always the pushover; never raising his voice, melting under the tears of his children…but there was one offence to which he had no patience or flexibility. That is if we as children in any way offended our mother by our words or action we felt a deep disapproval and disappointment from him. To offend my mother was an egregious act. His defense of her honor and place was and is apparent. Today, I have the great privilege of speaking generally about women. The things I will speak on are relevant to both the women and the men in the congregation. Upon telling my friends that this was my topic on the third week of being in the ward we agreed that this may be my last! Because one of my favorite quotes is:
People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat. – Rebecca West
But truly, I feel honored to speak on this most important topic and so today I will begin to try to define what I mean by “her place” in regards to my mother and what “equality” between men and women in the context of the gospel really means.
I will begin by giving examples of women’s roles during different times throughout the history of humankind. It begins with Eve. Spencer W. Kimball explicated:
“The companionship role is the one most often identified for women in the Church. Adam "began to till the earth," and "Eve, also, his wife, did labor with him" (Moses 5:1). President Spencer W. Kimball pointed out that women are "full partners" with men (Kimball, p. 42).”
Later on in history, we have seen women respond to the great responsibility of fighting against injustice, even when an act is commonly accepted among those in and out of the Church of Christ. Many of you probably have not heard of the Daughters of Zelophehad. They lived in the time of Moses. Their father had died in the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness and the 5 sisters were left. Prior to entering the Promised Land, the law at the time was that land would be inherited by sons only and it was by this precedence that Moses established tribal land designations. If there were no sons, the nearest male relative would take possession of the land and often wed the remaining female relatives. You can see the predicament these 5 daughters had. But they had a sense of equality, and righteousness. Thus they brought their dilemma to Moses the prophet as found in Numbers 27:3-11
Polygamy as practiced in the 19th century placed, perhaps paradoxically, more responsibility upon women. “A woman whose husband divided his time between multiple wives and/or missionary service was often obliged to provide single-handedly both material and emotional support for herself and her children.” “Because of the absence of their husbands, women enlarged their role as "mothers in Zion" with aspects not generally associated with nineteenth-century feminine domesticity. President Brigham Young encouraged the education of BOTH girls and boys in "the manners and customs of distant kingdoms and nations, with their laws, religions, geographical,…and the nature of their political organization" (JD 9:188–89; Widtsoe, p. 211). He also suggested that women should "keep books and sell goods" (JD 12:374–75; Widtsoe, p. 218), and exhorted them to "vote…because women are the characters that rule the ballot box" (JD 1:218; Widtsoe, p. 367). Some LDS women participated in political action concerning their gender, as evidenced by their being the second female population, to vote in a national election.”
In defining “equality” in context of the true gospel, John Widstoe boldly proclaimed:
"In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel…was devised by the Lord for men and women alike…The privileges and requirements of the gospel are fundamentally alike for men and women. The Lord loves His daughters as well as He loves His sons." He goes on to say:
“There is indeed no privileged class or sex within the true Church of Christ; and in reality there can be no discrimination between the sexes only as human beings make it or permit it. Men have their work to do and their powers to exercise for the benefit of all the members of the Church regardless of sex or age.
So with woman: Her special gifts are to be exercised for the benefit and up lift of the race. This equally shared responsibility makes men and women real 'team –mates' in that which makes for human progress. Each one is a complement to the other and neither sex alone may function completely in the world's work." – John Widstoe
Simply, equality is not “sameness” – doing the exact same things “anything you can do I can do better” type of attitude but rather a progression, and addition to the Kingdom that is equally valid and considered.
We learn more about how this equality occurse between men and women in 2 Nephi 2:26:
And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon…”
You see the grand, encompassing principle of individual agency is not genderfied. This is not only a right, but a responsibility given to ALL God’s children, both men and women equally. It MUST be this way as each child of God must fulfill the measure of their creation. We are all individually responsible for our choices to God. Thus it follows that a woman’s conversion, intelligence and spiritual life must not be a derivative, but immeadiate and individual.
Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of The Twelve further explains:
"Perhaps the Church does more to enlighten understanding about and to lift the cause of women than any other institution on earth. It provides the path to her eternal destiny. To all faithful Saints He has promised thrones, kingdoms, principalities, glory, immortality, and eternal lives. That is the potential for women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. It is exalting, everlasting, and divine."
Thus, to describe a Mormon woman who is smart, motivated, articulate, and driven as “intimidating” is to undermine her strivings to fulfill the measure of her creation as commanded by Heavenly Father.
On the LDS.org website, a description of LDS women is explained:
“LDS beliefs create a unique feminine identity that encourages women to develop their abilities as potentially Godlike individuals, while at the same time asserting that the most important activities for BOTH men and women center around the creation and maintenance of family relationships.
“The present role of women in LDS society is singular to the degree that it reflects the teachings and doctrines of the Church. Among the most fundamental of these is individual agency, or the right to choose. Consistent with this doctrine, a woman’s role varies with her circumstances and the choices that she makes within the context of LDS belief; she may fill many roles simultaneously.”
An LDS woman sets herself apart from others in the world not because she is something that we think she should be or because she is doing what we think she should do, but an LDS woman sets herself apart because she is driven by individual agency. The agency that Heavenly Father has bestowed upon her. The agency that is defended and justified by the supernal sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Her course is not determined by her sex appeal, the job she is doing, the size of her chest, the chewiness of her cookies, the cleanliness of her house, the number of children she has, her marriage status, the size of her waist… but rather, her course is determined by the righteous use of her agency. An LDS man sets himself apart from the world by promoting this.
People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat. – Rebecca West
But truly, I feel honored to speak on this most important topic and so today I will begin to try to define what I mean by “her place” in regards to my mother and what “equality” between men and women in the context of the gospel really means.
I will begin by giving examples of women’s roles during different times throughout the history of humankind. It begins with Eve. Spencer W. Kimball explicated:
“The companionship role is the one most often identified for women in the Church. Adam "began to till the earth," and "Eve, also, his wife, did labor with him" (Moses 5:1). President Spencer W. Kimball pointed out that women are "full partners" with men (Kimball, p. 42).”
Later on in history, we have seen women respond to the great responsibility of fighting against injustice, even when an act is commonly accepted among those in and out of the Church of Christ. Many of you probably have not heard of the Daughters of Zelophehad. They lived in the time of Moses. Their father had died in the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness and the 5 sisters were left. Prior to entering the Promised Land, the law at the time was that land would be inherited by sons only and it was by this precedence that Moses established tribal land designations. If there were no sons, the nearest male relative would take possession of the land and often wed the remaining female relatives. You can see the predicament these 5 daughters had. But they had a sense of equality, and righteousness. Thus they brought their dilemma to Moses the prophet as found in Numbers 27:3-11
Polygamy as practiced in the 19th century placed, perhaps paradoxically, more responsibility upon women. “A woman whose husband divided his time between multiple wives and/or missionary service was often obliged to provide single-handedly both material and emotional support for herself and her children.” “Because of the absence of their husbands, women enlarged their role as "mothers in Zion" with aspects not generally associated with nineteenth-century feminine domesticity. President Brigham Young encouraged the education of BOTH girls and boys in "the manners and customs of distant kingdoms and nations, with their laws, religions, geographical,…and the nature of their political organization" (JD 9:188–89; Widtsoe, p. 211). He also suggested that women should "keep books and sell goods" (JD 12:374–75; Widtsoe, p. 218), and exhorted them to "vote…because women are the characters that rule the ballot box" (JD 1:218; Widtsoe, p. 367). Some LDS women participated in political action concerning their gender, as evidenced by their being the second female population, to vote in a national election.”
In defining “equality” in context of the true gospel, John Widstoe boldly proclaimed:
"In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel…was devised by the Lord for men and women alike…The privileges and requirements of the gospel are fundamentally alike for men and women. The Lord loves His daughters as well as He loves His sons." He goes on to say:
“There is indeed no privileged class or sex within the true Church of Christ; and in reality there can be no discrimination between the sexes only as human beings make it or permit it. Men have their work to do and their powers to exercise for the benefit of all the members of the Church regardless of sex or age.
So with woman: Her special gifts are to be exercised for the benefit and up lift of the race. This equally shared responsibility makes men and women real 'team –mates' in that which makes for human progress. Each one is a complement to the other and neither sex alone may function completely in the world's work." – John Widstoe
Simply, equality is not “sameness” – doing the exact same things “anything you can do I can do better” type of attitude but rather a progression, and addition to the Kingdom that is equally valid and considered.
We learn more about how this equality occurse between men and women in 2 Nephi 2:26:
And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon…”
You see the grand, encompassing principle of individual agency is not genderfied. This is not only a right, but a responsibility given to ALL God’s children, both men and women equally. It MUST be this way as each child of God must fulfill the measure of their creation. We are all individually responsible for our choices to God. Thus it follows that a woman’s conversion, intelligence and spiritual life must not be a derivative, but immeadiate and individual.
Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of The Twelve further explains:
"Perhaps the Church does more to enlighten understanding about and to lift the cause of women than any other institution on earth. It provides the path to her eternal destiny. To all faithful Saints He has promised thrones, kingdoms, principalities, glory, immortality, and eternal lives. That is the potential for women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. It is exalting, everlasting, and divine."
Thus, to describe a Mormon woman who is smart, motivated, articulate, and driven as “intimidating” is to undermine her strivings to fulfill the measure of her creation as commanded by Heavenly Father.
On the LDS.org website, a description of LDS women is explained:
“LDS beliefs create a unique feminine identity that encourages women to develop their abilities as potentially Godlike individuals, while at the same time asserting that the most important activities for BOTH men and women center around the creation and maintenance of family relationships.
“The present role of women in LDS society is singular to the degree that it reflects the teachings and doctrines of the Church. Among the most fundamental of these is individual agency, or the right to choose. Consistent with this doctrine, a woman’s role varies with her circumstances and the choices that she makes within the context of LDS belief; she may fill many roles simultaneously.”
An LDS woman sets herself apart from others in the world not because she is something that we think she should be or because she is doing what we think she should do, but an LDS woman sets herself apart because she is driven by individual agency. The agency that Heavenly Father has bestowed upon her. The agency that is defended and justified by the supernal sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Her course is not determined by her sex appeal, the job she is doing, the size of her chest, the chewiness of her cookies, the cleanliness of her house, the number of children she has, her marriage status, the size of her waist… but rather, her course is determined by the righteous use of her agency. An LDS man sets himself apart from the world by promoting this.
3 comments:
So are there ever going to be updates to this blog?
you are a natural dana! i'm reading from now on, and have you bookmarked with my other
pink-backgrounded feminist blog. ♥
ps: i just love your last paragraph. i could honestly list it as one of my favorite quotes. i just wanted to shout "AMEN" when i finished reading it. :-)
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