Women and the Priesthood

Last night, we drove by the temple.  We do that periodically. The girls love to see it.  This sparked a conversation with Anna about her baptism (that will come in a few years).  Scott asked her if she wanted Daddy to baptize her when she turned eight.  She said she did and was really excited.  She then piped up a question that I knew would come up at some point.  She asked us why only the daddies baptized kids and not the mommies. 

Scott explained that you get baptized by the power of the priesthood and men have the priesthood, not women.  Anna wanted to know why.  This really struck me because this has been such a big issue in the news around Utah lately.  A lot of women are petitioning, protesting, etc. to be considered 'equal' and be given the priesthood.  Anna's question wasn't questioning the practice but simply asking why.  She is too little to understand those bigger complaints and fight about it.  But for me, the question was the same, and I wanted to make sure she understood this concept.

You see, people who think that it is inequality that men have the priesthood and not women don't understand the priesthood or the role of women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  This makes me sad, as it is often very faithful members who raise this question.  Just a month or so ago a woman in the news was excommunicated because she has been leading rallies and petitions and protests trying to get the priesthood given to women.  She was described as someone who went to church every week, had faith in the gospel, etc.  I have to admit that I wondered how much of the gospel she truly understood.

Men and women are equal.  You see that everywhere in the church.  But they are also different.  Men have one set of responsibilities and women another.  The roles are equal.  Men have been charged with protecting and leading.  Women have been charged with nurturing and uplifting.  In order to protect and lead, men need the priesthood.  Women don't need the priesthood in order to fulfill the duties they have been given.

Scott explained it to Anna this way.  He asked her if she owned a car.  She said no.  Then he explained that he needed the car to get to work.  She didn't need a car to get to the places she needed to go.  Then he continued that a person can't use the priesthood to bless himself.  The priesthood is used ONLY in the helping of others. 

I think the problem is that people look at the roles given to each gender and say that the roles given to men are more important.  As I said above, men protect and lead.  That isn't more important. It's more VISIBLE.  Women are charged with nurturing and uplifting.  That is equally important as protecting and leading.  A person can be protected and led, but if they have never been nurtured or uplifted, they still don't come out happy and fulfilled.

For example, in the church, the bishop is always a priesthood holder.  The bishop leads the ward. That means he leads church meetings and makes sure the ward runs the way it should organizationally.  The Relief Society president is always a faithful woman from the ward.  One of her duties is to make sure the members in the ward have food.  If they don't, she helps them get food orders to get food from the church's local food pantry.  People SEE the bishop do his duties.  No one sees the Relief Society president give out food orders to those who need it.  But both are equally important.  (This is just one duty of many from both callings that I used as an example, of course.)

Look at a family.  In a family, the father is charged with protecting and providing.  The mother is charged with nurturing.  This brings to my mind the old tv shows from the 50s and 60s where Dad is visible and loud and Mom is more in the background.  But the reality is this:  Children need the things the father provides- they need protection and the monetary provisions.  However, equally important is the nurturing- the caring, educating, etc. 

Where would society be if we didn't have both sides?  In many families, one parent does both jobs, and does it well.  That is very true.  But studies have proven that the children who are more likely to adapt and succeed are the ones who come from families with two parents, each doing the duties assigned to him/her.  In areas with few two parent households, crime is higher than in those areas where it is more common to see the traditional family.

In the bible, Adam is created.  Then Eve is created as a helpmeet for him.  Helpmeet is defined as a helpful partner or companion.  They were helpmeets to each other. It says in the scriptures over and over again that men and women are equal.  Yet still some argue that women not having the priesthood is inequality.  Let's look at it this way.  Moses was given the Ten Commandments.  He was a prophet.  The prophet Isaiah was NOT given the Ten Commandments.  Why?  Moses needed them to fulfill his duties to his people then.  Isaiah didn't.  It doesn't mean that Moses was a more important prophet than Isaiah.

This is my explanation of the question about women and the priesthood.  Women don't have it because they don't need it.  Men have it but can't use it to help themselves.  Every man still needs to ASK someone for a priesthood blessing.  And, in the end, you need a COUPLE to reach the highest degree of glory.  Rather than fight over not being the same, let's celebrate our differences.

Just a thought.