I know I have posted about the protests before but now the plan is to protest the Priesthood session of General Conference (that escalated quickly). The goal is to push the issue of ordaining women to the priesthood. I get questioned about this issue all the time. People assume because I have feminist tendencies (yeah that's what we'll call it) and I'm doing a study on plastic surgery among LDS women, that I must be on board with this issue. Well that's not the case at all. I have expressed my stance before on how I do not agree with feminism when it tears down men or tries to elevate women above men. This is not the point of feminism. Yes, a lot of feminists took this approach and even refused to speak to men for a while. How is that being effective in your approach at all? That's besides the point at this time. The point is, however much I agree that women are so much more than child bearers, I do not agree with the stance that they should have the priesthood.
Let me explain why.
I have been asked, wouldn't you want to bless your baby? Wouldn't you want to hold your baby while your husband blesses your baby or stand in the circle with them?
My answer to both of these is, no. Why would I want to take away from an experience that my husband can have with his children. I think sometimes as women we forget that although we carried the baby, we nurse the baby, we are the primary caregiver of the baby, we are not the only one responsible for that baby. I know women who literally do not let their husbands help with the children. Ladies, let's give them their moment and realize that they want to be involved too. Child rearing was never intended to be a one person job. While yes, culturally we have become a very mother-centered society and a lot of children are being raised in single family households, but this is not ideal. I have been at my cousin's house when her husband came home from work and wanted to hold their baby. Their baby needed to be nursed and my cousin was exhausted from breast feeding all day. I mean seriously. All. Day. Her husband however wanted to hold his baby but he needed to be fed. Again. They decided to try having him hold the baby while she breast fed. Funniest scene I have seen in a while and hear me people, this does not work. For anyone. No one looked comfortable and able to relax, least of all the little one. So Dad had to wait on holding his child while Mom took care of his needs. How frustrating that must feel to the Dad when all he wanted was some quality time that Mom gets all the time. I mean literally, all, the, time. That's her role, Dad's role is to pronounce priesthood blessings. These are not the only roles but these are two that are pretty distinct ones and that is ok. By wanting the priesthood and wanting to be able to bless our children we are essentially telling the men in our lives, "We don't need you. Our children don't need you." Isn't this message a little counterproductive for our daughters as well as our sons? I know that I will probably be the one my children run to when they need to talk to someone or when they have a problem. Why would I take that special bond my husband can have with them away from him? What purpose would he serve if they did not need him to give them a blessing when mom could do it? How do I know this? Because I talk to my mom every day. Judge me all you want people, but when I have an issue, I run to my mom. That is not to say that I would not run to my Dad too but typically it has been my mom that I have run to. There have been times where my mom wasn't available and I have called my aunts. There is a relationship and bond that I have with these women that I do not have with the men in my life. Maybe it is because I am a woman, or perhaps it is because these women have been my mother, my second mother, my third mother, my support all along. I love my uncles but the relationship is not the same. My first thought when I need a blessing and I'm at home though is, I need to talk to one of my uncles. This brings us closer. Why would I want to take away from that part of my children's bonding with their father?
As an unmarried woman with no children do I feel diminished by not having the priesthood? No, absolutely not. Can a man give himself a blessing? No he cannot. He has to ask another person. I am no different. I understand that some have felt the sting of gender inequalities and sexism within the church. Let's call a spade a spade however and say that what we're fighting against is the culture of the people of the church and not the doctrine. When I ask my home teacher, or friend for a priesthood blessing, I am essentially asking him to serve me in some way. I have had some truly amazing experiences during these times. I have also have some remarkable experiences in the temple and outside of the temple that had nothing to do with the priesthood and I am entitled to these experiences just like my brethren in the church. Let us also remember ladies, that we are entitled to the same type of revelation and inspiration as the leaders of this church and that communion with our Heavenly Father is no respecter of gender. Let us focus on the doctrine and our personal relationship with our Savior and our Heavenly Father. At the same time, let us also remember what the entire purpose of our existence is and that is to return to our Heavenly Father, happy and exalted.
This requires the new and everlasting covenant. This is a joint partnership that requires both the priesthood and us as women. By pushing for ordination we are essentially telling Heavenly Father that we think his plan is flawed. That we know better than him and that this whole marriage and covenant thing is pointless. We as women can do it on our own. If we received the priesthood, what would the point of that covenant be? Why would we need to be married to a man who holds the priesthood? There would be no point. We would be in and of ourselves our own autonomous being who has no need for a man other than to give us children which in this day and age, we don't really even need that. Without this covenant where does it leave men? Sorry for your luck gentleman but without us, you aren't getting posterity at all. Satan is constantly tearing apart our families. We do it to ourselves enough where divorce runs rampant in our society, why add to the further break down of this by telling our men that we no longer need them. Let's get real, good men are hard to find. Let's let the good ones know how much we appreciate them and value their contribution. The good men, do the same for us.
