Women in the LDS Church (With Videos at the End!)

I'm so excited! As of yesterday, I've officially received questions from a non-hubby source. Sure, both of them were from the same person, but I'll take it! (For the person who asked, they will be two separate blog posts so don't worry that I'm ignoring your second question!)

The question, which I will attempt to answer with as much clarity as possible, is:

"What is your opinion of how women are viewed and treated in the LDS church?"

Well, my darling friend, that's something I've often thought about, and something I'm sure many people looking into the Church struggle with. I've come to this conclusion:

The LDS church views women as sacred and immensely powerful beings.

At first glance, it appears this is not the case. Women are not allowed to hold the Priesthood, or officiate in ordinances relating to it. They are also not regarded as the "head" of the household, and there are many scriptures in the LDS cannon which state such things as "The head of the woman is the man;" (1 Corinthians 11:3) and "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection." (1 Timothy 2:11)

We read in "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" (which will subsequently be referred to as "The Proclamation") that "Each [man or woman] is a beloved spirit son or daughter or heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." So, are we to deduce that a woman's "identity and purpose" is to be in subjection to a man; that we are to simply subject to a man's wishes and carry out his demands? I believe the answer is no.

The Lord did not mean women to be mindless, silent slaves, nor did He intend for them to be the "lesser" sex. Upon further inspection, you find this following the very verses which seem to prove the opposite point. 1 Corinthians 11:9-12 states:

"(9) Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
(10) For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
(11) Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
(12) For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God."

Take that in for a second. Reading verses 9 and 10, I almost started laughing. Woman was created to be for man, and needs power from angels to do it. Then comes the real kicker in verses 11 and 12: "neither is the man without the woman.... even so is the man also by the woman." So wait. If man is so awesome and just needed woman as slaves, why are they so important to man? The Hebrews weren't terribly important to the Egyptians - they just didn't want to do the work they were having them do.

The answer is God entrusted His greatest gift to man inside the woman. In the midst of all this talk of coverings and silence, you find the woman is not a dirty little secret, she is a beautiful treasure. 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 says:

"(14)Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
(15)But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering."

This is not to hide woman, people! This is to protect and sanctify her! Continuing in The Proclamation, it says "We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life (note that it doesn't say only a man's life) and of its importance in God's eternal plan. Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children." It goes on to quote Psalm 127:3, which states "children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Again, there is no specification that the man is more important to the Lord than the woman. In fact, I'd be surprised if you ever found something stating that. We are specifically counseled that it is our responsibility as both men and women to take care of each other and raise both our sons and daughters to the very best of our abilities.

Going on, we read that "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." These principles are not to be one-sided. Next, The Proclamation explains, "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.... [F]athers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

Yeah, you read that right. Not semi-equal partners; not as master and dutiful, silent servant; but as equal, 50/50, partners. Guys, this was only released 18 years ago. It stands - not as a new, reformed way of life - but as an explanation of what God says a family always should look like. In fact, there is a paragraph warning, rather blatantly, that abuse and/or violations of marital fidelity will not be tolerated. This, again, goes both ways.

I feel I have sufficiently beaten that topic with a very pokey stick. I will, however, add this disclaimer: I do not believe these standards are always maintained. Let me explain.

Regardless of the way the Lord sees us, women in the church very often feel like they are under-valued and overlooked. Why? Often, this is due to the simple differences between men and women. I love my husband dearly, but he can be forgetful, insensitive, and all kinds of pig-headed. It's a basic fact of life that men and women think and communicate differently so there is often a disconnect where, I believe, women feel lost. Then you must take social customs into consideration. There is a fine line between a man or woman appreciating the opposite sex for their talents and abilities - being friends, even - and getting way too close for comfort. This, compounded by the lack of adequate communication, creates a scale where, on one side, women feel under-appreciated, and on the other side, men and women can fall into compromising situations. I believe, rather than chancing the latter, most men tend to lean toward the former, leaving women to realize their infinite and divine potential through associating with other women (and they wonder why we travel in groups!)

It can all be a big, thorny mess, but I can't blame it all on men, either. The fact is, women are powerful. Amazingly so. Just ask my husband - whatever I put my mind to, it will get done. Putting aside the fact that we were created in the Lord's image (which means there is undoubtedly a Heavenly Mother as well!), I believe we were created to need each other. Man has the Priesthood, with which he is only able to bless those around him, not himself. Man was inherently created to take care of woman. Woman has the ability to grow children inside of her, for which she needs the man; and be right all the time (okay, maybe not that one.) We need each other. We cannot be without each other "in the Lord."

That said, I do think the Church has done fairly well to make women, as a whole, feel more like the goddesses they can become, and less like the servants the world would like them to be (which was a customary flaw, not an eternal one.) The creation of the Relief Society early on was a great step, then you have the Visiting Teaching program. Callings are another great source of encouragement. Women are becoming leaders and teachers in the Church, and becoming more and more empowered as they are encouraged by other men and women. Anything which makes us feel otherwise is not of God, and should be disregarded.

I very honestly believe that the Gospel as it pertains to women is perfect. God intends woman to be a miraculous gift, not a burden. It is society which has imposed cumbersome roles which hamper that divine potential, not the Church. It is important for women, especially those in the Church and those investigating the Church, to be thorough in educating themselves on the word of God, which clearly outlines how amazing and important we are. He loves us, and He has proven that over and over again. It is up to us to find these positive affirmations, and to fulfill our role beside our husbands, helping them as they travel with us through this crazy mess called mortality.

I hope that answers your question. I feel like I might have been a little long-winded, but that happens when I'm passionate about something! Thanks for the opportunity to answer such a marvelous question, friend!

Sincerely,
Lora.

EDIT: The Church website is down right now, but here's a video from a former church leader which supports the fact that women have many privileges and rights in the Church. Sweet!

To make this even better, here's another, more-recent video of one of the Apostles. I think even the title speaks for itself!