The Role of Women

The Role of Women

I would just like to take a moment to bear my testimony about an issue that is really important to me. It seems these days that the Adversary is trying to convince faithful women in the Church that we are  missing something because we don't hold the Priesthood.  Some of you might have seen the protests  during the last General Conference as some sisters tried to be let in to the Saturday Night Priesthood Session. Others are blogging like crazy, demanding the right of women to be ordained.  There was even a "Wear Pants to Church" day a few months ago.  This doesn't make me mad as much as it makes me sad because these women just don't understand who they REALLY are.  If they did, they would feel the same peace and happiness and power that I feel as a faithful Latter-day Saint woman. I suspect that Satan realizes he can destroy a lot of  marriages, homes, families and even societies if he can convince women to be disgruntled, angry. and dissatisfied at perceived "inequalities."  But I know that men and women were created equal.  But that doesn't mean we are the same.  We don't have to be exactly alike to be equal.  That's not what "equality" means. As Valerie M. Hudson, a Political Science Professor at BYU says: "Equality is all too often used to mean "identity"; that is, that two equal things must be identical to each other. Such usage represents a fallen and harmful understanding of equality that is espoused by Lucifer, who passionately wants all to be 'like himself.'"  

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, in his talk "The Moral Force of Women" warns us of three trends and forces at work that "try to weaken and even eliminate women's influence in the world, to the great detriment of individuals, families and society at large."

1. DEVALUING MARRIAGE, MOTHERHOOD AND HOMEMAKING AS A CAREER: 

"Some view homemaking with outright contempt, arguing it demeans women and that the relentless demands of raising children are a form of exploitation. They ridicule what they call “the mommy track” as a career. This is not fair or right. We do not diminish the value of what women or men achieve in any worthy endeavor or career—we all benefit from those achievements—but we still recognize there is not a higher good than motherhood and fatherhood in marriage. There is no superior career, and no amount of money, authority, or public acclaim can exceed the ultimate rewards of family. Whatever else a woman may accomplish, her moral influence is no more optimally employed than here."

2. ATTITUDES TOWARD HUMAN SEXUALITY:

 "Abortion for personal or social convenience strikes at the heart of a woman’s most sacred powers and destroys her moral authority. The same is true of sexual immorality and of revealing dress that not only debases women but reinforces the lie that a woman’s sexuality is what defines her worth.

There has long been a cultural double standard that expected women to be sexually circumspect while excusing male immorality. The unfairness of such a double standard is obvious, and it has been justifiably criticized and rejected. In that rejection, one would have hoped that men would rise to the higher, single standard, but just the opposite has occurred—women and girls are now encouraged to be as promiscuous as the double standard expected men to be. Where once women’s higher standards demanded commitment and responsibility from men, we now have sexual relations without conscience, fatherless families, and growing poverty. Equal-opportunity promiscuity simply robs women of their moral influence and degrades all of society. In this hollow bargain, it is men who are “liberated” and women and children who suffer most."

3. THOSE WHO, IN THE NAME OF EQUALITY, WANT TO ERASE ALL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MASCULINE AND FEMININE:

"Often this takes the form of pushing women to adopt more masculine traits—be more aggressive, tough, and confrontational. It is now common in movies and video games to see women in terribly violent roles, leaving dead bodies and mayhem in their wake. It is soul-numbing to see men in such roles and certainly no less so when women are the ones perpetrating and suffering the violence."

Former Young Women general president Margaret D. Nadauld taught: “The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.” In blurring feminine and masculine differences, we lose the distinct, complementary gifts of and men that together produce a greater whole."

Watch this short, but moving, video as former President Gordon B. Hinckley shares his thoughts on women.  

The Women In Our Lives - Gordon B. Hinckley

Could you feel the love?  I sure did!

Now, what if you are sitting out there thinking, "Sister White, I think women ARE getting the short end of the stick in the world and maybe even in the Church!"  Let me ask you to watch one more video.  This is by Sheri Dew, one of my favorite authors and speakers and a former member of the General Relief Society Presidency. 

It's called "What Do LDS Women Get?"  

While you're watching, jot down any thoughts or impressions that come to you, or anything you hear that you didn't know or hadn't thought of before.  

Still not convinced how important women are in the Church and to the Lord?  Read this talk by Elder Ballard from the 2013 Education Week at BYU.  Write down the 5 things he wants us to know in your journal.  If you'd rather watch him give the talk on video, there is a link to that, too. 
Let Us Think Straight - Elder M. Russell Ballard