“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states some basic and essential things about the roles of women and men. “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. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.”
Women are endowed with the capacity to love, nurture, protect, feel, serve, obey, beautify, and charm. It is in our mitochondria from all the way back to Eve. Men are ordained and set apart to hold the priesthood. This calling and ordination gives them the power to serve, protect, lift, discern, organize (sometimes), preach, prophesy, bless and heal. Both callings make us humble. Both callings cause us to be selfless. Both callings allow Christ to build his kingdom on the earth through his servants. A division of labors is absolutely necessary in order to build the kingdom within the lives of each member from childhood on (women) and to organize it locally and globally (men).
Heavenly Father has designed the work of women and men to complement each other and to build on each other. It is as though women are in charge of making sure that each building block is strong, whole and dependable, and the men are in charge of overseeing the organization of those blocks into a church and a kingdom. Neither one would get very far without the other, and when men and women work together to build the kingdom in such a way, they succeed.
Women are just as important as men, and men are just as important as women. We are equal in the sight of God, though our roles on earth differ. “[We must be] ready and prepared to function as a full partner in a celestial team–without having to look up because of any feeling of inferiority, or look down because of any feeling of superiority, but look across into the eyes of an equally prepared, equally magnificent eternal mate.” (Ida Smith. "The Lord as a Role Model for Men and Women." Ensign, May 1978, 4.)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Mormon Women Part II - Division of Labor
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7 comments:
That sounds like a justification for discrimination. Replace "women" with "blacks" and "men" with "whites" and what do you have? An ideological justification for slavery.
yeah, but I'm a woman! I don't know of many blacks who would write in defense of slavery.
I think it requires a paradigm shift to realize that being a woman, a traditional woman, is just as important as being a man. Only when people think that we are in "slavery" does it really degrade the position of women.
It seems like you've drunk the Kool-Aid... You really believe that not being able to participate as fully in a religion translates into being "just as important"? You may want to check a recent post on this here:
http://latterdaymainstreet.com/?p=275
What I mean by "you've drunk the kool-aid" is that you've accepted and incorporated into your identity the ideology that keeps women in Mormonism oppressed. I didn't say Mormonism is a cult - I don't think it is anymore. Besides, feigning offense and then running away is really just avoiding the argument.
Hmmm. I tried that replace-'women'-with-'blacks' -and-'men' -with-whites' thing and I had two thoughts:
1) It doesn't make a lot of sense that way:
"Whites are to preside over their families in love and righteousness...Blacks are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children."
"Blacks are endowed with the capacity to love, nurture, protect, feel, etc."
2) It in no way implies that slavery is acceptable.
"Both callings make us humble. Both callings cause us to be selfless."
"Blacks are just as important as whites...we must be ready to function...without having to look up because of any feeling of inferiority, or look down because of any feeling of superiority..."
Thaddeus, try this one:
Blacks are endowed with the capacity to love, nurture, protect, feel, serve, obey, beautify, and charm. It is in our mitochondria from all the way back to Eve. Whites are ordained and set apart to hold the priesthood. This calling and ordination gives them the power to serve, protect, lift, discern, organize (sometimes), preach, prophesy, bless and heal.
or this one:
Heavenly Father has designed the work of blacks and whites to complement each other and to build on each other. It is as though blacks are in charge of making sure that each building block is strong, whole and dependable, and the whites are in charge of overseeing the organization of those blocks into a church and a kingdom. Neither one would get very far without the other, and when whites and blacks work together to build the kingdom in such a way, they succeed.
Selectively quoting your way out of this won't work.
RTC, what is your purpose here? You know as well as I do that your example above isn't referring to the oppression of women or blacks.
If you were on the other side of this debate I have full confidence in your ability to refute every one of your own assertions. You are an excellent debater, and you have proven it.
Is it out of concern for us? If it were, I think a little more love would have shown through in your words.
You are welcome to post comments here, but I'd just like to know what your aim is.
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