The last few months have seen an overabundance of attention given to these types of advocacy's --one of the latest claiming success.
However, the most recent campaign is by far the most brazen of them all, and one that the majority of conservative and faithful members of the LDS Church will be shocked to find out (and honestly question the claims that are made) that these are, many of them, also active members of the Church, -- though specifically women -- who have come together to question, what they believe to be a history of withholding, and to publicly advocate for, ordination to the priesthood.
SLC Fox 13 News Reports:
The push for women’s ordination within the LDS Church came after the Sunstone Foundation’s recent symposium in California, where Mormon and Catholic feminists joined together to talk about women’s roles in their patriarchal churches.
“It’s difficult to be members only when you don’t have much of a say in how the organization is run,” said Mary Ellen Robertson, the executive director of the Sunstone Foundation, a group independent of the LDS Church that discusses Mormonism.
Robertson said the Mormon feminists have launched a website, OrdainWomen.org, to encourage the dialogue. The group wants to know if men holding the priesthood is doctrinal — or merely the product of more than a hundred years of tradition.
“I’m sure there are going to be some people who are threatened by those questions about whether or not we should ordain women, or who think that’s heretical to even suggest let alone advocate for it,” she said. “But I think it opens the doors to having those kinds of conversations.”"In a statement to FOX 13, LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said, “It is the doctrine of the Church that men and women are equal. The Church follows the pattern of the Savior when it comes to priesthood ordination.”"
Mission Statement of Ordain Women:
The fundamental tenets of Mormonism support gender equality: God is male and female, father and mother, and all of us can progress to be like them someday.
Priesthood, we are taught, is essential to this process. Ordain Woman believes women must be ordained in order for our faith to reflect the equity and expansiveness of these teachings.
Last year the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaffirmed its commitment to equality: “The Book of Mormon states, ‘black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God’ (2 Nephi 26:33). This is the Church’s official teaching.” Ordain Women embraces this statement. We are committed to work for equality and the ordination of Mormon women to the priesthood.
Based on the principle of strategic non-violent action, Ordain Women aspires to create a space for Mormon women to articulate issues of gender inequality they may be hesitant to raise alone. As a group we intend to put ourselves in the public eye and call attention to the need for the ordination of Mormon women to the priesthood.
This is unprecedented: that individual female members unite online to organize a campaign against LDS Church leaders to lobby for priesthood ordination -- by utilizing the media as their advocates to both protect themselves and to put pressure on the Church in an attempt to force desired change. In hopes of strengthening their case, based on numbers alone, they have joined forces with another faith, in which although we are great friends in together defending family values, we do not recognize priesthood authority.
J. Max Wilson has written some very interesting thoughts about this and the recent progression of Mormon feminism, that I think deserves some serious consideration. I've been following some of the conversations and activities of progressive Mormon women, online, for few years, and I feel that he's made some accurate observations. I've written about some of these things myself, but not to the extent that he has -- but I've certainly had concerns.
Over the last few years we’ve seen that Feminist Mormon Activists have encouraged a kind of civil disobedience to the prophets and apostles.
They have used self-referential echo chambers to amplify propaganda and magnify the perception of support based on demonstrably faulty data and unfounded claims.
They’ve organized protests for women to break LDS cultural norms during worship services by wearing pants to church and run media campaigns and petitions to pressure the church to allow women to give prayers in the LDS Church’s General Conference.
And they have blatantly misrepresented facts in order to stir up outrage at church leaders.
But now they have taken things to a whole new level.
Read post: Rules for Feminist Mormon Radicals – Moving the Overton Window
I honestly don't know what to completely make of all of this, other than to trust that the Lord, in is patience and long suffering, is in control -- and that we might want to keep in our minds the very recent words of His Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson:
I assure you that the Church is in good hands. The system set up for the Council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve assures that it will always be in good hands and that, come what may, there is no need to worry or to fear. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, whom we follow, whom we worship, and whom we serve, is ever at the helm.
As we now go forward, may we follow His example. He left His footprints in the sands of the seashore, but He left His teaching principles in the hearts and in the lives of all whom He taught. He instructed His disciples, and to us He speaks the same words, "Follow thou me" (John 21:22). May we ever be found doing so.
In two weeks we will feast upon the words of the Lord, for an entire weekend of inspired General Conference messages -- of which I know we are all eagerly waiting to receive. I believe that the best thing we can do to prepare, is to follow previous counsel that we've been given: begin to ponder now, what we should seek an answer for, or about, during General Conference.
tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs
Updated: April 2013 Ensign - Eternal Partnership in Marriage
BY VALERIE M. HUDSON, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, AND RICHARD B. MILLER, PROFESSOR OF FAMILY LIFE AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
BY VALERIE M. HUDSON, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, AND RICHARD B. MILLER, PROFESSOR OF FAMILY LIFE AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
Let's Talk About What is Marriage? And Why That's Important...
Mormon Women, Priesthood and Equality
Mormon Women, Priesthood and Equality
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