So there hasn't been a thread about women in the priesthood for 5 minutes

[Quin]

A thought I'd like people's opinions on... Something I've been toying around with:

Premise: A priest's job description is forgiveness.

But we need fighters. Those who stand up for the defenseless. Those who stay wary. Those who speak up for the victims, and those who prevent victimization from happening in the first place. Those who accept that forgiveness is divine, and repentance happens, but who are not required to exercise it above common sense.

Men are priests.

Women are guardians.

We need both.

Thoughts?

Q

[prisonchaplain]

Outsider view...I was discussing female clergy with a Lutheran-Missouri Synod pastor. I told him my church ordained females. He said, "Today it's females, tomorrow it's gays." My retort, "My church has always ordained females--for 100 years now--gay ordination is nowhere on the horizon--never has been."

For us, the revivals of the early 1900s meant many churches had no clergy. We believed our ladies who said God was calling them. We've always seen ordination as mere confirmation of what God has done.

So, it may be interesting and right to discuss how males and females tend towards different giftings. Ultimately, you'll do what you believe God is calling you to do--whether to embrace female priests, or to continue to rely on males for the role. Either way, the key is to do what God says, not what seems to fit or work.

[Praetorian_Brow]

The key to what God says, always seems to be a person, interpreting what God actually said. Its fairly easy to sway others if they believe someone has the sole divine authority to speak on behalf of divinity. I am not inferring that all of God's chose mouth pieces deliberately distort the picture for their own gain, but I am sure some pass on a message based on ignorance, wishful thinking, innocence, ambition, disdain and all the wonderful qualities that Pandora released from her box.

Then we have the Bible, which apparently is God's word, translated from many books into one 1600 years after the fact, written by many many authors over countless years and some of them like to change mythology into Christian ways. Then the Book of Mormon is 1800 years after the fact. I am not disputing my own belief in any of those books or anyone else, but its an odd thing to contemplate.

Religions need leaders, religions need authority, religions need justification to state their perspectives. I also recognize that there were female prophets in the Bible. I also recognize that most religions are practical, in the name of God of course, so lets say there is a shortage of men and would be surprised at how quickly female clergy becomes important. I doubt it.

Edited August 20, 2013 by Praetorian_Brow

[Wingnut]

So there hasn't been a thread about women in the priesthood for 5 minutes

A thought I'd like people's opinions on... Something I've been toying around with:

Premise: A priest's job description is forgiveness.

But we need fighters. Those who stand up for the defenseless. Those who stay wary. Those who speak up for the victims, and those who prevent victimization from happening in the first place. Those who accept that forgiveness is divine, and repentance happens, but who are not required to exercise it above common sense.

Men are priests.

Women are guardians.

We need both.

Thoughts?

Q

Interesting ideas. Definitely thought-provoking.

[Seminarysnoozer]

A thought I'd like people's opinions on... Something I've been toying around with:

Premise: A priest's job description is forgiveness.

But we need fighters. Those who stand up for the defenseless. Those who stay wary. Those who speak up for the victims, and those who prevent victimization from happening in the first place. Those who accept that forgiveness is divine, and repentance happens, but who are not required to exercise it above common sense.

Men are priests.

Women are guardians.

We need both.

Thoughts?

Q

The full power of the priesthood is not possible without the woman being equal to her man, which likely is one of those irrevocable laws in heaven that even God himself has to abide. I am not saying the woman has to hold the priesthood only the power of the priesthood held by the man is not full without him having a helpmeet of equal responsibility and power. In other words, it shouldn't be looked at as a divided power but one that results in synergistic power when put together with the woman.

President Kimball; "We had full equality as his spirit children. We have equality as recipients of God’s perfected love for each of us. The late Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote:

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel, which is the only concern of the Church, was devised by the Lord for men and women alike” (Improvement Era, Mar. 1942, p. 161).

Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood—but the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord (see 1 Cor. 11:11). Both a righteous man and a righteous woman are a blessing to all those their lives touch."

So, unless a woman with the priesthood could have another woman as a helpmeet, she could never have the same priesthood power that way.

[ElectofGod]

I'll partially disagree here. Though I could see truth in it but what did Christ do? His atonement did both.

My belief is this for females:

Prophetesses

Queens

Female Apostles

They can bless their children by laying on of hands

Keeper of the physical veil (womb).

I agree with whats been said. They both have equal power separately but when combined they gain a fullness thereof.

D&C 93:33 For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;

34 And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy.

One of many symbolism's of the creation story is that Eve represents the Body and Adam represents the spirit. When inseparably connected they experience a fulness of joy. Alone they are carnal (body), or lack of godliness (spirit).

You could make an argument that Eve is the keeper (guardian) of the spirit but I am not sure. Haven't thought about it much.

The female has just a major of a job in forgiveness as men except when it comes to the atonement so again you could make a argument here that Men do the grunt work for "forgiveness" and women do the grunt work of the "physical veil" and protecting/nurturing their offspring. The body is what gives us a fulness of joy. Females allow that to happen. Than a righteous man (Christ) allows us to overcome that.

The opposition to the spirit is the body that is needed to grow.

Edited August 20, 2013 by ElectofGod

[Torostoros]

Some interesting insights relevant to this topic

Mormon Scholars Testify » Blog Archive » Valerie Hudson Cassler

Edited August 21, 2013 by skippy740

[Seminarysnoozer]

I'll partially disagree here. Though I could see truth in it but what did Christ do? His atonement did both.

My belief is this for females:

Prophetesses

Queens

Female Apostles

They can bless their children by laying on of hands

Keeper of the physical veil (womb).

I agree with whats been said. They both have equal power separately but when combined they gain a fullness thereof.

One of many symbolism's of the creation story is that Eve represents the Body and Adam represents the spirit. When inseparably connected they experience a fulness of joy. Alone they are carnal (body), or lack of godliness (spirit).

You could make an argument that Eve is the keeper (guardian) of the spirit but I am not sure. Haven't thought about it much.

The female has just a major of a job in forgiveness as men except when it comes to the atonement so again you could make a argument here that Men do the grunt work for "forgiveness" and women do the grunt work of the "physical veil" and protecting/nurturing their offspring. The body is what gives us a fulness of joy. Females allow that to happen. Than a righteous man (Christ) allows us to overcome that.

The opposition to the spirit is the body that is needed to grow.

Thanks, glad to see statements like yours that show such an insight as to the symbolism of man and women to spirit and body.

I find it interesting that the idea that we need a body to be like God is such a unique and special doctrine and yet we really have no idea why. The sacredness of the need for the body is probably the same reason we don't discuss the sacred idea of a Heavenly Mother very much. I think the two go hand in hand as you have implied. Without knowing or maybe having the ability to really understand why a spirit being needs a body to receive any degree of glory (even a Telestial glory where procreation is not the issue) the value of women remains sacredly special and will someday be revealed. What is the special ingredient the body provides that the spirit alone cannot make or have on its own, we don't really understand. But we do know that the inseparable parts of receiving a fullness of joy is a characteristic of God that very few in this world appreciate. It is a statement that God could not be God by Himself. To be like God requires special binding covenants and acts, to be connected with something more than self.