(Artist: Harry Anderson)
After
several conversations concerning the ordination of women within Mormonism, I
feel compelled to share an overlooked perspective of the priesthood—the
perspective of a Mormon Feminist Transhumanist.
At the risk
of being criticized for my minority position and vulnerability, I still believe
it is important to offer this underrepresented perspective of the priesthood
with complete authenticity and honesty.
The priesthood
is defined as the power and authority of God given to man, including the
authority to perform ordinances and to act as a leader in the Church. The
full capacity to access the priesthood power and authority is reserved for men
only. Presently, all women’s callings and auxiliaries are presided over by
men. Due to the conflation of priesthood
power and governance authority, several problems exist when women are excluded.
Not to mention the many opportunities for spiritual development women are
excluded from by not being ordained.
First, I
will touch on the harmful effects of the exclusionary practices of the
priesthood though a personal narrative, followed by commentary concerning
desires, benefits, and risks that would accompany women’s ordination.
It’s a
Mormon tradition for the father of the household to give each child a
priesthood blessing before the beginning of each school year. They are often
referred to as father’s blessings. It’s a lovely tradition. As a young girl, I
remember taking turns with each of my sisters, sitting in a chair, while my
father laid his hands on our heads and blessed each of us. They were happy
memories.
However,
when I was 14 my father was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints on Easter Sunday. He was cut off from the Mormon community as
a form of discipline and was deemed unworthy to exercise the priesthood. My
father was the only male in our home. This left my mother, two sisters and me
to fend for ourselves in matters of the priesthood.
The
following school year I would not have a father’s blessing. Of course, the
typical response to this particular predicament is to call the home teachers or
bishop to come provide access to a priesthood blessing.
If only it
were so simple.
The reality
is if I were to ask my home teachers to come to our home to give me a priesthood
blessing, my father would have the humiliating experience of sitting by and
watch another man preside in his home and bless his daughter, and my mother
would have the humiliating experience of watching a another man come into her
home and bless her daughter because she was deemed as an unfit candidate for
the priesthood due to the fact she was female. As for me, I was a teenage girl
going through puberty, starting my period, experiencing other bodily changes
and what I really needed was a priesthood blessing from my parent, not from a
couple of well-meaning men from my ward whom I had hardly spoken a word to.
No
priesthood blessing was worth the humiliation it would cause my family, so I
concluded it was better to go without.
I cried in
bed the night before school started. I fervently prayed to Heavenly Father with
genuine intent asking Him to bless me with His Priesthood. I waited quietly and
patiently for a response, but felt nothing. I was alone.
After I
finished crying, I fell asleep that night feeling like a silly girl with
shattered dreams in a fraudulent illusion. I suppose we all have to grow up
someday.
Struggling to Find My Place
A year or so
later, some other negative experiences with the priesthood and priesthood
holders caused me to question the priesthood more deeply. Where did it come
from? Why would God exclude women? Why would God alienate women who weren’t
connected to a righteous male priesthood holder? Why did Peter, James, and John
confer the priesthood upon Joseph and not Mary, Martha, and Eve confer the
priestesshood to Emma? Is the former so much more believable than the later?
I had a
seminary teacher, Sister Simpson, who saw me struggling to find my place in my
religion. The two male priesthood-holding seminary teachers from prior classes
had asked me to leave their lessons on more than one occasion for questions and
conduct that were “uninviting of the spirit”. Apparently, it was inappropriate
for a 15-year-old girl to question her place in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and
religion with the persistence that I did. However, Sister Simpson was
different. She never asked me to leave her class. Not once. Instead she offered
me an opportunity. She invited me to read the priesthood sessions of conference
to get answers to my questions.
I remember
feeling confused by her suggestion and responded, “…but I don’t have the
priesthood.” She smiled and calmly replied, “Neither do I, but I still read
them.”
I made a
habit of reading watching, hearing, and studying recordings of Priesthood
Sessions of General Conference—meetings women are generally denied access to.
It’s been a
bittersweet journey. Some of the most faith affirming concepts and impressions
I received were seeded in those meetings. A small, fragile testimony was
forming. I longed for the priesthood to bless the lives of those I loved. I
didn’t vie for any authority or power to climb the hierarchal ladder. I simply
wanted to be self-reliant in the Church, just as my religion counseled me to
be. Perhaps that council only applied to men.
However, the
beauty of priesthood came with a sting. I was clearly rejected from the group
as a 16 year old girl. I was nothing more than an imposter with her nose
pressed up against the glass with a clear view of what was being taught to women
and what was being taught to men. I desired to be like Jesus Christ, but my
desires were met with hostility. Had I not been female, my desires would have
been celebrated and congratulated and deemed worthy of praise.
Over time I
grew sorrowful and eventually, angry. Is the priesthood even associated with
God, or is the priesthood simply one more tool men use to further subjugate
women? Why are men given more tools to be self-reliant, while women are
excluded? Is God sexist or is it just my religion?
My freshmen
year of college, I was engaged with a wonderfully devout Mormon who wore the
priesthood so lightly it didn’t even seem to matter that I didn’t have it. It
was difficult to reject the priesthood when he used it so honestly, but it did
highlight that if I wanted a fuller relationship with the priesthood, he was my
conduit. Even with a righteous priesthood holder in my life, I was still not
self-reliant.
We were
sealed in the Portland temple together where my fragile testimony was crushed
by a sexist aesthetic of immortality that clearly undervalued my gender and my
sincerest desires to be like Jesus Christ. The
experience genuinely broke my heart.
By the time
I left the temple I had, what I felt at the time, a very clear image of the
priesthood, its origins, its purpose, and my intended trajectory. I concluded
that I didn’t need the priesthood in my life. I had no desire for it. Any
superstitions associated with the priesthood vanished and I was disillusioned
entirely.
A few years
later, I
delivered a healthy baby boy. After the birth of our first child, the
tradition of a father’s blessing shortly followed. There were many conflicting
emotions in my heart that day. Happy memories flooded my mind from my early
childhood, followed with the grief of knowing I would be excluded from
equitably engaging in priesthood blessings and ordinances with my children.
I watched my
husband hold our tiny baby in his strong, but gentle arms. During the blessing
he spoke words that deeply resonated with me. I still had no intention of
believing that the priesthood was anything more than a bunch of made-up
nonsense, and I had no interest in receiving a priesthood blessing for myself,
but nonetheless hearing his blessing changed me.
I was
grateful to have a husband who held the priesthood, not because I subscribed to
any superstitious ridiculousness or valued unilateral male dependency. No,
certainly not. I was changed, because I was able to see the priesthood from a
new perspective—a completely natural, yet less cynical perspective.
I saw the
priesthood as a spiritual conduit for bonding that provoked a collective mood
of love and devotion. Had this been the majority of my experiences with the
priesthood I could see how some women would be indifferent or resistant to
female ordination.
The young
teenage girl inside me was still sad to be excluded from the experience of
blessing my own baby. I contemplated what it would be like to have my newborn
son, whom I created inside my body, be ordained to the priesthood while I would
not. What would it be like to have him bless, ordain, and baptize his future
siblings, yet I would not be able to do the same for my own children? What
would it be like for him to be congratulated and praised for his righteous
desires for ordination at age 12, when my teenage desires for ordination were
met with hostility and rejection?
I was conflicted,
but ultimately grateful for the opportunity for my husband and son. I couldn’t
be angry when it brought them so much happiness. I genuinely loved them, so
their happiness became my happiness and I pushed my own pain into the corners
of my mind.
That day I
realized what I missed most about not having the priesthood directly in my life
was the opportunities to express and share love through ritualistic blessings, and
ordinances.
When my
father blessed me before each school year he spoke kind and thoughtful words
that he probably would have never said had the opportunity of an annual
priesthood blessing not presented itself. We formed positive memories and
experiences that further formed our worldview and the influence of those
experiences were stunted once the priesthood was removed from my family. I
wonder what experiences my mother, sisters, and I could have shared if the
priesthood were freely available to us.
When my
husband blessed our child there were tangible expressions of love, devotion,
and power that changed him as a man and father. How would those experiences
shape him as human being? How would those rituals affect our family dynamics?
If my husband were removed from the equation, what spiritual technology could I
use to recreate those meaningful memories and experiences for my children, if
not the priesthood?
The
priesthood is a spiritual technology and holds transformative power that is
worth experiencing and exploring. The power lies in opportunities and access,
just like any other technology. Priesthood technology has the potential to
strengthen interpersonal relationships, forge bonds of spirituality, shape
meaningful worldviews, and present opportunities for growth, leadership, and
development.
The
priesthood power lies not in any supernatural or mystical interpretations.
Priesthood power lies in our willingness to let is transform us, without access
the power is diminished.
When we
limit equal opportunity and deny people access to those positive experiences we
are weakening ourselves from within. When we thwart the righteous desires of
women who wish to use that technology for good, we diminish the collective
influence the priesthood has to offer.
If the
priesthood truly is the power and authority of God then we have access to a
creative and unique technology with a limitless bandwidth that we have yet to
comprehend.
Righteous Desires of Abraham
My
suggestion of female ordination in not an unreasonable demand nor a groveling
plea. My suggestion is a mutually
respectful and beneficial request that mandates thoughtful consideration. My
suggestion is proposed to alleviating unnecessary suffering of others while
providing more intimate opportunities for integrated spiritual growth and development.
My objective is equal opportunity in our desires to become Christ. My desires
are reflected in the Book of Abraham.
In Abraham
1:2 we read, “And there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers,
and the right whereinto I should be ordained to administer the same; having
been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed
greater knowledge, and righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and
to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive
instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right
belonging to the fathers.”
Summarized,
Abraham “desired to be ordained” to “possess greater knowledge and
righteousness”. As a “follower of righteousness” he “became a rightful heir, a
High Priest”.
Women who
seek ordination for further knowledge and righteousness are not so different
from Abraham, who was rewarded for his righteous desires and became a High
Priest.
I recognize
that women who desire ordination are the minority, but being in a minority does
not equate with being wrong. People who desired and advocated for racial
equality concerning blacks and the priesthood were once the minority until they
weren’t. Mormons are a minority among Christian denominations, but does that
make Mormonism wrong or unworthy of consideration? Minorities bring valuable
insights that are often overlooked.
Some argue
that most women “don’t even want the priesthood”. I would generally, agree.
However, I would urge women who speak out against ordination to consider, does
your lack of desire denote that another’s genuine desire is unholy or
unrighteous? No, seeking ordination is a
product of her faithful and righteous desires.
I would ask
them to empathize with those who have perhaps had less favorable circumstances,
and contemplate how women could benefit from ordination in ways that have not
yet been considered.
I trust that if the opportunity presented itself, faithful young women would be
more than capable of developing a similar desire and would embrace the
responsibility and duty just as our faithful young men have.
Seeking Ordination, Not Vying for Authority
Some
mistakenly believe that “asking for the priesthood” is counterproductive and
actually undermines the authority God and women in an attempt to receive
authority from men. This is a gross oversimplification. As a reminder, the
priesthood is not men’s authority to give. Men are simply the current conduit
for the priesthood.
Desires of
ordination should not be conflated with vying for or undermining authority.
‘This Society a Kingdom of Priests’
Could the
ordination of women be an essential step in the restoration of the Gospel?
There is
nowhere written in Mormon doctrine that women cannot be ordained to the
priesthood. In fact, there is strong evidence to suggest that the ordination of
women is potentially a part of Restoration.
A unique
relationship between women and the priesthood is found during the early
formation of the Church. Women were once granted priesthood responsibilities
that seem long since lost.
In Latter-day Saint Women and the Priesthood of
God, written by my fellow MTA (Mormon Transhumanist Association) member
Mark Koltko-Rivera, it is suggested that Joseph Smith intended the Relief Society
to be ‘A Kingdom of Priests’. On March 31, 1842, Joseph Smith spoke to the
sisters of the Relief Society. The minutes read, “…that the Society should move
according to the ancient Priesthood, hence there should be a select Society
separate from all the evils of the world, choice and virtuous and holy—said he
was going to make of this Society a
Kingdom of Priests as in Enoch’s day—as in Paul’s day…” (pg.14)
Also written
in Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book (1842-1844), “…that the keys of the
kingdom are about to be given to them, that they may be able to detect every
false—as well as to the Elders. This Society is to get instruction thro’ the
order which God established—thro’ the medium of those appointed to lead—and I now turn the Key to you in the name of
God and this Society shall rejoice and knowledge and intelligence shall
flow down from this time.” (pg. 37-38)
These
recordings of the Prophet strongly suggest ordination of the Relief “Society”
well as “the Elders”. Was Joseph acting on behalf of God? Could an all-female
Relief Society be ordained to be priests? Why would Joseph call them ‘Priests’?
Surely he knew they were female and also created in the image of God and fully
capable of acting on behalf of that God.
The
priesthood is commonly assumed as a male aesthetic, but this is another sore
oversimplification. In genesis we read God is both male and female as “both
male and female” are created in the “image of God”. Heavenly
Mother’s presence in Mormonism also suggests and equitable duality of God’s
gender. The priesthood is no more male than female, no more masculine then
feminine. The priesthood is expressed in infinite diversity through each
individual whom is authorized to exercise it. One can hypothesize the Relief
Society’s expression of the priesthood would be different than the Elders, yet
both would come from the same source of unified power and authority of Godly
Parents.
Sidney
Rigdon said, “Emma was the one to whom the first female priesthood was given.” June 1868, communication to Stephen
Post, LDS Archives.
On September
17, 1843 Patriarch Hyrum Smith blessed Olive G. Frost, one of Joseph’s plural
wives, that “you shall be blessed with the knowledge of the mysteries of God as
well as the fullness of the Priesthood.”
Equal
opportunity does not need to be conflated with congruency. Our genders are
different, but the priesthood itself does not have a gender, nor is it limited
to a male aesthetic.
If
revelation came once could it come again?
The Nauvoo
Relief Society Minute Book continues, “Prest. S. then offered instruction
respecting the propriety of females administering to the sick by the laying on
of hands said it was according to
revelation.” (pg. 37-38)
As
referenced in the ninth article of faith, we believe god will reveal “many
great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
But how
would that revelation manifest itself? The symbiotic relationship between God,
prophets, and ourselves allows varied opportunities for revelation to manifest,
especially when not all revelation is received by a personified vision of God.
Yes, the
brethren are in a position to embrace the potential revelation concerning the
ordination of women, but it is our responsibility to assist in the presentation
and creation of the opportunity according to our faith and desires. God cannot
reveal what we would not accept.
In a 1997 ABC Compass
interview, President Gordon B Hinckley was asked, “Is it possible that the
rule could change in the future as the rules are on Blacks?”
He
responded, “He could change them yes. If He were to change them that’s the only
way it would happen.”
The
interviewer continued, “So you’d have to get a revelation?”
President
Hinckley replied, “Yes. But there’s no agitation for that. We don’t find it.
Our women are happy. They’re satisfied.”
Perhaps some
agitation is required before revelation, and since this prophetic statement was
made in 1997 there has certainly been agitation.
I would
consider the revelation of ordaining black men to the priesthood in 1978 as an
act of collective revelation—inspired by the people and sanctioned by the
prophet and apostles.
Were black
men’s desires for ordination any less righteous before their ordination
actually occurred? Did manifestation denote righteousness? Or was manifestation
a product of those righteous desires? I trust God celebrated the desires and
advocacies of these men who desired the priesthood before their actual
ordination.
Yes, there
were other members during that transition that deemed black’s desires for
priesthood ordination as unrighteous or unnecessary, but nonetheless, black
men’s desires to serve with the priesthood were eventually embraced. I trust
God was pleased with the progress and desires of love, acceptance and inclusion
among the saints.
I don’t
neglect the risks and logistical issues with the ordination of women, just as
there was with the ordination of black men. Of course we should mitigate for
risks, but should we wait stagnantly in fear of the unknown? No. We should
carefully embrace the possibilities of glorious vistas we have yet to behold.
How else would God reveal such a divine image if we would not willingly accept
the revelation before actually being revealed?
Those who
would accept the revelation of female ordination should not be fearful of
expressing encouragement and support of such a revelation, just as Abraham and
black men sought, expressed and desired their ordination before it occurred.
The Morality of Female Ordination
It is also
worth considering if denying women priesthood ordination is actually immoral.
In Parallels and Convergences, written by A. Scott Howe and Richard L. Bushman,
we can explore the quantitative nature of morality through a ‘potentiality
test’:
“A better
way to intuitively explore morality issues is to use the ‘potentiality test’.
The potentiality test helps expand the number of choices and opportunities
available and eliminates all boundaries. Actions and consequences are placed on
a scale by degree rather than being black and white, motivation is built into
the test because it attempts to increase the number of choices available in the
future. The participant becomes less and less a victim of circumstances and
gains more and truer freedom. An outcome that results in a greater number of
potentialities has greater value.” (pg.95)
According to
the potentiality test, the ordination of women would greatly increase the
number of choices in the future, and participants would become “less a victim
of circumstance”. Thus, more opportunity for human flourishing is moral and
less opportunity is immoral.
This is not
to say there should be no order or deliberacy in female ordination, quite the
contrary. Order also allows us expanded potential opportunities and the order
of the priesthood should be kept to the extent that the exclusion of
participants does not become oppressive. Order and inclusion would maximize
future potentialities and possibilities for the priesthood’s influence, thus
making order, equal opportunity, and inclusion extremely moral actions.
Every day we
wait we lose one more woman, one more
woman is marginalized, one more child goes without a priesthood blessing,
and one more woman realizes her desires to be like Christ are not supported by
religion. One by one their hearts are jaded by the ignorance of those who won’t
share her pain. As more women become disenchanted with the priesthood and its
potential influences for good, they often leave their religions believing that
the priesthood is nothing more than a superstitious manipulative tool to
subjugate women in an elitist power and authority structure.
Surely, God
is waiting on us to exercise our agency, love and compassion to “comfort those
that stand in need of comfort”.
In a time
when people are leaving their religions, there are women who are still willing
to contribute. Let’s not let another moment go by where a woman goes
unsupported in her desires to be Christ. Let’s greet her with enthusiasm and
excitement. I trust in a benevolent God that would encourage those righteous
desires. Now is a time of celebration!
Imagine
the opportunities of love and compassion we could create for families and
communities if women were granted equitable authorization to the priesthood
technology.
Joseph Smith
once said, “Who are better qualified to administer than our faithful and zealous sisters whose hearts are full
of faith, tenderness, sympathy and compassion? No one.” Relief Society Minutes,
April 28 1842.
More
recently the encouraging words of Elder Nelson called to women in October 2015
General Conference, “
We need you to speak out…” he
continues, “We need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your
ability to lead, your wisdom and your
voices […] my dear sisters, whatever your calling, whatever your
circumstance, we need your impression, your insights and your inspiration […]
we need women who have the courage and
vision of our Mother Eve […] so today I plead with my sisters of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to step forward! Take your rightful and
needful place […] in the kingdom of God.”
I have
obliged to the request of Elder Nelson to step forward. This is my courage.
This is my strength. This is my conviction. This is my insight. This is my
inspiration. This is my vision.
I am one
such “zealous sister” and this is my voice.
