I haven't written in a year. Life has gone on. But there's a new idea on the webz that has gotten me riled up as a BMC. Where else to write about it, but on a blog that nobody reads?
Subject: The Priesthood. Women be wanting it. Talk amongst yourselves.
For real though. My two cents on the matter is that I don't care one way or the other. I honestly don't want the priesthood. I don't want the responsibility. I don't want the pressure. I don't want people to push me to be a "better Mormon" because I have it. But some people do, and that's okay with me.
It's also okay with me if you don't think that they should have it. That's cool too.
Here's what does get my ass a little chapped: judging the women that want it. I have read the belief that they are doing the work of Satan. I have read that they are evil, that they "shouldn't be here" (sound familiar?).
Before I go any further, I need to address something that people keep saying that I don't understand. This is that the priesthood is equal to motherhood.
This doesn't even make sense in my brain, because Motherhood = Fatherhood. Well... sort of = Fatherhood.
Motherhood = getting pregnant, carrying a life inside of you for nine months that sucks the life out of you while it makes you puke, get hemorrhoids, causes constipation, fluid leakage, headaches, mood swings, etc., then pushing that baby out of a hole the size of an edamame bean, in immense pain with more blood and fluid leakage, and (if you are all traditional and junk) being at the baby's beckon call until it's 56.5 years old. And yeah, It's a magical bonding experience, and you built a miraculous life inside you n'stuff.
(I really do love babies, okay? I'm just trying to be literal and realistic here)
Fatherhood = getting someone else pregnant and watching them throw up for nine months, then holding their hand saying, "You're doing really good, honey" while they squeeze that baby out of a hole the size of an edamame bean, and (if you're all traditional and junk) being the financial support of the kid until it's out of college.
I realize that these are both incredibly simplistic. I'm just trying to say they are roughly equal. Sort of. I think the part that women equate to the priesthood is the nine months of carrying the child/oxytocin release after labor part, which is the part that I find incredibly horrifying and completely unequal about the whole ordeal. I just don't understand the argument. Women take care of children. So do Fathers.
Also if you would rather switch roles, I would probably do it in a heartbeat.
And what about women that can't have children? What about women that can't afford to adopt? What about women who never have children because they are never married? Where is their place in this world? They don't have motherhood, so are they =/= priesthood? to other women? How do they receive the same blessings? I've read that they just have to wait until the next life, but that doesn't make sense to me. Why should I be so blessed now, and they don't get to be blessed until after they die? How is that logical? How can we be upset with them for wanting a place in the church?
I also keep reading that women who want the priesthood are trying to be above men. This is also incredibly simplistic. Wanting to receive priesthood blessings, in my opinion, is not trying to rise above men. All I can think about are the exceptions to the rule: What about women who are never married? What about women whose husbands pass away or leave them? Do they have no place?
We say: Call someone else to give your family a blessing. For some people, this is no easy task. Firstly, others are not always easily accessible. When your child has need in the middle of the night, on vacation, or when no one is available. It's difficult for some of us to even pick up the phone and ask. I know that when I was growing up, I had no priesthood holder in my home for many years. I never got the benefits of living with one. It wasn't often that I ever received blessings. Is it so wrong for these women to want this benefit even when a man isn't part of the home?
It doesn't make sense to me to try and cast these women off with the devil. None of the reasons above seem evil to me, nor even influenced by evil. It's not satanic to want something that might make your life and your children's lives better. I'm appalled by the sheer number of people throwing out the opinion of so many by equating it with Satan. We say this church can't change, but it has in numerous ways since its establishment. I don't necessarily think staging a protest is the way to go about it, but as long as it's peaceful, what harm does it do me? It's okay not to agree. It's okay to have differing opinions, but hateful statements just breed hate. Why not listen to what they are saying--- that they are experiencing a feeling of inequality and displacement--- and try to do something about that? What happened to empathy and compassion? There's more than just a lady's priesthood at stake here. There's a chance to listen to a plea and to reach out and show love. To just step back, and not condemn people, or chalk their actions up to a devily grasp. It's that easy.
I once had an RM say to me that he thought that women might one day have the priesthood. He didn't think it's that they couldn't. He thought it was that people weren't ready for it yet. I thought that was a nice thought.
Ladies
I salute you. This may not be something we are in total agreement about, but your efforts are courageous. I worry about peacekeeping. Please respect others, even if you feel they don't respect you.
