#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
Too often are women and minorities left out of the conversation.
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
There are spaces in The Church that women long to be and rites they long to participate in.
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
Women are missing from some of our most sacred practices.
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
If You Had Known Me Four Years Ago
If you had known me four years ago, you would have known a largely traditional Mormon woman. I was married in the temple, had three kids, and we had attended the same LDS ward every week for 15 years. My husband and I had served in every kind of church calling, from Young Women President to activities chair. It is not an exaggeration to say that the ward house was our second home.
As I think about the way I have changed in the last few years, I realize that, though I am no longer at home in that ward house, and though I have lost the family that I thought I had there, I know that this is the first time my ward family is really seeing me. They knew me; we served together, we socialized after meetings, and even some of us got together as friends. They were lovely but it took something drastic—my absence—for them to see me.
That should come as no surprise to me.
We don’t really see women at all in our church. We are a community run on the labor of women—in the nursery, in the Primary, in the compassionate service program, and more—and depending on the ability of women to blend into the background of our environment. We count on the organist and chorister[1] to be able to silently become part of the periphery of the chapel podium. We assume that women will prepare their babies and children for religious rites and ordinances only to be physically excluded from all of these precious moments. And we expect that women will plan activities and programs and conferences but will sit reverently while men preside and give the keynote address.
Recently, the Church issued a statement recognizing International Women’s Day, saying, “Limiting religious expression disempowers women from a broad range of faiths.” The statement continues: “A world where women are empowered to follow their conscience is a world of greater peace and possibility.” For too long, women in our faith have been expected to work quietly, directed and presided over by men; our experiences have been defined by the presence and approval of men; and women leaders are nearly indistinguishable in a sea of men. Our participation is mandatory, but our potential is limited.
In April, Ordain Women will have a social media action dedicated to highlighting the invisibility of women in our church. Inspired by the Elle #MoreWomen campaign we will be sharing photos from the LDS newsroom and stock photo collection. The photos will be paired with an altered version that removes the men.
#MoreWomen #Possibilities #OrdainWomen
One look at these photos and you will be struck by the overwhelming presence of men in our community. At baby blessings, at sacrament meeting, in leadership, women are outnumbered and, even more often, completely excluded. We hope you take the time to ponder these photos and ask yourself if they really look like a faith that empowers women and allows them to help bring about a world of greater peace and possibility. Then share the photos and ask your friends the same thing.
[1] I acknowledge men can serve in these callings, but they have been traditionally held by women in my experience and are the only callings that place a woman on the podium.
Is There No One Who Will Hear Me?
Six months ago I approached the Church Administration Building with every hope that my leaders would accept my request to deliver heartfelt messages from women across the world. I was surprised to encounter a locked gate. Taken aback and a little flustered, I informed the guard on the other end of the phone that I would be waiting outside in case anyone changed their mind and was willing to speak to me.
For three days – 17 hours – no one came. They watched me from the windows. Peeked through the blinds. Some even waved. But, while it seems many looked at me, no one actually saw me. No one saw me as a sister in the gospel. No one saw me as a child of Heavenly Parents worthy of a moment of recognition.
And so, this week, I’ll return. I’ll ask again. I’ll stand again. And I know that people will look at me. I pray that those people will see me. And I hope that someone there will be ready to hear me. This action is about saying our name and asking to be heard. It is about giving our leaders a chance to see us as children of Heavenly Parents and hearing us. But this time, I will bring many more people with me. I hope you will be one of them.
For the details about this action, follow this link.
Why I am Going to the October 1st Action
I see gender inequality all around me.
- In the homes of friends and neighbors, women work far more hours than men, carrying most of the responsibility for children and domestic work, while simultaneously sacrificing career success.
- In social gatherings and meetings, I watch men pontificate about the issues of the day, while women are ignored and forced to the edges of the discussion circle.
- In the workplace, women are paid much less than men for the same or comparable work.
- Men occupy most of the executive positions, while women fill the ranks in business support functions.
- In government, men are seen as bold leaders, while women are called pushy, angry, and shrill.
In my home state of Utah, women earn only 67 cents for every dollar earned by a man. But, this is not a pattern that begins in adulthood. In the United States, the pay gap manifests itself in the form of lower allowance payments to girls, and the requirement that girls perform more work at home.
So why will I be at the action? For thousands of years, religions have been the central institutions for enforcing gender inequality. Religion has been used to justify patriarchy and keep women subject to male rule. Here in Utah, the LDS Church is the dominant patriarchal institution, and its central justification for denying power and authority to women is its teaching that only men can hold the priesthood (the power to act in God’s name).
As long as my fellow citizens believe that gender discrimination comes from God, we will live in an unequal society. As long as most of my fellow Utahans believe that God picks only men to lead, women in my state will continue to face discrimination in every part of their lives.
Because I believe in equality, I will be at the October 1st Action. I hope that you will join me there.
We Will Persevere
I did not learn about Ordain Women until a few weeks before the second action. I was excited to learn that there were other members who were questioning the notion of a gendered priesthood in the LDS Church. As excited as I was, neither my finances nor my life circumstances allowed me to participate in that action in person. However, I proudly participated by proxy as my name was carried by my dear friend, Joanna J. Smith.
Since April 2014, my support for and participation in Ordain Women has grown steadily. I have moved from questioning the notion of a gendered priesthood in the LDS Church to rejecting that notion. My convictions lead me to submitted a profile in September 2014 and to participate (in person) in the local priesthood action in October 2014. Being turned away at the door of the Roswell Stake Center did not dampen my conviction or my resolve; instead, I drew strength from the searing pain of being turned away at the door of my chosen house of worship.
I have participated in and supported every Ordain Women action since April 2014. With each action, I have been awed and humbled by the hard work, devotion, and sacrifice of my siblings as we work together to achieve equality in faith in the LDS Church. With each action, I have become more and more convinced that those of us who have joined together in this struggle have been led to do so and that we will not waver in our conviction and our resolve.
Although Church leaders have ignored us and failed to respond to us, I remain convinced that our cause is just and that we will prevail. I am also convinced that, despite the discomfort and even dislike that many of our LDS siblings have for public action and agitation, we have reached the point where faithful, public agitation is the only option available to us. As we learned at the “Ready to Witness” action in April, faithful, public agitation during General Conference affords us an opportunity to take our case not only to our leaders but to other LDS members who are attending General Conference.
So on October 1st, in the same faithful spirit that we, as a group, attempted to deliver cards and letters to our leaders in April, we will, individually, climb the steps to the Church Administration Building at 47 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150. Each one of us will request a meeting with a general authority or general officer of the Church to raise the question of women’s ordination to the priesthood in the LDS Church.
We will be spiritually prepared: We will begin our action with a devotional in which we will invoke the presence of the spirit.
We will be physically prepared: We will have plans and supplies to attend to the physical needs of all the participants in the action.
We will be respectful: We will approach the building politely and in a very orderly fashion. We will not obstruct traffic on the sidewalk. We will not create a disturbance.
BUT
We will not yield. We will not stop. We will continue to seek equality in faith. We will continue to ask our leaders to hear us, to see us, and to take our concerns to our Heavenly Parents. We will do so because we believe that denying priesthood power and authority to us simply because we are not men is not in keeping with divine will and because we believe that the answer to the poignant question posed by Blaire Ostler in her powerful piece, “Priesthood Power” as to whether we, too, are “heir[s] of God” is a resounding: Yes!
Come. Join Us. “Let [Your] Voice Be Heard.”
