March 8: Equal in Faith 2.0
Some accuse women of being power-hungry if they advocate for women’s full inclusion in their faith traditions, treating spiritual power as if it were in short supply and something to be hoarded rather than shared. What they fail to acknowledge is that there is no shame, nor are there accusations of improper ambition, attached to men who aspire to ordination, pastoral leadership, the opportunity to preach and lead others in prayer, or stand and pray in holy places. Neither should there be for women.
But religion not only affects those of us who claim denominational affiliation. It significantly influences the global community. Recognizing this, the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development sponsored a multi-country study from 2007 through 2009 to look at Religion, Politics and Gender Equality. Religion, the UN study demonstrates, is a part of the fabric of our world and impacts the rights of women globally.[1]
If we care about a just society, we all have a stake in whether or not our religious communities help liberate or subordinate women. “Across the world religions,” writes religious scholar Christine E. Gudorf, “feminists are clear that the dignity and welfare of women within religions and within their larger communities requires the development of women clergy, judges, and religious scholars. Religion should be more than simply a source of comfort for women resisting degradation and violence aimed at them; it should be, and could be, a support for women liberating themselves from all kinds of violence against women … But in order for religion to be a source of liberation, it must develop the ability to critically examine its history and development and the impact that it has had on the lives of girls and women … who continue to look to religion for hope and support.”[2]
Once a year, we gather as an interfaith community to state, unequivocally, that gender equality shouldn’t stop at the doors of our churches, shrines, synagogues and mosques. This year’s Equal in Faith Fast for Gender Justice in Religion is on March 8, International Women’s Day. Sponsored by Ordain Women, the Women’s Ordination Conference (Roman Catholic) and Ordain Women Now (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod), Equal in Faith hopes to raise awareness about the role religion must play in eradicating global gender inequality. You can participate online, host an informal break-the-fast gathering with friends, or attend one of the Equal in Faith events in select cities. Go to EqualinFaith.org for more details.
[1] http://www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/projects.nsf/%28httpProjectsForProgrammeArea-en%29/3F3D45E0F8567920C12572B9004180C5?OpenDocument
[2] http://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv07n09supp6.html#section1
The Face of Ordain Women
On March 17, 2013, I sat at my computer anxiously reading 26 essays written by 26 people, each of whom expressed a sincere desire to see women ordained to the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I took in every word, analyzing each for any sign that these were people I could stand next to, people who truly, faithfully felt the same call I did. I scanned the faces: women and men on their wedding days, holding their children, playing the violin, reading. With each new face, each new profile, I felt the Spirit telling me that this was my time to finally declare, “I believe that women should be ordained.”
I say it now: “I believe that women should be ordained.” And I share that message through my activities with Ordain Women. As Chair of the Executive Board of Ordain Women, I work with eight men and women, each of whom came to Ordain Women at different times and through different paths. These men and women are smart and passionate and just lovely. We work together to establish long-term strategy and craft communication items. We spend hours together on conference calls and individually in contemplation. We have fierce debates and prayerful moments.
Beyond the men and women of the Ordain Women Executive Board, we have many incredible volunteers who serve on committees that help plan events, write and edit social media content, and organize the hundreds of volunteers. When I think of Ordain Women, I see the faces of these volunteers.
I am proud to call Kate Kelly a friend and colleague today. I like her, I respect her, and I work side-by-side with her at Ordain Women. But I can honestly say the day I submitted my profile I had no idea who Kate Kelly was. Her profile was one of the 26, listed in no apparent order and so given no prominence. I came to Ordain Women because of the feeling I had while reading the various profiles. I came here to share my story and my beliefs and my desires as one of many. This is a movement of hundreds of people, supported by thousands more, and working for the future of countless women and girls. They are the face of Ordain Women. The face of Ordain Women is me.
Honoring our past,
Envisioning our future.
Debra Jenson, the author of this post, is on the Executive Board of Ordain Women and the 2015 Ordain Women Chairperson.
Equal in Faith Action: Sunday, March 8, 2015
Ordain Women and people of many faiths will mark International Women’s Day on Sunday March 8, 2015, by joining together in a global, interfaith fast and social media campaign (#EqualinFaith) for gender justice and the equality of women in their faith communities. Called Equal in Faith, the day-long fast and social media campaign will culminate in interfaith prayer services and regional gatherings in several cities across a number of continents. Details about regional gatherings—including those in Salt Lake City, Denver, and Washington, DC—as well as online participation are on the Equal in Faith website, equalinfaith.org, and on Facebook.
Sponsored by Ordain Women, the Women’s Ordination Conference (Roman Catholic), and Ordain Women Now (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod), Equal in Faith embraces the official theme of International Women’s Day 2015, “Make it Happen,” as a call for all people of faith to stand with women everywhere in the struggle for equality.
How can you participate?
1. Tweet or post a photo and/or a message on your Facebook page that includes the hashtag #equalinfaith and express your hope for religious gender equality. Be sure to make your post public. You can use one of the following suggestions or write your own.
– I support #equalinfaith
– Women of faith stand for equality #equalinfaith
– I am a feminist of faith #equalinfaith
2. Visit the Equal in Faith website, like the Equal in Faith Facebook page, and help spread the word about the Equal in Faith Fast on Sunday, March 8.
3. Attend an Equal of Faith break-the-fast gathering in your area, host a gathering of friends at your home, or participate virtually.
Our hope is that interfaith events like the Equal in Faith fast will underscore our belief in the ability of religion to liberate rather than subjugate women. We want to ignite an interfaith conversation about maintaining what we value in our religious traditions while transforming them into more inclusive, equitable and welcoming communities.
We Are Ordain Women
Ordain Women direct action on Temple Square October 2013
World history is so full of brave women who have led the charge in the fight to make life better for their gender. Some of these feminist leaders have taken steady, patient approaches and worked within the current system to find ways to improve. They don’t make a big splash, but they contribute steady progress to equality. Some of these feminists have been bold leaders in more aggressive ways and there were a lot of people–men and women–who really hated them for it. But their broad, bold strokes have brought attention to the issues, and started conversations that led to progress.
This history applies to us. Ordain Women, Mormon Feminists, and the Church need to be aware of two things. One lesson is that there is a role that bold, unapologetic activism plays in any movement. We need it. Sometimes we need someone to rattle the cage, or throw open the gate. We also need more methodical and subtle approaches. We need those who will gently point out the problem to others who can’t see it. But, most especially, we need to stop treating either approach with derision.
The second lesson is that no one leader is the center of the story. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say something like, “I like the idea of giving women the priesthood, but I don’t want to align myself with that Kate Kelly,” I’d at least be able to treat myself to dinner in a nice restaurant. Kate Kelly is a bold, unapologetic voice for Ordain Women and sometimes that rubs some people the wrong way. But she has most definitely played an important role in getting the issue on the table. Though we Mormons are drawn to charismatic leaders, we need to remember that the issues at hand are the center of this story, and not Kate Kelly. The story isn’t that one time she said a thing that you didn’t like. The story isn’t that you think she should or should not be doing interviews with the New York Times. The story isn’t that you don’t like her tone or even her glasses.
By the same token, the story also isn’t whether she is your hero. The story isn’t that you want your daughter to be just like her when she grows up. The story isn’t that you have a t-shirt with her face or catchphrase on it. History will, no doubt, look kindly upon Kate Kelly. But that is because she is a leader in a movement that is much bigger and more important than how anyone feels about her. In the long run, the movement for gender parity is the story.
Ordain Women direct action on Temple Square October 2013
And the story has a panoply of leaders, like Kate, who have shown courage and fortitude in standing for what they believe. Nadine McCombs Hansen wrote her first public piece about female ordination in 1980. After dealing with the disappointment of not being able to be a part of her daughters’ blessings, Kristy Money has been a public and vocal voice for equal participation for women. Tinesha Zandamela has publicly spoken out for women’s equality in the church, even though she is a current student at BYU and risks academic sanctions. These courageous sisters are just the tip of the iceberg.
Ordain Women is a coalition of supporters from across the spectrum. Some of us have quiet conversations with our ward and stake leaders about incremental changes that give women a greater voice and power in the church. Some of us take our megaphones to the internet and the media to raise awareness of the issue far and wide. Kate Kelly is not Ordain Women. We are Ordain Women. Kate Kelly is a person with feelings and shouldn’t be used as a prop. It also does a disservice to the incredible success of the movement to make it about a single, solitary individual. A single person can be easily disciplined or deified. A robust movement of women all around the world has the staying power we need to realize fundamental change. Ordain Women will be a stronger, healthier, more sustainable movement if gender justice is always the center of the story.
Ordain Women direct action on Temple Square October 2013
If you support ordaining women to the priesthood, please join us in the fight. If you don’t like the way it has been approached thus far, come tell us about it and work with us. Don’t let disagreement or dissonance with any one person or idea be your excuse for inaction. Come be a part of something bigger and more important. We need your approach and we need your voice. Let’s no longer leave the change we want to see to the most outspoken of the leaders, requiring them to pay the price while we stand by. Let’s liberate ourselves. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
Honoring our past,
Envisioning our future.
A Simple Testimony
In light of recent excommunications, I have been torn about remaining a member of the church. I have wondered if staying and remaining (relatively) silent about my feelings regarding gender and marriage inequality, and about ecclesiastical abuse, means I am being complicit in these wrongs. I felt that I either needed to leave, or I needed to practice being more authentic as a member — even if only a marginalized one who does not hold a temple recommend and currently holds no calling.
I woke up early on Sunday (an unusual occurrence for me) and was inspired to write out the testimony I would give in church (see below). I was terrified, my heart was racing, but I felt I had to do it, and I did.
A few sentences into the third paragraph–at which point I was tearing up–a woman in the back of the chapel stood up and loudly proclaimed, “You need to stop!”. I paused my testimony, turned to the bishop, and asked him if I needed to stop. He looked like a deer in the headlights, so I decided I would probably stop to avoid further contention. I turned back to the audience and the woman in the back again loudly proclaimed, “You need to stop!” I looked at her and, still standing at the pulpit, still teary-eyed and blubbering a little, replied to her, “We are called to mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. How dare you call yourself a Christian!” (I swear I am not usually this brave), and went back to my seat next to my husband. I did some full on silent-ish crying after that while the bishop abruptly brought the meeting to a close and his counselor bore a quick but firm “the church is true” testimony to end the meeting.
A host of people, including the bishop, came up to me afterwards, gave me hugs, and apologized for what had happened. Some even said they agreed with me.
My amazing visiting teacher found me afterward and we talked in her car during Sunday School, then walked back in for RS afterward. A few more people gave me hugs, and the RS counselor even hugged me and whispered in my ear, “You’re awesome.”
It was still very emotionalday at church, but I feel like I did something that I needed to do, and that God was with me through it.
Here is my testimony I didn’t get to finish:
Testimony March 1, 2015
I like fast and testimony meeting because people share things about their lives – sometimes deeply personal things like personal struggles or successes that give me a glimpse into the real life of that person. I’ve been a member of this church my entire life – 32 years to be precise – and it’s sometimes easy to see the other members of a ward as nice people in nice suits and dresses devoid of personal struggles. I’ve moved around a lot since high school, and have been in seven different wards during that time, so it’s made getting to know people on a personal level even more challenging. Fast and testimony meeting helps me get acquainted in this sense, without the discomfort of having to approach a complete stranger and ask intrusive questions about their inner spiritual lives. (I’m an introvert, so approaching strangers in general is stepping outside of my comfort zone.) Listening to other people’s stories and learning about their struggles helps me view the world from another perspective. I feel that it helps me develop empathy and become more Christlike.
In fact, I wish we could have more fast & testimony meetings. Christian and I once attended a Quaker meeting and learned that Quaker’s basically have a version of fast & testimony meeting EVERY Sunday, except that people are encouraged to stand up only if they truly feel moved by the Spirit to do so, and it’s okay to have long periods of silent meditation if nobody gets up for a while. One of my favorite Relief Society lessons ever was when Christian and I were attending a ward in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was the Sunday right after the Boston Marathon. As most people know, the Boston Marathon is a pretty big deal and there are many spectators. The teacher had been one of these spectators and had chosen to watch the race at a spot near “Heartbreak Hill”. It is the last hill of the marathon, somewhere around mile 20. Needless to say, after running really fast for 20 miles, marathoners are tired and really have to push themselves to get over the hill. The teacher described the experience of watching runners struggle to make it over the hill, the looks of both fatigue and determination evident on their faces. The crowd of spectators would cheer them along, and that encouragement from the sidelines inevitably helped many of them over the hill. The teacher had been inspired by this experience to make the RS class session an opportunity for members of the class to get up and share their deeply personal “Heartbreak Hill” experiences — difficult experiences that they might be going through at that very time but that perhaps nobody or very few people knew about. And after each woman shared her experience, the class members would clap for her, just like the spectators cheering along the runners in the race. I can’t share the details of the experiences shared that day (this was a condition of the class session), but I can guarantee that I felt greater empathy, compassion, and a sense of belonging that day in Relief Society than ever before.
With this in mind, I would like to share some deeply personal things about me today. I have been considering resigning my membership from this church lately. After 32 years as a member of this church, this is not an easy thing to consider. It is a painful prospect. But the fact is, I don’t feel like there is an acceptable place for me in this church anymore. I don’t believe some of the things I once did, nor do I think I ever can. Specifically, I don’t believe that the gendered segregation of leadership and priesthood responsibilities in this church is doctrine inspired by God. I think that gender, like race, is one of the MANY differences among us that conspires to divide us rather than unite us. In my professional life as a physician, I have been encouraged to use my talents to accomplish anything I desire to help advance human health. Yet, in this church, I see half of the members systematically excluded from opportunities for service based on their femaleness. I can help save lives in a hospital, but I cannot pass the bread of life to members in my ward. Young women can aspire to be CEOs of companies, but can’t aspire to be a counselor in the bishopric. I recall our very own bishop, when he was called to the position less than a year ago, bear his testimony of how much he had longed to serve as a bishop, how he had looked forward to it for years. Why is this desire righteous in a man but sinful in a woman? How much more could the Sister Missionaries accomplish if they could give blessings and baptize members? There are some places in the world where female members far outnumber male members, but a branch or ward cannot be formed without a certain number of priesthood-holding males. How tragic that women should be denied access to a community of Saints solely because of a lack of male peers.
I know that for most of you, these concerns seem less important than they do to me. Some may be thinking that by bringing up my honest feelings all I’m doing is making people uncomfortable and discontented. If these problems are irrelevant to you, then I ask for your charity: all of us will have doubts and struggles some day, and these are mine. I also think that it is inevitable that in a community of Christians who believe in the sanctifying power of service, there will inevitably be some women who want to serve the world in a way other than motherhood, and these women will either need a chance to talk about these feelings, or need to forever struggle with feelings of inauthenticity and isolation in our congregations. The latter is the space I have occupied for the past decade.
Within the last year, two prominent Mormons that I admire have been excommunicated. One of these was Kate Kelly, one of the founders of the group called Ordain Women. I have been a member of this group since early in its inception. When my family and friends read my online profile, a few of them responded unkindly. I have been told that if I don’t believe 100% of the church’s teachings, I should just leave. I have been called an apostate. I have been accused of being power-hungry. I have had the “motherhood-priesthood” argument explained to me in 100 different ways, none of which hold water in my view. In the past I tried fasting, praying, and studying scriptures and conference talks to try to understand how sexism can possibly be okay at church. I was in a state of spiritual agony for years trying to understand. It wasn’t until I accepted the nagging thought that it wasn’t okay that I felt at peace. Now, denying this fact would be going against what my mind, heart, and soul tell me to be true. Sadly, being true to myself in this way puts me in a very tentative place – one in which the threat of possible excommunication hovers constantly overhead.
Despite my unorthodox beliefs, I have an unshakable testimony of Jesus Christ, of his teachings, and of the love God has for each of us. I will never abandon that. I also believe firmly in many of the teachings contained in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. = I cherish our doctrine of continuing revelation, but I believe that revelation can be constrained by cultural forces and human imperfections. Whether I choose to stay or not, I love this community for what it represents – a community of people striving to do their best to be good and to do good in this world, and I hope it continues to inch forward toward Zion.
Honoring our past,
Envisioning the future.
Marina, the author of this post, has a profile on Ordain Women.
“Coworkers with God”
In stark contrast to the tragic finality of Kate’s excommunication, I was encouraged to read the Church’s desire to make it clear that holding a profile on Ordain Women with one’s views publicly stated is not a disciplinary offense.
I saw that statement as a step forward. Combined with Elder Christofferson’s recent positive answer to a question on whether or not someone can publicly support Ordain Women and be temple-worthy, I choose to look for hope that the Church is making room for a variety of opinions that are in sync with LDS doctrine (like views on equality). As Hugh B. Brown, former Member of the First Presidency, said in a BYU Devotional:
“Preserve, then, the freedom of your mind in education and in religion, and be unafraid to express your thoughts and to insist upon your right to examine every proposition.”
President Brown delivered these words in 1969, when our country’s racial tensions were incredibly high, and only a year after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. It is no secret that President Brown publicly expressed his desire for the priesthood and temple ban for Black men and women to end. I thought of all the brave Mormon men and women instrumental to the revelatory process that ended the ban when I read Dr. King’s words quoted from Christiane’s recent OW profile, “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men [and women] willing to be coworkers with God.”
We learn repeatedly in the scriptures that revelations do not come until they are wanted. I worry every day that faithful members who desire equality will start listening to those who tell us to leave the Church if we aren’t content with the way things are. I do not believe that’s what God wants, and I don’t think that’s what the Brethren want, either. And so I stay, and take heart in President Uchtdorf’s counsel: “… if we stop asking questions, stop thinking, stop pondering, we can thwart the revelations of the spirit.”
Kate’s experience is truly an anomaly: out of over 600 public OW supporters with profiles, and thousands more who share their support openly with family, friends, and ward members, she alone has received formal discipline. Many have received informal discipline, but I am hoping earlier statements by Elder Christofferson and the Newsroom about OW are remembered and noted by local leaders, rather than focusing on the local decision of one leader in Washington DC. The inclusive future of Mormonism depends on this.
Honoring our past,
Envisioning our future.
Supporter Spotlight- Sean
My name is Sean. I’m 47 years old and I’ve been married to Renee for the last 22 of those years. We were college sweethearts and we were married two days after I graduated from law school. It was a little law school in Cambridge, MA — HARVARD — but I’m not sure that it’s necessary to mention that I went to HARVARD or that I was there at the same time as President Obama … at HARVARD. But please feel free to leave that part out.
We have four sons, who are 20,18, 10 and 7, respectively. Our family is a little different than most because two of our sons are autistic. This makes Renee Mother of the Year every year, particularly considering that I spend much of my time on the road telling jokes to lawyers. Yes, you read that correctly. I use my coveted law degree as a legal humorist, speaking for lawyer groups across the country.
In fact, this is how I discovered the Church. I was asked to speak at BYU Law Alumni event back in the fall of 2010. Before my talk, my “chaperone” was giving me a tour of the law school and we came upon a wall of class photos stretching back over the last 25 years or so. As I looked the photos, I was struck by, shall we say, the lack of diversity. And don’t get me wrong. I didn’t expect to see many people of color. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see two or three blacks and Polynesians in each class. However, I was surprised that the classes were so heavily male.
In most law schools, women make up a slight majority of the students. This is obviously not the case with BYU. I asked my handler why this was the case and he explained to me that Mormons have this “law of chastity” and as a result, Mormon young men and women tend to get married at younger ages. As a result, by the time that a Mormon woman is in her early 20s, she will have one or more children, making law school attendance all but impossible.
I found this to be SHOCKING. But not because Mormons have a law of chastity. The truth is that ALL Christian groups recognize the law of chastity. However, Mormons seem to be one of the few groups that take it seriously. This piqued my interest in the LDS Church. I thought, “These people take this whole chastity seriously. I wonder how seriously they take the rest of the Bible.”
So, on the first Sunday of 2011, I walked into my local LDS ward. For some reason, I stood out at a visitor and the ward mission leader became my “Church buddy” for the day. While the hymns and the lay talks are an “acquired taste,” I was immediately drawn in by the spirit of warmth and fellowship amongst the members. It was obvious from the start that Mormons really like each other. Given that Christ himself said, “They shall know you by your love one to another,” I was pretty sure so that I had stumbled upon a Church that was ordained of God. The next week, I brought Renee and the kids with me and the rest is missionary history.
We were baptized in May of 2011. We went through the temple and received our endowments a couple of years later. We both currently hold callings. Renee is Relief Society Secretary and Cub Scout something or other (am I an attentive husband or what?). I teach Elder’s Quorum once a month (at least, until someone in the bishopric makes the mistake of attending one of my “lessons”).
As for OW, I probably heard about it through Mormon Stories when Kate Kelly came on to announce plans for the first attempt to attend the priesthood session. My immediate reaction was, “You go, girl!” While I love me some saints, I’ve never been a fan of our priesthood apartheid. In fact, I’ve also found it somewhat demeaning that 12-year-old boys “outrank” sisters who have faithfully served the Church for 60, 70 and 80 years. However, I had come to expect that any such change wouldn’t come from within given our history of agitation (or lack thereof) for the end of the racial priesthood ban in 1978. That is what excited me so much about this movement. The SAINTS were actually attempting to push the Church on the right side of history (which sadly, is not our usual side).
However, I just sat back and silently cheered until last summer when Kate was excommunicated. At that point, I realized that I had to DO something. So I submitted my profile and then sent my bishop a letter in which I handed in my temple recommend. I explained that if Sister Kelly wasn’t worthy to be a member because of her stand for the ordination of women, then I certainly wasn’t worthy to enter the temple by virtue of my cowardice in not voicing my agreement with her.
For the last six months or so, my bishop had been silent on the matter. He didn’t even acknowledge that he had received my letter. That is, until I recently posted my OW profile on FB in celebration of MLK Day. In response, my bishop called me into his office to inquire whether I would continue to be vocal in my support of OW. Given that I so desperately wish that more saints would have spoken up for their black brothers and sisters back in the 60s and 70s, I simply can not be quiet in the face of injustice now.
Hopefully, a few people being willing to speak out will give others to courage to do so. And hopefully, it will help even more saints to see that separate but equal is NEVER equal. My HOPE is that a groundswell feeling of injustice amongst the saints will cause the Brethren to earnest seek revelation. And since the people will be ready for it, HF can help us come one step closer to a true fellowship of believers.
Honoring our past,
Envisioning our future.
Sean Carter, the author of this post, is on Ordain Women’s Social Media Committee.
First Presidency Denied Kate Kelly’s Appeal
Ordain Women Executive Board member Kristy Money hugs Kate Kelly the night of her vigil in Salt Lake City in June 2014.
Early this morning Kate Kelly, the founder of Ordain Women, received an email from her former stake president, Scott Wheatley, informing her that the First Presidency had denied the appeal of her excommunication from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though she requested a copy, as of yet Kate has not been permitted to see the letter or its contents. Further inquiries regarding specifics of the letter should be addressed to President Wheatley of the Oakton Virginia Stake.
According to Ordain Women Executive Board Chair Debra Jenson, “We are deeply saddened by the choice of the First Presidency to uphold the excommunication of our sister, Kate Kelly. We are profoundly troubled by a definition of apostasy that seems to include members asking sincere questions of our leaders. We reaffirm our commitment to faithful action and our hope for gender equality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Throughout this ordeal, we have been disappointed repeatedly in the disciplinary process and its fairness. We once again point out that Kate was initially tried and judged in absentia by a panel of three men–one of whom had never met her. Though assured that the process was “consistent with Church policy,” Kate, like nearly every woman in the Church, did not have access to the Handbook of Instructions in which the disciplinary process is outlined. Only nine women in the Church have access to the handbook that details church policy, while more than 100,000 men, including those who tried and convicted Kate, have access to the handbook. Our questions extend to the appeal process, as well, since it was handled through the very same stake officer who initially accused her of apostasy.
Kate Kelly responded to the appeal saying, “I am disappointed in the outcome, but not surprised since the disciplinary process has been entirely opaque and inequitable from the get-go. Fortunately, men do not control my happiness, nor do they control my connection to God. I am proud of what I have done. I am proud of the women and men who have taken a stand with me in this struggle for gender justice. We will continue to act with integrity and courage. Mormon women and their legitimate concerns cannot be swept under the rug or summarily dismissed by one ‘Court of Love.’”
Debra Jenson added, “Though we had hoped that the First Presidency would welcome our sister back into the body of the Church, the decision remains a tragic and unfair anomaly among the thousands of those who publicly support ordination for women and have not been punished for speaking out.”
My Path
Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday. My mother is one of the strongest and most courageous women I know. Her story and her journey played an integral part in my decision to submit a profile to Ordain Women and to serve on the Executive Board of Ordain Women.
My mother is 86 years old. She has been a Baptist all of her life. (Admittedly, when my father, who was a Methodist minister, was alive, she attended the Methodist churches where he was the pastor, but her heart was still in her Baptist church).
She joined New Robbins Branch Missionary Baptist Church (a small country church in Screven County that her mother and favorite uncle had helped to establish) when she was eight years old, through full immersion baptism. She was a faithful attendee of Sunday School and the Baptist Training Union. As she grew older, she served as a delegate for her church at the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Association and Sunday School Convention. Although changes in her life took her from Screven County in south Georgia to Meriwether County in west Georgia, she quickly found her another Baptist church—Mt. Venus Missionary Baptist Church–to join, this time through Christian experience.
The Baptist faith, like the LDS faith, is steeped in patriarchy. For many years Baptist churches refused to ordain women to the offices of bishops, deacons, or pastors, ostensibly based on the scriptures found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. My mother grew up in the midst of all the patriarchy. However, while she paid lip service to the patriarchy, her life and her actions show that she has, in actuality, been a pioneer for equality in faith.
For over thirty years, my mother has served as the clerk of her church, a position that her church believes should be restricted to men. Prior to serving as the clerk, she served as assistant clerk (another position that her church believes should be restricted to men) for over twenty years. My mother was initially placed in those positions because, in her small country church, there was no one else who could perform the tasks. She remained in those positions because her service has been recognized as exemplary by her fellow members, her church leaders, and her local community.
During her service in those positions, she has not only been an advocate for more women serving in leadership and administrative positions, but she has actively recruited women for and placed women into those positions. For example, the current Sunday School president is a woman, women serve as ward captains (members assigned to help collect tithes and offerings from other members), women have served as her assistant clerk, and the person who is being groomed to take my mother’s place as clerk is a woman.
Over the years, as she has served in those positions, my mother has moved away from even paying lip service to the patriarchy. She no longer accepts the notion that there are positions in the church that women cannot fill. Instead, she now has a deep and abiding belief that, as daughters of God, women can and should be equal participants in serving and working in God’s church.
As I watched my mother serve alongside the men in her church and hold positions in her church that were (technically) reserved for men, I began to formulate my own beliefs that the divine work can best be done if all of God’s children are allowed to participate in that work, fully and equally. I did not cast aside those beliefs in 2008 when I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also was not unaware of the governing structure of the Church. However, I joined the Church believing that if the men in the Church exercised righteous dominion in the use of their priesthood authority and accepted women as equal partners in the doing the divine work, then the fact that women were not ordained to the priesthood would not create any imbalance of power and would not result in any inequity in the way that women were treated in the Church.
That belief was tested when I realized that, although we did not have enough ushers in our ward, we could not ask any of the women to serve as ushers because that position was reserved for men. It was tested even more when I realized that several administrative functions, particularly functions related to keeping records or handling money, were not being performed as quickly or as efficiently as they could be because, once again, there were not enough men to do them, even though there were several women who could have performed those functions. It was tested again as I watched older men in the ward prepare and administer the sacrament because there were not enough young men to do so even though there were several young women who could have done so. It was tested even more the first time I witnessed a baby blessing and realized (much to my surprise and dismay) that no women were included in the circle, not even the baby’s mother. However, I think the death knell for that belief came (even though I may not have recognized it at the time) the first time I witnessed two converts—a woman and a man–being confirmed and then saw the man be ordained to the priesthood, not because he had been deemed so much more worthy or qualified than the woman, but simply because he was a man.
Each time there was another test of the belief that had allowed me to join the Church, I spent a lot of time crying and praying. Each time I told myself that if I just continued to magnify my calling I could ignore all the ways that the Church that I loved treated all the wonderfully gifted and talented women in the ward as having less value or importance than any man in the ward. Then there came a day when I was sitting in a meeting where the topic was, once again, how we could not accomplish a task that we all agreed would help to build God’s kingdom because we needed to increase the number of Melchizedek Priesthood holders. As I sat in that meeting, I thought about my mother, the strong, brave, stalwart woman of faith that she is, a woman who has faithfully served over half a century in church positions that, according to her faith, are reserved for men and who has done so with grace and distinction. I realized that I could not be true to the example set by my mother if I did not follow in her footsteps and do everything that I could to make sure that LDS women are full and equal participants in serving and working in God’s church. That day was when I decided to submit a profile to Ordain Women. As my mother’s daughter, I could do no less.
Honoring our past,
Envisioning our future.
Bryndis, the author of this post, is on Ordain Women’s Executive Board and the Chair of the Intersectionality Committee.
Julia Mavimbela
What breaks my heart is how little we hear about Black LDS women and their amazing stories. Julia Mavimbela was one such amazing Black LDS woman, whose testimony and dedication to service helps strengthen my faith. I would like to share her story, because it impacted my faith.
Before I go on and expound on how Sister Mavimbela’s thoughts, sayings, and actions helped strengthen my faith, I’ll give a little background.
Sister Mavimbela (1917-2000) was a LDS woman who served in many different capacities in the church. Additionally, she was the leader of several women’s organizations in South Africa, including National Women of South Africa and Women for Peace. She was the organizer of many other service initiatives.
There’s a story about Sister Mavimbela that deeply touched me as I studied about her and her life. In 1976, riots erupted in Soweto. She quickly noticed that the youth were not responding well to the riots, and there was a lot of hatred. This prompted her organic gardening project—the youth would find “useless and ugly” places in Soweto “with the beneficial and beautiful.”
She said, “This message is my message to young people. They should have it in their hearts. Let us dig the soil of bitterness, throw in a seed, show love, and see what fruits it can give. Love will not come without forgiving others. Where there has been a blood stain, a beautiful flower must grow.”
Forgiveness and love are such simple words and relatively simple concepts, but they are hard to live. I think of her teaching youth to grow seeds a place that may not look beautiful—a place surrounded with tension and pain. In my own life, I absolutely feel that there are really hard and difficult things I deal with, and I know how easy it is to let myself be surrounded by bitterness. Sister Mavimbela reminded me of how truly important it is to let love and forgiveness grow, so that the “beneficial and beautiful” are able to bloom. Getting rid of unnecessary resentful thoughts that I have towards others and myself is really challenging, but I know that finding ways to channel bitterness into something beautiful is worthwhile and brings me closer to my Heavenly Parents.
Honoring our past,
Envisioning our future.
Tinesha, the author of this post, has a profile on Ordain Women.