So, about a week and a half ago my Brother posted to his blog on the topic of the recent "Ordain Women" Movement within the LDS Church. It is well thought out and much better than anything you'll read here so you should check it out here. In any case, certain recent events have led me to want to throw my own two cents in on the topic.
In case there are any who are not aware, I am a member of the LDS church. I'm not going to get into the major details but the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that The Church is headed by Jesus Christ with a President and Apostles acting in administrative capacities for the whole church. This President and the Apostles as well as various other leadership positions in the church require the use of the Priesthood, which, according to Lds.org is "The power and authority of God. . . Through [which], God created and governs the heavens and the earth, . . . [and] exalts his obedient children." Historically, within the church, this power has been given to men, and as such, the President, Apostles, and many leadership positions are filled by men.
The Ordain Women Movement seeks to do just what their name implies, persuade the church to allow Women to be ordained to the Priesthood. Recently, the leader of this organization, Kate Kelly was excommunicated for "conduct contrary to the laws and order of the church." In the letter she received from her Bishop in Virginia it stated that the problem was not asking questions but actively recruiting other members to her cause and undermining church leadership. The letter explains the actions that her leaders took to meet with her and help her with her concerns, and that she denied their counsel at every step.
Now, for the opinion part of this post, which has been building up in my mind since I heard both the initial news and the reactions from supporters and opponents of the Ordain Women movement. First of all, if you want to tell me that my opinion on the topic doesn't matter because I'm a man and I'm part of "the Patriarchy," that's fine. No one is forcing you to read this blog, you clicked on it and if you don't like what you read you are perfectly welcome to move on and find something else you like to read. Alright with that taken care of, let's move on.
The LDS church is a religious organization, nobody's going to doubt that. Religious organizations are allowed to have their own doctrine. For example, among the Doctrines of the LDS Church are that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are all separate and distinct entities. Another is that all people will be resurrected and that, based on our own faithfulness, be placed into various degrees of heaven. The Church also believes that it is led by a Prophet who receives direct revelation from God on not just the affairs of the Church but on the world as a whole. Revelation is important in the Church because it is the basis on which things get done. It is how members are called to positions in the church of teachers, leaders, choristers, organists, and all the bits and cogs that make things work. Revelation also has distinct channels. Let me explain:
I imagine most of you have various electronic devices. Now when you need to plug those devices in, each device plugs into the wall in the same way, through the outlets. That's universal among all devices, however I'd bet that each of your devices has their own charger with an end specific for that device. My desktop power cord is much different than the power adapter for my laptop, and my phone charger would definitely not work to power either of those. Revelation is similar. The revelation comes from the same source, but it's endpoint depends on the person receiving it. The Prophet, as stated, can receive revelation for the church as a whole. A bishop can receive revelation for the congregation over which he presides. The president of the Relief Society can receive revelation to help those over which she is given stewardship, but not for the entire Stake. "How does this relate to Ordain Women?" You ask, because apparently you talk to internet articles. Simply put, the Ordain Women movement seeks to take the order of revelation out of the equation by either claiming revelation for the entire church, or by ignoring that the church policies may change but only because of revelation, not popular opinion.
The Church has never been run by popular opinion. There have been many stories in church history of members disagreeing with specific doctrines. An entire branch-off of the church was created because a few people decided that instead of Brigham Young being the next president of the church after Joseph Smith, that it should be Joseph Smith's son. These members stayed in Nauvoo while Brigham Young and the rest of the members trekked out West. The members that stayed behind may have been very devout and believed in all the doctrines that the Church taught, but they chose to ignore the revelation of the Lord to his Apostles. When the church discontinued polygamy in 1890, there were some members who chose to ignore the policy change and continue with plural marriage. These members ignored the revelation received by church leaders on a specific point and subsequently lost their membership.
Ordain Women is not much different. As far as it has been revealed, the Priesthood is to be held by men. This may change and it may not, the Lord has a history of changing who is allowed to hold the priesthood. But if there is a change, it will not come about because of members calling for it. God is a loving God, but a member of the church cannot believe in the doctrines of the church and seek to change God's ways. God has always chosen when the priesthood is on the earth and who holds it. It is his power and he decided who yields it. If the group that is allowed to use it changes, he will not tell a group of disgruntled members about that change. He will tell the Prophet, following the proper channels of revelation. The Presidents of the church have a history of being willing to change when the Lord tells them.
To the members who support Ordain Women, I understand where you may be coming from. I have no desire to tell you that your feelings are wrong. I do wish to let you know, however, that a church run by God is not going be moved by anybody but God.
Alright, bring on the angry mob. Michael, are you ready for them?
