A Feminist's Perspective on a Patriarchal Church

Did my title hit all the hot buttons? Okay, good!

Now, to clarify, I think I would more ascribe to third wave feminism. Not the bra-burning associated with second wave feminism. Rather, I believe that people shouldn't let socially constructed stereotypes keep them from creating their own unique path. Want to become a doctor? Go for it. Want to be a stay-at-home mom? Awesome. To quote some random article I found, "The heart of the movement is respect for our fellow woman, which includes acknowledging her beliefs, choices, and methods of self-expression and identification (as long as it isn’t harmful to her or others)."

Now, there are many aspects of the LDS church that I could tackle, but the main thing I want to address are the topics of  1) equality and 2) the priesthood (deemed in the church the power and authority to act in God's name) and how I can call myself a feminist and not really give a poop that women don't have it.


EQUALITY STARTING WITH ADAM & EVE

I feel like so many years of men-are-better-than-women mentality can be traced back to the story of Adam & Eve. From one of the first stories in the bible, the major consensus seems to be that we see how dumb and easily swayed Eve is. Hence men-are-better-than-women. From LDS teachings, we see things a tad differently. We believe that God gave them a couple commandments: 1) don't eat of the fruit and 2) multiply and replenish the earth. The two don't seem super contradictory until you look at some LDS scripture: 

And [Adam and Eve] would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall" (2 Nephi 2:22–26; see also 2 Nephi 2:19–21, 27).

So basically, Eve had to make a pretty big decision. Oh and that beguiled by the serpent thing? Take a look on this bit from an article below (if you want to read the whole article, you can go here.)

We read in the biblical text that Satan beguiled Eve. Knowing the negative modern connotations of the word used to explain Satan’s hold over Eve, I wondered how this magnificent woman could have been beguiled.
Sensing this was another word whose true meaning might have been lost after so many centuries of translation, I spoke with Dr. Nehama Aschkenasy. She explained that the Hebrew word that has come to be translated as “beguiled” is a rare verb form of unusual depth and richness. Because it is a form no longer in use, it is almost impossible to translate. “It is safe to say that it indicates an intense multilevel experience which evokes great emotional, psychological, and/or spiritual trauma.”
Aschkenasy wrote of this in her book Eve’s Journey. The use of this word in the biblical narrative “makes it clear that Eve was motivated by a complex set of inner drives, anchored not only in her physical but also in her intellectual nature.” She further indicated her belief that this intense, multilevel experience caused Eve to step back, reevaluate, reassess, and ponder the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So instead of being tricked, Eve had a pretty emotionally traumatic experience when trying to figure out what to do.


HELPMEET DOES NOT EQUAL SERVANT

We read that "God is no respecter of persons" (ACTS 10:34).  Meaning, He doesn't show favoritism to one person over another--including men over women. Again, in LDS theology, Adam and Eve are seen as equal partners: companions who, without the other, could not fully grow and evolve. To quote John A. Widstoe,“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel, which is the only concern of the Church, was devised by the Lord for men and women alike” (see full article here).


BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PRIESTHOOD ISSUE YOU'VE BEEN AVOIDING?

I would use the words "building up to" instead of "avoiding." A foundation, if you will. Anyway, another cornerstone of LDS theology is this: the main and absolutely ultimate goal of God is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (See context here.) A step in the whole process of God's goal, according to LDS doctrine, is for everyone first to come to earth and try to become like Him. In case you're not following along, a woman sacrificing her body through Motherhood, in the eyes of Mormons, is absolutely imperative for God's plan to work. It's kind of like God saying, "Hey, this is super important and special for me, and I'm putting my trust you to do it right." So while men and women are seen as equal (and I know some people will take issue with this next part), Mormons just see these different roles (priesthood and motherhood) as men and women taking stewardship over 2 different parts of God's plan. And I think the real tragedy is when women devalue their quintessential part.