People often wonder if the new Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson, will give the women in the Church more power. By that, I assume they want to know if the women will have the same responsibilities as the men have. The flip side of that thought is that the men would have the same responsibilities as the women. The premise is that men and women are both equally capable leaders, which is true, but aren't there some things that we each naturally do better?
I think a lot of the concern is that the Church is organized in a Patriarchal order with men being called by God to assume general administrative responsibilities. This does not mean that they have some "divine right" to tell women what to do and women are to merely meekly obey the men's orders. No, men are given by God responsibilities in keeping with their most noble desires to love, protect, serve, and bless their families and those around them. Women, think about that; men who are encouraged to really be there instead of dumping all the responsibility for the family and everything else on your shoulders.
You might still think that women in the Church are deprived of active leadership.
"President Nelson, who has nine daughters and one son, responded to a reporter’s question about women in the Church. “I have a special place in my heart about the women,” he said. “We have women on our councils, we have women administering ordinances in the temple, we have women presidents of the auxiliaries and their counselors. We depend on their voices.” https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-nelson-press-conference-recap?cid=HP_TU_16-1-2018_dPAD_fMNWS_xLIDyL1-A_
Women have the responsibility to help lead from local to Church general leadership. We participate in all the leadership councils and are responsible to lead the women, young women, and the children. Men can not serve in these positions. The Lord recognizes that women are better suited for these leadership responsibilities.
But some protest, women are not given the Priesthood. Yes, and no. Yes, women are not ordained to Priesthood offices, or given Priesthood authority and power to preside and direct the affairs of the Church in a certain area. As in the Church in early Christian times, this responsibility is delegated from God through His Apostles to others. But it must be remembered that all that is done in the Church is through Priesthood power which is the power of God. Women are able to lead, serve, and teach because they too are given are given power from God.
An example of a strong woman of God is Sister Wendy Watson Nelson, President Russell M. Nelson's wife.* As as granddaughter of President Nelson, Katie Owens, said, “with Wendy, he has now found another amazing complement and match.” When Sister Nelson accompanies President Nelson on assignments “she speaks to people’s hearts” in a way that can’t come “any other way than through Wendy Watson Nelson. She is so dynamic, so positive, so bright and brilliant.”
To me Sister Wendy Nelson epitomizes the fully contributing partner that President Nelson wants each woman in the Church to become.
This video is a talk that President Nelson gave to the women of the Church encouraging them to take their rightful place in the Kingdom of God.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng
*President Nelson married Wendy Watson twelve years ago after his first wife of nearly 60 years passed away.
No comments:
Post a Comment