This talk was also kind of 'special' in that it was prepared for presentation in conjunction with a talk delivered by my wife on "Being a Christian Woman". Since the two talks were intended to go together, I link you to hers here.
As anyone somewhat versed in the scriptures will know, Section 121 deals in large part with the qualifications for the righteous exercise of priesthood authority. It cites beautiful qualities –
love, kindness, pure knowledge, gentleness, patience, meekness
– all of which are to be conducted under the direction of the Spirit. It then offers this comfort:
Let thy bowels be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly: then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. |
Charity, both the Apostle Paul and the prophet Mormon have taught, is patient, kind, unenvious, not proud, seeks for the good of others, is not easily provoked and does not think evil.
It is important for us, as we wish to study truths about God’s priesthood, to know that not only can we not righteously exercise priesthood authority without such qualities, we also cannot properly understand the doctrine of His priesthood without them.
Virtue, righteousness, kindness, unenviousness, patience, lack of anger, lack of competition, lack of discouragement… these are all characteristics essential to properly understanding and accepting the doctrine of the priesthood.
I start out with these comments, because, before we seek to have an opinion on matters of such depth and importance, or to take any action based on our views, we had better make sure that our own conduct and character are consistent with the capacity to obtain that knowledge and understanding.
I also start here because I know that some of the disgruntlement expressed by organizations and individuals that challenge the teachings and practices of the Church – particularly in regard to women and the priesthood – do not appear to come from a place of charity. They do not appear to come from a place that cannot be characterized as envious or angry or uncompetitive or impatient. So I would warn us against listening to those voices, and, instead, I would encourage each of us – myself included – to strive harder to develop the character necessary to hear the voice of God, through the Holy Ghost, to know with greater certainty what is true and what is false.
Now, having said that, I don’t mean this as a condemnation of any woman or man who questions the exercise of priesthood authority by certain men. There are many men in the Church – and I don’t exclude myself from this category – who sometimes, or often, exercise priesthood authority unrighteously; who do not meet the qualifications set out in Doctrine and Covenants 121 or elsewhere in the scriptures; who do not watch themselves to ensure they are not seeking to cover sins, or that they are not proud or lacking in love, kindness, meekness or charity.
It is without question natural for women or men subject to the presence of unrighteous priesthood holders to ultimately question the doctrine of the priesthood, and the conferral of its authority on such men. It might not be reasonable to impugn the priesthood proper because of the misconduct of one priesthood holder; it certainly isn’t Christian to dwell on such questions or issues in a spirit of anger or self-righteousness; but it is hardly unusual to observe such conduct with feelings of uncertainty, doubt and disappointment.
Brethren, if you would prove to women your worthiness to hold priesthood offices, you must prove it by your worthiness.
So, why is it that God has chosen to bestow sacred priesthood authority upon men and not women?
The first answer to be given to that question is, that the question is flawed: Priesthood authority is not exclusively given to men in the Church.
As noted by Elder Oaks in the April 2014 General Priesthood Meeting of the Church, “Priesthood keys direct women as well as men, and priesthood ordinances and priesthood authority pertain to women as well as men.” He then went on to quote President Joseph Fielding Smith, who was the prophet and president of the Church from 1970 to 1972, and who said,
While the sisters have not been given the Priesthood, it has not been conferred upon them, that does not mean that the Lord has not given unto them authority. …A person may have authority given to him, or a sister to her, to do certain things in the Church that are binding and absolutely necessary for our salvation, such as the work that our sisters do in the House of the Lord. They have authority given unto them to do some great and wonderful things, sacred unto the Lord, and binding just as thoroughly as are the blessings that are given by the men who hold the Priesthood. |
This principle is also evident in the language we use to describe the organizations of the Church that work in conjunction with priesthood organizations.
On the one hand in the Church we have bishoprics, branch presidencies, stake presidencies and various quorums that organize and identify priesthood holders according to their various keys and spheres of authority.
On the other hand, which hand is part of the same body of Christ, we have what are called the “auxiliaries of the priesthood,” being Relief Society, Sunday School, Young Mens and Young Womens organizations, and Primary.
An auxiliary is something that supplements a primary organization. Auxiliary police, for example, will aid authorized police officers in carrying out their functions. Their authority is different in its scope or its focus from duly authorized police officers, but they remain part of the same over-arching organization with the same general purposes and the source for their authority, and they are required to act in accordance with most if not all of the same principles.
It is the same in the Church. To quote the Church’s Handbook for Church leaders, in the Church, “the priesthood is the power and authority that God gives to man to act in all things necessary for the salvation of God’s children.” This priesthood is universal amongst us. A teacher in a Sunday School who is duly called and set apart is operating under the authority of this priesthood when preparing and teaching his or her lesson. He or she is performing an act necessary for the salvation of God’s children. Such authority is greater and even more evident to us in the activities of a Relief Society presidency, who counsel with other leaders in the branch, including the branch presidency, “to [and here again I am quoting the Church’s Handbook] help Church members grow in their testimonies of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the restored gospel… [to provide members with] instruction, encouragement, and support as they strive to live according to gospel principles, [and to prepare] women for the blessings of eternal life.”
If this is not the priesthood of God in action, I am not sure what else to call it.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, both women and men are expected, and have the opportunity, to participate in full and meaningful ways in the ministry and administration of the Church not only under the direction of priesthood authority, but also bearing each one his or her own scope of such authority as is bestowed on him or her for the purposes of carrying out that calling by the laying on of hands of others duly authorized to do so.
That’s what’s happening when you are set apart to a calling. It is not just a blessing. The words of blessing follow the setting apart, but are not part of it. You are first set apart to the calling. That is a bestowal of priesthood authority. You are then blessed with gifts, knowledge, encouragement or other inspired words to help assist you in that calling. Don’t be confused about this. Your callings are all – from usher, to program printer, to music leader, to teacher, clerk and to president – all priesthood callings, either fulfilling functions of or pertaining to the keys and offices of the priesthood, or fulfilling functions associated with any of its auxiliaries.
Now, there does remain yet a difference between women and men with respect to the priesthood. Upon worthy men the offices of the priesthood, and what we call “the priesthood”, are conferred. This conferral, and ordination to those offices, are not available at this time to women. It is possible they never will be in this mortal world. But this should not be confused in any way with any idea or suggestion that men are therefore better or more privileged than women.
Elder Oaks commented,
The Lord has directed that only men will be ordained to offices in the priesthood. But, as various Church leaders have emphasized, men are not “the priesthood.” Men hold the priesthood, with a sacred duty to use it for the blessing of all of the children of God. The greatest power God has given to His sons cannot be exercised without the companionship of one of His daughters, because only to His daughters has God given the power “to be a creator of bodies…so that God’s design and the Great Plan might meet fruition.” Those are the words of President J. Reuben Clark. He continued: “This is the place of wives and of our mothers in the Eternal Plan. They are not bearers of the Priesthood; they are not charged with carrying out the duties and functions of the Priesthood; nor are they laden with its responsibilities; they are builders and organizers under its power, and partakers of its blessings, possessing the complement of the Priesthood powers and possessing a function as divinely called, as eternally important in its place as the Priesthood itself.” |
And just as men and women are intended and expected to be equal partners in the exercise of their differing functions in the family, so are they to be treated as equal in their rights, privileges, blessings and exercise of authority within the Church, despite bearing different functions, duties and titles.
In this regard, Elder Oaks also quoted a more recent talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard, in which he said, “Our Church doctrine places women equal to and yet different from men. God does not regard either gender as better or more important than the other.”
Which brings me back to Doctrine and Covenants 121. When we properly understand what that scripture is saying, it becomes clear to us that priesthood offices in the Church, and the bearing of the title of priesthood holder, do not confer upon us any rights of superiority, control, dominion, mastery or lordship over others. Any man who seeks to use his title as a priesthood holder, in any office of the priesthood, as a reason that he should be listened to or obeyed, is in that manner and at that time unrighteous in his exercise and, as the scriptures say, “Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.”
Consistent with that principle is the fact that men should not be holding or exercising either the keys or offices of the priesthood in a manner that causes women to feel that they are less valued or important in the Church or in the eyes of God.
When you are blessed by, literally, the grace of your Saviour Jesus Christ, to hold an office in His priesthood – which is what this priesthood is: the power of Jesus Christ and His saving grace toward His brothers and sisters throughout the world – you bear an obligation to bear that priesthood office with the same kind of grace, for the purpose of bestowing blessings on others.
It is not, as it appears in the eyes of the world and in the roles of priests or ministers in some other churches, the acquisition of honour or of power over others.
The priesthood is power for, not over.
It is to be a servant of, not to be served by.
And the fact is that without the grace of God making you clean and teaching you how to avoid temptations and giving you gifts that enable you to be righteous and worthy, you would not merit such authority or opportunity at all.
And sisters, you are our sisters. You are blessed and beautiful children of God. We are endlessly blessed by the gifts that you possess both by nature and by grace. God has made you special. And if we, by righteous priesthood authority, can support, encourage and uplift you in the divine work that the Lord grants to you, both in your natural functions and abilities as sisters, daughters, wives and mothers, and in the exceptional gifts of leadership, faith, devotion, intelligence, talent and care that you so often bring to your ministries within the Church, it is our privilege and our blessing to do so.
I indicated earlier, quoting various general authorities, that men and women are equal in the home and in the Church. But I confess I don’t fully believe that. I think that every man with any degree of honest self-reflection knows that it isn’t true, and that it is the weak man who, out of jealousy for the many perfect gifts God has given women, seeks to treat them with disrespect or to demean them in any way. And any man who does so acts in opposition to the power, authority, and will, of God.
Beyond what I have shared today, I can’t really tell you why the Lord has chosen to make men his priesthood holders on earth, or why the genders are as they are and have the roles that they have; but I can tell you that I know it is God’s intention that we treat each other with genuine respect, and that we each bear our separate and complementary roles in His kingdom with grace and love toward Him and one another. I also believe that as we do so, acknowledging His grace, and pursuing the gifts and traits of charity, virtue and righteousness, we will gain more perfect understanding and acceptance of His doctrine and we will acquire the certainty of His law and His love being written in our hearts, where will we find true peace and lasting comfort.
I express my gratitude for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and my faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice for me, which is the thing – the one, sure linchpin – that connects me to the Church, its teachings and its organization, and on which I know I can rely in confidence forever.
I also wish to express my gratitude to God for placing in my life the strong, righteous, faithful woman who will speak after the intermediate hymn. Marhee’s devotion to the gospel and Jesus Christ has been both an example and support to me, without which I would very likely have long ago been rendered incapable – because of my own faults and errors – of progressing in either faith or priesthood. She is and has been, and I expect always will be, my greatest blessing and treasure.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.