The Slippery Slope of Apostasy

Note: This post probably won't make much sense to anyone that doesn't share my belief in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I teach early morning Seminary. I love it. I have always loved working with the youth of the Church. I always try to tie in the things we are reading with things that are happening in the world and in the modern-day Church.

Today we were reading in Helaman 11. Verse 22 states, "And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets." As I read this, I couldn't help but think of all the movements or commentaries within the modern-day Mormon church that question or contradict the prophet. In particular, it made me think of the Ordain Women movement.

Consequently, it was with great interest that later today I learned the Church had sent out a letter to the leader of the Ordain Women movement asking that they not protest at the upcoming priesthood session. (You can read that letter in a Deseret News article HERE.) I am assuming the Ordain Women movement provided the letter to the media. In this letter, an official spokesperson for the Church (who I was interested to see was a woman) states:

"Your organization has again publicized its intention to demonstrate on Temple Square during the April 5 priesthood session. Activist events like this detract from the sacred environment of Temple Square and the spirit of harmony sought at General Conference. Please reconsider."

The letter also explained that should they decide to protest anyway, they should join other protesters in designated free-speech zones.

The leader of the Ordain Women movement told the reporter that, "It's striking they would direct us to the free-speech zones. We feel as faithful, active Mormon women we have nothing in common with people who oppose the church and want to protest against it. The church is its members. We aren't against the church, we are the church."

This official spokesperson is speaking for the Church. By my interpretation, that means she is speaking for the prophet. By going against this request, the Ordain Women organization is, in fact, protesting - against the Church and the prophet. By protesting and taking their issues to the media, they are trying to force the hand of the leadership of the Church through external pressure. I struggle to find anything noble about this approach. Like those in the Book of Mormon mentioned above, they are contending regarding the points of doctrine with which they disagree. This is not the only time in the Book of Mormon when dissension from within the Church leads to apostasy. I believe these sisters are misguided and I think they are walking a very fine line between personal revelation and apostasy.

According to the Pew Research Center (an independent fact tank), only "one-in-ten Mormons (11%) believe that women should be ordained to the priesthood of their church, whereas 87% think the priesthood should be open only to males. Large majorities of both men and women express this view, but Mormon women are somewhat more likely than Mormon men to say the priesthood should be open only to males (90% vs. 84%). The belief that women should be ordained to the priesthood is less common among those who have the highest levels of religious commitment than among those with lower levels of commitment. Even among this latter group, however, nearly seven-in-ten (69%) say women should not be eligible for the priesthood."

In other words, 90% of the women of the Church do not agree with this movement. Ordain Women is not speaking for the women of the Church. They are taking their "demands" to the media. The first time I visited their site, I found a lengthy list of absolute demands that were posted there. I'm not sure why they were removed, but I found them disturbing. I wonder if all the women who have posted profiles on the Ordain Women website are familiar with that list of demands, as some people I have spoken with did not know such a list ever existed.

As members of the Church, we are imperfect beings and some men in leadership positions may not understand the importance of women and their contribution. This may result in some women feeling they are marginalized. However, that in no way justifies a demand to receive the priesthood. I personally have never felt unappreciated in my role within the family or the Church. In fact, a careful study of the temple ceremony reveals that women do have roles within the priesthood.

I have a testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As part of that testimony, I believe in and sustain President Thomas S. Monson as its president and prophet to the world. I also believe that the priesthood is the power of God. It is His power to be distributed as He sees fit. It is not a political or social tool, the holding of which is determined by vote, popularity or pressure. He and only He can decide upon whom to grant this priesthood and its keys. To "demand" otherwise is to not truly understand the process of revelation. It is our right to question, to ponder, and to receive personal revelation. It has never been our right to demand.

Update: After writing this post, I found this quote by President Ezra Taft Benson that I thought was relevant to the topic. “How we respond to the words of a living prophet when he tells us what we need to know, but would rather not hear, is a test of our faithfulness.”

Note: If you choose to comment on this blog or the facebook post, please be polite to those who may not share your viewpoints. I do not mean to belittle sisters who believe differently from me. I just want to go on record as to what I believe.