I have recently been reading up on the information
surrounding the excommunication of Kate Kelly for her work in forming the
organization “Ordain Women”, which was organized to recruit other women who
want to see females given the authority to hold priesthood keys in the LDS
church. I’m seriously saddened by the
fact that she even started the organization.
My heart goes out to her for the decision made by the church to in fact
excommunicate her for apostasy. To be
very clear, however, and some may see this as harsh, I think the church made
the right decision.
Kate Kelly cites her reason for bringing this issue to such
public light is a lack of gender equality in the church. She also professes to be a faithful member of
the church. I do not believe that her
actions in creating the group are consistent with being a faithful member of
the church.
First of all, on gender equality - the term equality is loosely
fitted to gender issues in all cultures of the free world in order to make the
same opportunities available to women as men.
As a woman with a strong personality and variety of abilities that might
not be considered necessarily “womanly”, I’m a HUGE proponent of women being considered
capable, strong, intellectually, and in some cases physically, equal beings
when standing aside men. I DO NOT,
however, believe that the LDS doctrine that men, and only men, being allowed to
be ordained to the priesthood is a gender equality issue that falls in this
same category.
The church does not separate men and women because of a lack
of equality in rights and opportunities.
The doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ actually praises and lifts up
women for their natural and spiritually inherent DIFFERENCES from men. And that is NOT a ploy to keep women
complacent in the church, as some may have come to believe. It is true.
Women are cherished, cared for, and lovingly led by righteous men in the
LDS church.
Personally, I embrace my identity as a woman and the
strengths and positive attributes that come with that. Men’s strengths and positive attributes are
DIFFERENT than those of women, and those difference should be highlighted and
praised on their own merit. I don’t feel
that I need the keys of the priesthood, mostly because I already have the
ability to call on priesthood power when needed.
I, like Kate Kelly, have been married in an LDS temple. With that ordinance, and my promises to the
Lord to be faithful, I have been promised blessings and powers in the priesthood. Kate Kelly has also said she has been married
in the temple, which means that she has the opportunity to understand that her power in the priesthood does not
have to be the use of the keys
of the priesthood, offered only to men in mortality. She has (or had) priesthood power of her own,
she just could not hold priesthood office in the Lord’s church.
Lastly, what Kate fails to realize, notwithstanding her
lifelong membership, is that the church will not ever change its policy for
holding priesthood keys in this mortality unless
revealed by Jesus Christ to the current prophet to do so. I think she was correctly directed to keep
these issues between herself and her local ward and stake leadership and to further
her personal study and prayer for better understanding of the doctrine. Prayer is a beautiful tool of the Lord where
we can offer him up the desires of our hearts – even understanding of things we don’t agree with or things we wish
would be changed. She could even
pray for the eventual change in church organization, but a petition to the
first presidency is not how the Lord makes changes in His church, no matter how
many of its members sign it. Those kinds
of changes come through direct revelation to the prophet, who holds all
priesthood keys available to His children in mortality.
As a woman in the LDS church, I am content with my purposes
and powers as a daughter of God. Like I
said, my heart goes out to Kate Kelly for choosing to spread her ideas in a
manner which leads others away from the doctrines of the church, and which
ultimately cost her her membership in that church.
As someone who considers myself faithful in the church, I would find it personally
devastating to be excommunicated for reasons that I didn't understand. While her personal views were that of
someone simply starting a dialogue, I think she missed the fact that she started much
more than that among her recruits – people that she rallied behind her who
believe that the church is wrong in following the doctrine that men only are to be ordained to the priesthood.
I feel so blessed to understand my strength and power as a
woman – which is equal in value, but not in name to that of the men of the
church. That understanding has been a
long time coming through my own study and thoughtful prayer and
meditation. Unfortunately, there are no
perfect Christians on this earth today. Fortunately,
we have been promised by the Lord that we will not be led astray by his
prophets – or rather, the prophets will not be allowed to direct us in paths
that are not His. I also feel blessed to
have the faith that this truth will hold, and that if changes are to be made,
they will be revealed and made in the Lord’s time. Who am I to hurry the Lord?
PS – non-PC sidenote:
It can be a little disheartening to feel like saying the words “I’m a
Mormon” might not hold the same kind of weight I feel it should for myself and
others. Being a Mormon, because the
doctrines are clear, should mean that we live a congruous life-style. While we are individuals with different
personalities, talents and desires, it should still mean that we share core
beliefs and celebrate the same truths.
This incident, and others like it, makes me feel like we might end up
splitting ourselves into different levels of true faithfulness. Like Jews versus Orthodox Jews, or Catholics
versus “devout” Catholics. Heaven knows
there are a thousand ways to call yourself a Christian. Are there going to be “devout” Mormons and
just Mormons, or “mostly” Mormons? Kate
Kelly makes me feel like it might be inevitable.
