A friend of mine, Steven, is a pretty neat guy. He recently put into words so perfectly what I've been thinking ever since this whole "ordain women" thing came about. I would never have been able to say it the way he does. And here it is; just his thoughts on the Priesthood vs. Motherhood:
"OK so when I am at work my mind tends to wander... Today's topic was the Ordain Women movement. I am not going to talk about the excommunication. I am not going to judge or condemn in any way, I am just going to talk doctrine and some of the things that were roaming around in my head today.
"Women get something that men don't and men get something that women don't. Women get to be mothers. I know what you're thinking! 'Men get to be fathers!' Being a father isn't motherhood, it is parenthood, and motherhood is so much more. I used to hate it when people would say that motherhood was the reason women don't receive the priesthood. I always thought 'Wow that sucks for them, they have to give birth and the men get the priesthood. ' Now that I am a little older and am married, I look at motherhood a little differently, I guess. The thing is women have a special bond with their children that a father will never have. When I got home from school, the first word out of my mouth was 'Mom!'
"Now, I know what you are thinking. 'What about all those women who never get married so they can't have kids? That's not fair when they are righteous and a man gets to have the priesthood. ' If the woman is righteous, she will be given the opportunity to be a mother either in this life or the next. She needs a man to be a mom, yes, but a man needs a woman to progress in the priesthood as well. A man can't hold offices in the priesthood like Bishop without being married. He needs to be made a high priest. So some men will go through this life and never progress higher than an Elder.
"Well what about the woman who is married and can't have kids? Again, she will be given that chance, one day. This is also the same as a man who is married, but for some reason is never made a high priest. Usually, a man is only ordained to the office of high priest if he is receiving a calling that needs the higher priesthood.
"If women were given the priesthood, it would be like children getting gifts at Christmas and then having one child want both her gift and his. This is not 'equal' like we keep hearing it would be.
"It isn't a bad thing that God sees Motherhood as an equal to priesthood. I think it is kind of amazing actually. God gives man the priesthood, which is His power, and He gives women motherhood which is the power to create life. (Also, a power of God. )
"What we need to do is remember the sacred role of mothers and see that women in the church are just as powerful as men. They certainly hold just as much responsibility in God's eyes."
