The supposed sexism/chauvinism of the...

Well, I enjoyed my last post about the church so much that I thought I would do another one. One of the things that I hear very often from those who are not fans of the church is how they can't stand that the church is so sexist. I've always been amazed at this belief, having lived my life in the church, as well as spent time living away from the church. I don't claim to know anything about other Christian denominations and will not say a word about whether or not they are sexist, but I will say that there is no sexism in the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormons.

As in my last post I wish to refer directly to the words spoken by one of the leaders of the church in a recent general conference held in October. He spoke about the priesthood, which followers of the church believe is the power to act for good in the name of God on earth. In this talk he also spoke about how a man holding the priesthood needs to honor and respect all women, he used these words:

The purpose of priesthood authority is to give, to serve, to lift, to inspire-not to exercise unrighteous control or force. In some cultures, tradition places a man in a role to dominate, control, and regulate all family affairs. That is not the way of the Lord. In some places the wife is almost owned by her husband, as if she were another of his personal possessions. That is a cruel, unproductive, mistaken vision of marriage encouraged by Lucifer that every priesthood holder must reject. It is founded on the false premise that a man is somehow superior to a woman. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The scriptures confirm that Father in Heaven saved His greatest, most splendid, supreme creation, woman, to the end. Only after all else was completed was woman created. Only then was the work pronounced complete and good.

Of our wives, mothers, grandmothers, and sisters and other important women in our lives, President Hinckley declared: "Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth."

These words were spoken by Elder Richard G Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and they clearly show that there is no sexism in the teachings of the 'Mormon' church. What they show is that women are wonderful and beautiful and that they are to be treated with utmost respect and admiration.

I, for one, believe in these words and teachings wholeheartedly, and I feel that the Savior Jesus Christ would say nothing different were He to speak them directly from his own mouth.

Thanks for listening and have a wonderful day.

PS Anyone wishing to read these comments in the context in which they were spoken can refer to the following link:

http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-15,00.html