For much of my life when I’ve had a lesson on the priesthood in Sunday School or Young Womens, I’ve thought, “Well, no use listening to this. I’m not allowed to have the priesthood.”  It can be challenging to find ways for girls to engage in this subject. They may be apathetic at best or hurt and angry. April posted some excellent ways to foster discussion in her YW’s lesson earlier this month. I would also add that in these lessons it is important to get women’s teachings in here as much as possible.

I have questions for the class in italics. My own musings in regular font and parts from the outline online in bold.

I think the first minute of this clip is great, particularly when Elder Oaks says, “Men are not the priesthood. The priesthood is something they exercise on behalf of the sons and daughters of God.”

So, what is the priesthood?

“The priesthood is the authority of God delegated to men on the earth to act in all things for the salvation of mankind (see Spencer W. Kimball, “The Example of Abraham,” Ensign, June 1975, 3)”

Elder Ballard says, “Brothers and sisters, the power by which the heavens and earth were and are created is the priesthood…Not only is the priesthood the power by which the heavens and the earth were created, but it is also the power the Savior used in His mortal ministry to perform miracles, to bless and heal the sick, to bring the dead to life, and, as our Father’s Only Begotten Son, to endure the unbearable pain of Gethsemane and Calvary—thus fulfilling the laws of justice with mercy and providing an infinite Atonement…”

I also like Elder Packer’s simple definition, “The priesthood is the eternal power of God.”

Why is ordination important?
Ordination is the way the Church (and God) authorizes an individual to act in God’s name.

How does authority figure in to this definition?
As Mormons, we believe that one must be authorized to act in God’s name (which is done through ordination through the laying on of hands to give or confer the priesthood to an individual).

Though an individual can have authority, one cannot have this spiritual capacity to use the power without being righteous. D&C 121:36-44 is worth going over here to show the importance of righteousness and humility in order for one to be able to call upon the power of God.

How do women figure into the priesthood?
President Hunter wrote, “As our Lord and Savior needed the women of his time…–even in his hour of humiliation, agony, and death–so we, his servants, all across the Church, need you, the women of the Church, to stand with us and for us” (“To the Women of the church,” Ensign, Nov 1992, pg. 26).

How can we stand with priesthood holders and for priesthood holders?
How can they stand with and for us?
Why is it important that both men and women do this for each other?

How does the priesthood work in your home?
Fathers and mothers should work together and equally to teach their children spiritual principles. A father performs ordinances like blessings and baptism because he has the authority through his priesthood office. Mothers help prepare children to receive rituals and ordinances (blessings, baptism, endowments, marriage) and can find other meaningful ways to participate in these sacred life events.

How do your parents work together to prepare you for ordinances like baptism? (I’d have another leader prepared to give an example just in case.)

Some of us live in homes where there is no priesthood holder. In those cases, does that mean we have no access to the power of God?
We can ask home teachers and other men in our ward, but I believe that God will not deny needed blessings to His daughters just because they are not given the authority of the priesthood.

There’s Mary Fielding Smith, the widow of Hyrum Smith and her trek to Utah, overcoming all sorts of obstacles through prayer and faith.

I had a friend who had a gravely-ill daughter and no worthy priesthood holder in the home. She knelt with her daughter and said, “I know that my Heavenly Father will not deny the prayers of a mother,” and proceeded to give her daughter a mother’s blessing.

Furthermore, as daughters of God, we are entitled to all the blessings of the Priesthood. President Julie Beck’s talk, “An Outpouring of Blessings,” outlines these blessings.

Divide into groups of two and look at President Beck’s talk. Which of these blessings have touched your life?

April recently did another excellent lesson using Daughters in My Kingdom Chapter 8: Blessings of the Priesthood for All. I think her section on Spiritual Gifts may be helpful in this lesson. The priesthood is a spiritual gift, but God bestows His power through other spiritual gifts.

What spiritual gifts do you think sound helpful?
What spiritual gifts do you have?
How can you use them to help other and to build the Kingdom of God?

I thought the following “Learn Together” in the YW and YM sections would be helpful:

• Invite the young women to read the section titled “Priesthood Quorums” on page 125 of True to the Faith. What are the similarities between how Aaronic Priesthood quorums and young women classes are organized? What are the differences? Help the young women see that the women of the Church are organized after the pattern of the priesthood (see Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society [2011], 138).
• Write on the board “God’s promise” and “Man’s promise.” Invite the young women to read Doctrine and Covenants 84:33–44 and look for the promise a man makes when he receives the priesthood and the promises Heavenly Father makes to him if he keeps his covenants. Ask them to write what they find on the board. Explain that these verses describe the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Ask the young women what impresses them about the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Ask why it is important for them to know what priesthood holders covenant to do.
• Divide the quorum into small groups. Assign each group one or more of the scriptures suggested in this outline, and ask them to look for the duties of priesthood holders in those scriptures. Invite them to search through the Gospel Art Book to find pictures of individuals performing priesthood duties, and ask them to explain how others are blessed through this service. Invite the young men to share their experiences fulfilling their priesthood duties and to describe how their services affects others.President Beck mentions in her talk about patriarchal blessings. It may be worthwhile for your class to do this exercise around setting goals using one’s patriarchal blessing.

Close with your testimony about the priesthood. And, I might also close with this scripture, particularly if your Young Women are struggling with this topic, “And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come” (D&C 93:24).

The women of Exponent II were having a conversation on the backlist about how to work with youth and there were so many good ideas that we decided to make it into a post.  Many of these ideas come from the other bloggers. If you readers have any more ideas of how to make church more engaging for teenagers, we would love to hear them.

Classroom management:

• If this is the first time teaching your class, have all the students introduce themselves and say what grade they are in, where they go to school, and what they are interested in doing post-graduation
• At the beginning of class, go around and ask everyone what the highlight of their week was.  Giving a space to discuss something other than the lesson makes them more likely to listen and interact positively during the lesson itself, and gets every kid talking.  This can also be a useful filler during the time you’re waiting for students to file in.
• Whatever the lesson is, tie it to their lives (news of the week, scandal etc.) Apply what principle you’re teaching, for instance ask “was the Holy Ghost with the people in that situation?” let them debate it.
• Ascertain your students’ reading levels and have them participate accordingly.  If you have students who really struggle, plan to have them share quotes that are modified to meet their reading level so they can participate without feeling embarrassed.  Similarly, if you want a long complicated quote to really make an impact, think in advance who is a strong reader and save that quote for them while encouraging others to participate elsewhere.  Reading aloud is an important skill to develop, especially in the church, but an atmosphere of shame or dread will make teaching Sunday School that much harder.
• Pick up on little things (side talking, rocking in chairs, shredding paper on the floor) and call them out.  Do this consistently so they don’t walk all over you.
• Bring food.  This is cliché, but consider when your ward meets.  Mine meets from 11-2, which means my class is always hungry.  You could use it as a reward for good behavior, or simply to get the blood sugar high enough that they are able to engage.  It doesn’t have to be a treat, I have brought cherry tomatoes, carrots, fruit slices, crackers and other snacks.  I often bring wet wipes with me to avoid the inevitable “may I go to the bathroom to wash my hands?” exodus that seriously disrupts a lesson.  When their physical needs are met, they’re better able to attend to the Spirit.  I think so anyway.
• Try starting a lesson with ascertaining their knowledge levels.  This is particularly important with younger teens who have not been in Seminary or had several years of Sunday School under their belts.  Ask them what they know about X, maybe putting their answers on the board.  At the end of the lesson check back and add things they may have learned to your list, and ask if they feel comfortable with their knowledge levels or if more instruction on the topic would be helpful.
• Call on specific students to give the prayer, rather than waiting for someone to volunteer.  One of my tactics is to call on someone for the opening prayer and then have them choose who gives the closing prayer.
• If necessary, reassign seats.  This might be particularly true if you have visitors and your class is being cliquey.  Having them sit next to someone new, then do an introduction activity to help the class be more attentive and to have more group spirit.
• Once a month have one of the students teach the lesson, particularly if you have an older class.  They will soon be going on missions or teaching in singles wards and getting a little practice and instruction in a safe place would be valuable experience.  Students often listen closely to one of their own.  It also helps the student who teaches have more appreciation for the work that the teacher does every week.

I’m a firm believer in trying to meet different learning styles, even though I personally respond best to reading and discussion.  Here are some alternative presentation ideas:

• Role playing.  Some kids are hams and like to be the center of attention.  Harness that by having them act out scripture stories.  Provide props to make it more dramatic and memorable.
• Drawing.  If you’re having a more quiet lesson, harness their doodling powers for good.  I often provide art supplies and have them make illustrations for the lesson.  You might give them a scripture or a principle to illustrate then explain to the class, or you could have them draw while you talk and explain, then show what they learned at the end.
• Play-doh.  This is like the drawing activity, but a different approach.  It helps keep kids focused on something and gives them something to do with their hands.  I used it for a lesson on the creation, but it could be applied in other ways.
• Dioramas.  One Sunday I brought a bunch of playmobils (legos or action figures could work well too) and some premade prop pieces and we made dioramas to illustrate the lesson.  I think that one was about Daniel and the lion’s den and Shadrach Mishak and Abednego.
• Journaling.  Keep notebooks in a church closet and have them on hand for the start of a lesson.  I like to start lessons with an introspective question e.g. what are your big questions about your future? (for a lesson on Patriarchal blessings) What is one time you had to forgive someone for something they did to you? etc.  I give them five minutes to write something and then I have them share if they feel comfortable.  It gets the ball rolling, helps them to gather their thoughts and means you have a supply of examples you can tie the lesson back to throughout.
• Journals are also helpful for extending weekly challenges.  I have them write down what they’re going to do that week to apply the lesson at the end of class.  Then we start class by asking how they did and what experiences they had.  Generally they forget, but having it in writing at least reminds them they should be applying the lessons.
• Have them copy what people in the scriptures did in a more literal way.  For example, when teaching about the Ammonites burying their weapons of war for peace, have them write on slips of paper what they needed to let go or work on, then go and bury the papers in the ground outside.  When teaching about the Title of Liberty, have them make a list of things they would stand up for and share it.

These are only a few ideas among many possible approaches.  The new manuals do a better job of tailoring the lessons for youth, but a little creativity doesn’t go amiss.  What approaches have worked for you? What were your favorite lessons as a teenager?

A temple recommend criteria violation for consorting with trolls.  Or feminists. Or both.

Anti-Mormon

This is a word used by trolls to express disdain and vie for the honor of being placed in permanent moderation.

Apostate

See Anti-Mormon.

From ‘Round the yule-log: Christmas in Norway by Peter Christen Asbjörnsen
www.gutenberg.org

Call to repentance

1. A soul-saving strategy in the tradition of Alma the younger. 2. An unacceptable transgression of blog commenting decorum, rated somewhere above swearing and slander but (barely) below cyber-terrorism in obnoxiousness.

Do you want the priesthood?

1. A probing question feminists ask other feminists. 2. A  rhetorical question asked by trolls to shut up feminists. See http://zelophehadsdaughters.com/2013/02/03/you-just-want-the-priesthood/

Equality

1.The goal of feminists.  2.  The status quo, in which men have institutional power and women have uteruses.  (For penises, see “priesthood envy”.)

Feminist

1. A person who supports equal opportunity for males and females.  2.  (Trollish dialect) A shrill, angry, power-crazed man-hater who doesn’t wear a bra or watch Disney movies and is most likely a lesbian.

Pain

Feminists use this word to describe feelings resulting from patriarchy (see below.)  Also used to one up other feminists.  See http://www.the-exponent.com/we-are-all-members-of-the-feminist-body-of-christ/

Patriarchy

The Bishop. And the Stake President.  And all general authorities.  And the know-it-all deacon in your Sunday School class.

Preside in the home

This phrase is meaningless but feminists still dislike it. See http://www.the-exponent.com/the-evolving-mormon-definition-of-preside/

Presiding Authority

The person who gets to fall asleep on the stand while his wife wrestles with all of their children in the congregation.

Priesthood envy

A trollish deriviation of the Fruedan term “penis envy.”  Mormons don’t say “penis” so “priesthood” must be substituted.  In Mormonism, priesthood and penises are highly correlated. The concept of penis envy was soundly refuted by Betty Friedan in the Feminine Mystique, but trolls don’t read that book.

Problematic

This word is a blend of the phrase ”probably wrong” and the word “diplomatic”. Feminists use this word to diplomatically explain that a certain line of reasoning is probably wrong.

Sustain the priesthood

1. (Feminist dialect) Respectfully listen to the patriarchy before explaining why their views are problematic.  2. (Trollish dialect) Do whatever a Mormon male over age 12 or a troll tells you to.

You’re in violation of the comment policy.

A phrase used when feminists are so exasperated by a troll’s calls to repentance that they are tempted to become shrill, angry, power-crazed man-haters.

Music: For many churchgoers, music is the language of the spirit. In the preface of our hymnbook it states: “Hymns can lift our spirits, give us courage, and move us to righteous action. They can fill our souls with heavenly thoughts and bring us a spirit of peace.”  Lots of us feel closer to God when singing than when doing anything else. I am always touched at the Exponent Retreat when many women are move beyond words as we unite in voice. I am not one of these people. However, when I hear Pandora Brewer sing “Hie to Kolob,” I am converted. At least temporarily.

Intellectual: These souls are fed through lively intellectual discourse.  These are the saints who sit on the edge of the pew when there’s a powerhouse speaker who knows their doctrine cold and uses their field of expertize to illuminate and expand our understanding. These folks love the gospel doctrine class that digs deep and isn’t afraid to leave the manual behind.  The Spirit of God is intelligence.

Symbol/ritual: Mormons love to poo poo other faiths’ reliance on ritual.  But symbol plays a large role in our church as well, and there are many saints who crave it.  The sacrament is the pinnacle and purpose of our weekly worship service and people will go to great lengths to partake of it each week. Additionally the temple is obviously rich in symbol. I remember thinking when I first took out my endowment, “So HERE  is where all the ritual has been hiding…”  Many of my friends’ parents are motivated socially by ritual as well and only visit grandkids when there’s a blessing, baptism, or priesthood advancement occurring. Substitute ordinance for ritual, and this is the thing that holds it all together for some folks.

Emotion/Empathy: For other saints certain emotions facilitate the spirit.  When talks and testimonies contain personal, moving stories, these guys FEEL the connection. Sometimes we tease these folks for being quick to tears, but that is their way of manifesting they feel the Spirit, so cut them some slack.  These passionate saints worship with all their heart, love hearing and telling tender stories, and have empathy to spare. This style makes me think of the prophet, Thomas Monson.

Service- Some saints are doers. They are forever in motion and need to be actively serving to feel they are worshiping.  These are the folks who magnify the callings that have them helping/teaching/working with others. I have one such friend who doesn’t show up on Sunday if she doesn’t have a purpose. These are the gems who show up with meals and help you pack. Not that other people won’t, but the servers among us do it not out of obligation, but because it brings them closer to the Lord. “Unto the least of these…”

Meditation: I debated whether I should label this as prayer, but meditation seemed to be a bigger umbrella for the ways in which many of us worship through quiet, mindful, often solitary practices. My father loved to sit for hours in his study and read the scriptures. He would never have used the word “meditate” but he’d emerge as peaceful and centered as a yogi. During the sacrament this week I glanced at the brother behind me and was struck by his posture. Back erect, eyes closed, hands resting palm up on his knees. His kids were bustling and for a second I thought he was asleep–but he was just so peaceful.  As I was trying to focus on renewing my own covenants it dawned on me that he was meditating, something that I do during the week when I want to connect with the divine. But it never occurred to me that I could bring that practice with me into my meetings.  Call it pondering things in your heart, communing with God, these guys are masters at internal reverence.

Obviously there are many other ways of worshipping, and most of us rely on more than one method to seek the divine. What was instructive to me about my friend’s comment was how different we all are in our spiritual quests and how important it is to allow for as many “worship languages” as possible during our services. I know I need to work on valuing the languages that are not my native tongue.

What language works best for you? What languages do you think are undervalued/underrepresented in LDS services? Which languages are privileged? How can we encourage languages that feel foreign?

As I hold this card and read your name, I think about your country, your century, your life you left long ago. Your existence in a world without antibiotics, with no choice but unmedicated child birth. Because I have this card, I know you have been baptized by proxy, released from a prison that held your spirit and welcomed into the fold of the faithful. You’ve been confirmed a member of the church, my church, a church you didn’t even know existed when you walked this earth, should you choose to accept this ordinance done for you in your name. You’ve been washed and anointed, a proxy body gently blessed with words that are specific, delicate, and surging with power.

You’ve been tenderly dressed, in a body not your own, in a garment of priesthood power to shield you, protect you, and remind you of your blessings and covenants. And for all this I am glad for you, dear Grandmother, one who walked this earth so many decades ago, that you’ve been given the opportunity to accept this service in your name, performed on your behalf. That perhaps now, years, maybe even centuries after your death, ceremonies are enacted just for you. I have not forgotten you.

But now I hold your card, and I think about the promises that lie ahead to be made on your behalf. That you will be put under covenant, as a punishment for Eve’s choice, to place your husband between you and our Heavenly Father. That you will listen to this man, as if his words were the words of God. Five days before my marriage, I made this covenant myself. I did it because I loved the man I was about to marry, a gentleman, an educated man, a man who I believed would never use this covenant to come between me and God, even though it was his right to do so, even though I had been made to promise so. In my eyes, I saw my future husband to be perfect. But even the best of men are not perfect: they commit acts of commission and omission, and mine did not necessarily advertise these to me, to tell me when he was hearkening to God and when he was not. But still, he is a good man and kind husband, and I made a covenant to hear and obey. I did not like that covenant, I would not have asked God for it, and it put my teeth on edge. But I covenanted out of sheer love for the man I wanted to give my life to, if only he could do and feel the same for me.

But what about you, dear Foremother? What of your husband? Now that your life is long gone, did he do well by you? Would you make, voluntarily, this same covenant to place him between you and the Lord, to make him the mouthpiece of God for you? If I offer to make this covenant for you today, you can accept it, or you can reject it; but the covenants are what they are, offered now, they are your only chance. If someone had drawn your card decades ago, you would have been offered a different covenant, one of strict obedience to your husband, and your covenants would have been sealed with an oath on your life and promised against your own execution. Not so now. I offer you something gentler: Just treat your husband’s words and he would treat God’s words. And when two proxies seal you up together in eternity, allow yourself to be given to him, forever swallowed up in him, as he receives you fully. A gentler, softer surrender than those who received ordinances before you.

As you can see, the sacred covenants change through time in promise and presentation. As we ask, new doors are opened. The cultures and philosophies of the human race dwindle away, and the covenants become more pure, more loving, more directly connecting us with God. I am grateful I am not bound by the covenants my mother was bound to. And I hope my children will not be bound to the exact covenants that bind me now. I hope that further light and knowledge will cease to punish the daughters of Eve for her transgression and place us, once again, on equal footing with our spirit brothers.

Now I look at your name, old Grandmother, on this pink card. You are now freed from spirit prison. Should I take you and your name and place you into another, a prison where your direct line to God you received through confirmation is suddenly intercepted by limited man? Or should I wait on the hope, dear Grandmother, that change is coming. That if I wait, you will be able to receive your ordinances without covenanting to accept the curse on our first mother for ushering in our existence. That when you receive your one opportunity to accept exalting ordinances, you will receive ordinances that tie you directly to God, where your femaleness does not create an eternal separation currently reserved only for daughters, placed under sons, in this hierarchical state of communication.

Do I enter in and bind you now? Or hope that one day there will be a better offering that I can give you, dear Foremother: an unmediated connection to God, adding upon the connection you received along with the Holy Ghost. When that day comes, I will take up this card and enter in for you. But for now, it is too much to forever bind another to a presentation of a covenant that I hope, I feel, is changing, to make a better eternity for you than the one I have entered into myself. For you, I will have to wait.

Thus, when someone who disagrees with a current policy says they hate the government, and want to get rid of all government, I shake my head and think, “But we ARE the government.”  That’s the point of a civilized society, to create a system that allows us to work together for the good of all.  Once we start thinking about the government as “it” or something hostile to be taken down, then we’ve done ourselves a great disservice.

That’s the beauty of a democratic republic.  “We the people” make this nation great.  Our voices can be heard, our votes matter.

In some ways, this applies to our church membership. The more I think about the church as a faceless patriarchy of Borg-like robots, I find myself unwilling to see the good and find only the bad.  Although there are many church policies and practices that are harmful to women, I sometimes forget that we are members of the church in a similar way to being members of a country.  This is our church too, and we can make a difference by staying and saying, “No.” or “I want something more.” Additionally, church members aren’t wrong just because they disagree with me.  We are both trying to make a religious community based on the values that we hold most dear.  Often, they privilege different values than I do- they may value obedience to church leaders above equality when I value them in reverse.  While this may lead to disagreements about how we view certain doctrines or policies, it doesn’t mean that we are enemies in a zero sum game.
While the church is clearly not a democracy, and this analogy breaks down upon further scrutiny, it’s still useful to see myself as part of the organization, not in opposition to it.  That’s why I hope there is always room for respectful dissent and garden-variety heretics in the LDS church.

Be sensitive to young women who live without priesthood authority in the home or have negative examples in their lives.

By all means, do be sensitive to such situations, but I wonder why it did not occur to the authors to remind teachers to be sensitive to the fact that all of the students in the class are young women and therefore excluded from the priesthood?  Sensitivity to this issue is paramount as we prepare to discuss the priesthood in Young Women’s class every week for a whole month.  Some of the young women in your class may feel concerned, frustrated or hurt as they watch their male peers administer sacred ordinances of the priesthood every week and receive higher offices of the priesthood every other year.  Spending a month discussing ordinances they are not allowed to perform and offices they are not allowed to hold could exacerbate these feelings.

How can you be sensitive to young women who struggle with their exclusion from the priesthood?

• Foster an open forum for discussion. Don’t chastise young women for expressing concerns.
• Express empathy. Validate their concerns.  Simple statements like, “Yes, that is hard,” go a long way.
• Do not use folk doctrine to explain gender disparities.  Explanations like, “Women have motherhood instead of priesthood,” or “Women access the priesthood through their husbands,” are even more unsatisfying when directed toward young women, who do not have children or husbands.  Another common folk doctrine is that women don’t need the priesthood because they are more spiritual than men; this idea stereotypes men as spiritually weak.
• Avoid statements like, “I’m glad women don’t have the priesthood.  I wouldn’t want the responsibility.”  First of all, eschewing responsibility is antithetical to the Young Women values and theme. Secondly, the priesthood is a sacred gift, not a burden.  Finally, it is untrue that women of the church lack responsibility.  Many callings held by women in the church are as time-consuming as male callings.  More importantly, women are as responsible as men before God.
• If young women ask your opinion, you may share it briefly but do not attempt to sway theirs. Clarify that you are expressing an opinion, not doctrine. Encourage young women to seek their own answers by “study and also by faith” (D&C 109:7).

Now, on to the lesson plan:

How do I honor and uphold the priesthood?

Begin with a scripture story about the prophet Moses. His people were at war with the people of Amalek.  Moses went up to a hill to watch the battle and brought his rod with him, the same one he had used when he cursed the Nile while persuading Pharaoh to free the Israelites, and that he had also used to strike the rock of Horeb so that it gushed water for the Israelites when they were in the desert and thirsty.

Exodus 17:8–13

 8 ¶Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12 But Moses’ hands awere heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Notice how Aaron and Hur are holding their arms up as they physically sustain Moses in the drawing. How does this story relate to us as we sustain our priesthood leaders and others with callings in the church?

Turn to the next chapter of Exodus and read another account from Moses’ ministry.

Exodus 18:13-24

13 ¶And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

14 And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to aenquire of God:

16 When they have a amatter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

17 And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is atoo heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: aBe thou for the people to bGod-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

20 And thou shalt ateach them bordinances and claws, and shalt shew them the dway wherein they must ewalk, and the work that they must do.

21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people aable men, such as bfear God, cmen of truth, hating dcovetousness; and place such over them, to be erulers of thousands, and rulers of fhundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

22 And let them ajudge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear thebburden with thee.

23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, observed that Moses had a leadership style that could use some improvement. This organizational chart shows how Moses was leading the people, with very few tasks delegated to anyone but himself. Jethro informed Moses that a leadership model that involved more of his congregation would be more effective, as represented by this organizational chart.

How did Jethro sustain Moses?  How can we follow the examples of Moses and Jethro as we serve in callings and sustain others in callings?

Sustaining the Priesthood and Priesthood Holders

While we sometimes refer to priesthood holders as ‘the priesthood,’ we must never forget that the priesthood is not owned by or embodied in those who hold it. It is held in a sacred trust to be used for the benefit of men, women, and children alike. 2 -Dallin H. Oaks

The priesthood is “without father, without mother, … having neither beginning of days, nor end of life” (Heb. 7:30), nor maleness nor femaleness. It is head to them both. Male and female alike come under it and must understand their true relationship to it, one to serve as priest within it, the other eventually as a priestess. Men here are given the priesthood power, but both man and woman must bring themselves into submission unto it, rather than she unto him as a person. The man must assume the same relationship of honor and obedience to priesthood truths and doctrines that the woman does. That is, it precedes them both. For the man to assume that because he “holds” the priesthood that it is his or that he is somehow exalted in importance is a serious distortion. – Gib Kocherhans Reference A

How is the priesthood different from priesthood holders? Why would it be important to differentiate between the priesthood and priesthood holders?

Learn Together

Divide the class into two groups. Ask one group to read Daughters in my Kingdom, Chapter 8, under the subheader “Single Sisters and the Priesthood” and consider the question, “How can we have the priesthood in our lives if we do not have a priesthood holder in our lives?” Afterwards, they should report their conclusions to the rest of the class.

Single Sisters and the Priesthood

Many Latter-day Saints have never been married. Others are single because of the death of a spouse, abandonment, or divorce. Like all members of the Church, these members will be blessed as they remain faithful to their covenants and do all they can to strive for the ideal of living in an eternal family. They can enjoy the blessings, strength, and influence of the priesthood in their lives and homes through the ordinances they have received and the covenants they keep.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks told of the faithfulness of his mother, who was widowed at a young age. Having been sealed to her husband in the temple, she did not consider herself single; nevertheless, she had to rear her three children alone. Elder Oaks recalled:

“My father died when I was seven. I was the oldest of three small children our widowed mother struggled to raise. When I was ordained a deacon, she said how pleased she was to have a priesthood holder in the home. But Mother continued to direct the family, including calling on which one of us would pray when we knelt together each morning. …

“When my father died, my mother presided over our family. She had no priesthood office, but as the surviving parent in her marriage she had become the governing officer in her family. At the same time, she was always totally respectful of the priesthood authority of our bishop and other Church leaders. She presided over her family, but they presided over the Church. …

“The faithful widowed mother who raised us had no confusion about the eternal nature of the family. She always honored the position of our deceased father. She made him a presence in our home. She spoke of the eternal duration of their temple marriage. She often reminded us of what our father would like us to do so we could realize the Savior’s promise that we could be a family forever.”²⁷

Another man told of his mother presiding in the home: “Just as I was preparing to serve a full-time mission, my father left our family and the Church. Under these circumstances, it was difficult for me to leave home for two years, but I went. And while I served the Lord in a faraway land, I learned of my mother’s strength at home. She needed and appreciated the special attention she received from men who held the priesthood—her father and brothers, her home teachers, other men in the ward. However, her greatest strength came from the Lord Himself. She did not have to wait for a visit in order to have the blessings of the priesthood in her home, and when visitors left, those blessings did not leave with them. Because she was faithful to the covenants she had made in the waters of baptism and in the temple, she always had the blessings of the priesthood in her life. The Lord gave her inspiration and strength beyond her own capacity, and she raised children who now keep the same covenants that have sustained her.”²⁸

These women understood that they received added strength and help through the covenants they had made and kept.

Ask the other group to read this excerpt from Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church, by Dallin H. Oaks, and consider these questions, “What are the Lord’s principles for use of priesthood authority?  When should a man not be honored in his priesthood?”  Afterwards, they should report their conclusions to the rest of the class.

The family proclamation gives this beautiful explanation of the relationship between a husband and a wife: While they have separate responsibilities, “in these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102; emphasis added).

President Spencer W. Kimball said this: “When we speak of marriage as a partnership, let us speak of marriage as a full partnership. We do not want our LDS women to be silent partners or limited partners in that eternal assignment! Please be a contributing and full partner” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 315).

President Kimball also declared, “We have heard of men who have said to their wives, ‘I hold the priesthood and you’ve got to do what I say.’” He decisively rejected that abuse of priesthood authority in a marriage, declaring that such a man “should not be honored in his priesthood” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 316).

There are cultures or traditions in some parts of the world that allow men to oppress women, but those abuses must not be carried into the families of the Church of Jesus Christ. Remember how Jesus taught: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, … but I say unto you …” (Matt. 5:27–28). For example, the Savior contradicted the prevailing culture in His considerate treatment of women. Our guide must be the gospel culture He taught.

If men desire the Lord’s blessings in their family leadership, they must exercise their priesthood authority according to the Lord’s principles for its use:

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge” (D&C 121:41–42).

When priesthood authority is exercised in that way in the patriarchal family, we achieve the “full partnership” President Kimball taught. As declared in the family proclamation:

“Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, [and] compassion” (Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).

Church callings are performed according to the principles that govern all of us in working under priesthood authority in the Church. These principles include the persuasion and gentleness taught in the 121st section, which are especially necessary in the hierarchal organization of the Church.

Bonus Lesson

Should I Serve a Mission?

This lesson is adapted from an Aaronic Priesthood lesson in the Priesthood and Priesthood Keys unit called Why Should I Serve a Mission?  There is no corresponding lesson about missionary work in the Young Women curriculum but this topic may be of interest to many young women, especially given recent changes in missionary policy.

Preparing to Serve

Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.

We affirm that missionary work is a priesthood duty—and we encourage all young men who are worthy and who are physically able and mentally capable to respond to the call to serve. Many young women also serve, but they are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men. We assure the young sisters of the Church, however, that they make a valuable contribution as missionaries, and we welcome their service. –Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2012

Show the video: Missionary Work: A Priesthood Duty. Before sharing the video, it may be useful to note that the  segment of the video about preparation for a mission is illustrated with photos of elders, but the same preparations apply to women.

https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/ap/priesthood-keys/mission?lang=eng#video=missionary-work-a-priesthood-duty

What are some of the ways you can prepare if you choose to serve a mission?

Ask the class to read D&C 4.  What are some of the qualities they should strive to develop in order to become worthy to serve as missionaries?  How might they develop these qualities?

Making the Decision

Ask each young woman to read one of the five testimonials in the article, Young Women and the Mission Decision, Ensign, January 2013 and then explain to her classmates how the woman they read about made her decision about missionary service. What are some of the different ways women might approach this decision-making process? What are some of the different ways the Spirit might confirm the decision?

Guest Panel

Invite one or more returned missionaries to attend the class and respond to questions from the young women about the mission experience.

Live What We Are Learning

Invite the young women to consider how they will live by what they have learned today. For example, they could:

• Talk to a returned missionary about his/her mission experience.
• Read a chapter from Preach My Gospel.
• Write a letter or email to a relative or ward member who is serving a mission.

by Catherine Worthington

When I first began to hear rumblings that several groups were advocating for the ordination of LDS women, my immediate and somewhat surprising reaction was one of dismay. As a self-professed feminist, I realized that I needed to more closely examine that reaction. I am passionately interested in issues involving women and equality, and I have been deeply troubled by some of the cultural attitudes and practices within the Church that silence the voices and diminish the value of women. So what is it that makes me so uncomfortable with the current push for ordination?

I guess to begin with, despite my respect for many of the women (and men) involved and my genuine sympathy for their frustrations, the sinking feeling I experienced when I realized that this was a legitimate movement came from a sense that the modus operandi felt wrong. I’m concerned about the whole approach, which is decidedly secular. It doesn’t surprise me that Kate Kelly, one of the founders of Ordain Women, is a human rights law attorney. I’m sure she’s a very good one and I applaud any and all efforts to further the cause of human rights worldwide.  But ordination to the priesthood is not a human right. It is not any kind of a “right.” Trying to approach an essentially spiritual issue from the perspective of secular activism is neither reasonable nor appropriate. The Church is not a political entity.  It is the body of Christ, headed by Him and led on the earth by living prophets who hold the keys to revelation for the Church as a whole. This is our theology.  If we really believe this, then our actions must reflect that belief.  As humble disciples of Jesus Christ, shouldn’t our approach be to ask for further light and knowledge rather than to make demands?

I was initially encouraged when I read this from Kate Kelly in The Salt Lake Tribune:

“We sustain the prophet and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and ask them to prayerfully consider this change,” she said. “We believe that what we are doing demonstrates our faith in the gospel.”

This is an approach I can get behind. Yes, by all means, let’s ask our leaders to prayerfully consider possible changes.

But when I go to the official Ordain Women website (ordainwomen.org), I find a very different rhetoric.

“We call for the ordination of women and their full integration into the governance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

and

“. . . it is clear that Mormon women must be ordained in order to be full and equal participants in their Church.”

This is the language of the secular world.  Can we really say in one breath, “We sustain the prophet,” and then in the next, “We call for the ordination of women”? Do we really presume to have the insight, the perspective, and the knowledge to proclaim that “it is clear that Mormon women must be ordained in order to be full and equal participants in their church”? This kind of peremptory rhetoric is not going to get us anywhere, and may, in fact, hurt the larger cause.  Which leads me to my next concern.

A common (and very legitimate) fear among those who have earnestly sought for more equitable treatment of women for more years than some of the current agitators have been alive is that the Ordain Women movement is going to set back the cause of feminism in the Church a decade or more. Some of us have worked so hard, hoped and prayed so fervently, and waited so patiently for so many years for the very changes we are now beginning to see that it would be incredibly discouraging to watch it all come a’tumbling down. We have been heartened by the slow but steady progress that has been made in recent years (women speaking (and now praying) in General Conference, the genuine effort for more inclusion of women and greater respect for their voices in the councils of the Church at all levels, the insistent and persistent teaching that husbands and wives are equal partners in the home, the universal condemnation of unrighteous dominion and abuse of any kind, the changes in missionary age and policy, etc.). Things are happening, sisters! Attitudes are changing, views are broadening. Some may feel that it is too little, too late, but we must be level-headed and we must be wise. We must take care not to undermine any progress that has been made or trigger any kind of institutional resistance through haste, militancy, or divisiveness. We are moving in the right direction. We need to keep in mind, as Elder Holland reminds us here, that “this is a divine work in process.”

As sons and daughters of God working together for the betterment of the Kingdom here on earth, it is essential that we comport ourselves always as “hopeful disciples of our gentle Christ” (President Uchtdorf).  This means that we seek God’s will and not our own, that we put away “all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour” and be “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven [us]” (Ephesians 4: 31-32).

In addition to my misgivings about the tone and general approach of the Ordain Women movement, I’m also concerned that it focuses on the wrong question (“Why don’t women have the priesthood?) and, in so doing, actually obscures the real issue.

What is the real issue? What do women really want? President Linda K. Burton, General Relief Society President, thinks that the majority of women in the Church want “the blessings, not the authority” of the priesthood (here). It’s clear, though, from reading ordainwomen.org and similar sites that some women do want the authority as well. But according to Robert Putnam and David Campbell, authors of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, only 10% of women in the Church say they would like to be ordained to the priesthood. Another poll (here), shows that number to be 8%.

Obviously, then, the majority of LDS women are not interested in ordination. So what do we want?

We want to feel valued and empowered.  But validation and empowerment isn’t going to come through ordination to the priesthood.  It’s going to come through understanding the power we already have.  It’s going to come through knowing who we are. This, I believe, is what most faithful Latter-Day Saint women truly want; this is what we long for in our heart of hearts–to know who we are.  We want to know what it means to be a woman in God’s Kingdom and in the eternities.  We want to know that we are relevant in the grand scope of things, that we matter in crucial and enduring ways beyond our ability to reproduce. We want to know where to look to see what we can become. We want to know our Mother.

We want to know our Mother.

This, I believe, is the crux of the matter.  This is the core issue we should be focusing on.

The fact that we have a Mother in Heaven is a well-established (and utterly beautiful) part of our doctrine. The history of this doctrine has been thoroughly researched, documented, and written about here and elsewhere. The existence of our divine Mother has been acknowledged by leaders of the Church from the earliest days until now. This doctrine is even referenced in two official statements by the First Presidency of the Church.

In 1909: “All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity.”  (“The Origin and Destiny of Man,” Improvement Era 12 (November 1909): 78.)

And in 1995: “All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.”  (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign 25 (November 1995): 102.)

I have realized for some time that the source of my own deepest pain with regard to my womanhood has nothing to do with not having the priesthood (which, actually, I believe I do have–but that’s an essay for another time!). What I yearn for is not ordination, but a more open and official acknowledgement of our Mother in Heaven and a clearer understanding of Her nature, for with that will come so much else–divine empowerment, a sure knowledge of Woman’s central place in the Plan, and an absolute conviction of our eternal worth and relevance. I also believe that many, if not all, of the practices and prohibitions that are most troubling to women in the Church would gradually disappear as the majesty and centrality of our Heavenly Mother are understood and embraced by men and women alike.

Why is it that we don’t more openly recognize the existence of our divine Mother? What, exactly, is so threatening about this truth? Why couldn’t the Young Women’s theme be changed so that our beautiful, strong young women throughout the Church could stand every week and proclaim: “We are daughters of a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother who love us.”  Or even, “We are daughters of Heavenly Parents who love us.”  Can you imagine the difference this would make in these young women and their sense of who they are and who they are destined to become? Why is this topic still so suspect?

If the family unit is so important, so crucial to God’s plan (and I believe it is!), and if families here on earth are reflections of familial relationships in heaven, then where is our Mother? As Julie M. Smith wrote in her article, “Strands of Priesthood,” posted on the Times and Seasons blog on April 1, 2013:

“Think about it this way: if you took what Mormonism teaches about Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother and mapped that onto a couple on earth, you’d get a stay-at-home dad and a mother who is–I don’t know–a medical resident or deployed to a foreign battlefield or maybe took a job in another country and so she literally never sees her children. (In fact, the kids can’t even Skype her.)”

I long for a sanctioned connection with my Heavenly Mother. I yearn for a truer understanding of who She is, because until I have that, I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand who I am as an eternal being. The ongoing dismissal of Her and the unspoken taboo of even speaking about Her creates a gnawing ache inside me, not only because it makes me feel like a motherless child, but because it causes me to doubt my own significance and relevance in the eternities. Am I to have no connection with my spiritual children? Will they never acknowledge me or speak to me? It is a devastatingly crushing prospect to contemplate.

These, then, are the questions I believe we, as modern day daughters of Zelophehad should be pleading with our leaders to prayerfully consider and seek enlightenment on: Who is our Mother in Heaven? Where is She? What is Her nature?  What is Her role in the great Plan of Happiness? Why is it not appropriate for us to speak to Her?

These are the questions that will lead to the true empowerment of women, not “Can we have the priesthood?”.

I believe that we already have at least the seedlings of answers to these questions in our scriptures, in the temple ceremonies, in the words of our leaders, and in our own hearts if we but have eyes to see and ears to hear. And there is so much yet to be revealed to us, “many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God,”–glorious, ennobling truths so magnificent in scope and in brilliant in substance that our mortal minds cannot begin to conceive of them.  But we must humbly and earnestly seek these things, and we must prepare ourselves in every way to be ready and worthy to receive the great outpouring of truth and knowledge that will come.

Catherine Worthington is a wife, mother, writer, and teacher.  She currently serves in an auxiliary presidency.  She loves running, knitting, and crime TV.

Cracked Wheat

father comes
quiet to
my room
at night,

tears away
sheets and
innocence.

mother makes
warm wheat
for breakfast,

new grain
broken before
water boils,

brown sugar
& butter
more than
eleven-year-old
should eat.

my tongue
tastes morning,
my mouth
holds seeds of truth:

harvest will come
for wheat

and tares.

The other morning I made cracked wheat for breakfast. I asked myself what it was I loved so much about this simple meal. It’s a favorite of mine. The answer unexpectedly overwhelmed me–

When I was a child and was being abused I often ate cracked wheat for breakfast. What I realized the other morning is that the grain itself bears witness of truth for “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.” Psalms 85:11.

The Savior’s witness of all truth exists in each molecule of his creation. In the very moment of eating that wheat (unconsciously as a child and now consciously as an adult) I am reclaimed and healed by Christ’s atonement. I am the wheat. Cracked, broken. I am also a witness for His justice. Truth is in my mouth.

Ugo Betti said, “To believe [in god] is to know that all the rules are fair and that there will be wonderful surprises.” The poem is my personal expression of this idea.

Melody Newey earns a living as a registered nurse and lives to write. Her poems have appeared in Segullah, Utah Sings Vol VIII and Utah Voices 2012. She owns her history — the beautiful parts and not-so-beautiful parts. She writes about all of it.