Before I attempt to give comfort, let me first disturb your conscience.
I’m seeing sisters and a lot of women I love being hurt and confused by the
message of the “Ordain Women” movement. My mind is settled with regard to women’s
roles in the priesthood in our day, and the message did not hit home for me. I
haven’t followed the situation very closely, but when people I know started
voicing sympathy and confusion, and I saw their faith in the doctrine of
priesthood authority suddenly appear lukewarm, alarms went off in my mind. This
is a more dangerous movement than I first thought.
I’m going to open the scriptures and liken them to our day
and situation. In the Book of Mormon is recorded the Vision of the Tree of
Life. In Lehi’s words from 1 Nephi 8
5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was
dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in
darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me,
according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
Remember that the large and spacious field represents the
world
11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of
the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I
ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to
exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul
with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that
my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above
all other fruit.
As Nephi interprets later, the tree represents the love of
God. It seems perfectly reasonable that Lehi would want his wife and children
to join him. Stay with me, we will get to the point in time.
13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I
might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it
was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
The river is not to be confused with the Fountain of Living
Waters. It is a filthy river and symbolic of the depths of Hell.
14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw
the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother
Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither
they should go.
15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I
also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and
partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and
Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes
towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
Let’s take a moment and appreciate Lehi’s love for his
family. Perhaps you personally are not struggling with the gospel or particular
doctrines; but each of us know someone who does struggle, who doesn't know the
way, or what the Love of God means. We may even know and love some people who
have flatly rejected the gospel, and we rightly hurt for them. There are times
when I hurt for my lost family and friends too.
19 And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the
tree by which I stood.
The Rod of Iron is a representation of the Word of God, or
his teachings and commandments. Isn’t it interesting that it is so close to the
river? Why is that? I’ll give a personal experience:
Once I was wandering through some
woods during a season of rain and high water. I was trying to find my way home
and I knew the path was near the creek, or in this case, a high river of very
murky, filthy water. In my wanderings, I left the main path and lost
sight of the river for a while, and came to a calm, wide, and muddy puddle that
extended into the trees in two directions. I knew the river was to the east and
that if I walked straight ahead I would find the river and be able to make my
way back to the main path and try another route to get home. I put one foot out
into the puddle to test its depth and found that it was only a few inches deep.
Confidently, I stepped out further and fell into deep, swift water with a
moderate undertow. I kicked off the bottom, luckily broke the surface, and was
able to kick hard enough and long enough to find a strong root and pull myself
out of the deceptive, filthy river.
The Rod of Iron is a safety rail, and close to the River of
Filthy water. Hold on to it. However, if you let go and fall in, it doesn't
mean you have to die there. The Lord has provided an escape ,the very same Iron
Rod, to those who will search it out, just as the Lord provided me a strong, life
saving root to grab.
20 And I also beheld
a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even
to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto
a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.
21 And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom
were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which
led unto the tree by which I stood.
23 And it came to pass that there arose a mist of
darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they
who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and
were lost.
Didn't I say to hold on the Iron Rod? Nephi explains very
clearly in 1 Nephi 12:17 that the mists of darkness are the temptations of the
devil. It’s easy to get distracted and blinded by the many opportunities for
sin and the philosophies of mankind. It’s not easy to see the path in the
darkness, so the Iron Rod is there to help keep us safe and on the path, or
even help us up when we fall.
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| A Vision of the Tree of Life, by Carol Llind |
24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing
forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and
they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the
rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of
the tree.
25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree
they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.
What?! You mean some people came all that way, through the
dangers and darkness of the world, sometimes even needing to pull up from the
depths of Hell and, finally tasted of the Fruit for which they hungered… and
then felt ashamed? Why?! Why?! Why?! Well, Lehi tells what so disturbed them.
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other
side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it
stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.
27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both
male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were
in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers
towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they
were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and
they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.
Whoa! A floating building full of people making a mockery of
those who would partake of God’s Love and be happy for it. Maybe it seems a
little strange that people would actually care about the derision of the world,
seeing as how they found something far more precious than the esteem of
mankind; but you need to remember, there is something about the people in the
building that makes them seem important, or perhaps they really are important
and influential people. Sometimes standing firm at the tree is hard when it’s
your family, friends, leaders, and favorite celebrities in the building having
a good time at your expense.
I’m going to leave the vision now and ask you to judge the
message and the leadership qualities of those you may be sympathizing with.
Yes, I know what it says in the bible about judging. In Matthew 7:1 it says, “Judge
not, that ye be not judged”. That’s very nice and all, but there is an
essential Joseph Smith Translation change.
“… Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge
righteous judgment”
So start judging. Does the message bring you closer to the
Tree of Life, or further away. Is the messenger revealing a faith building
truth, or fomenting dissent and anger? Where does the leader stand? At the
Tree, or in the Building with No Foundation. I’m not saying you need to condemn
the leader for which you formerly offered sympathy. That’s not our place; but
the fruits of the message must be judged, and the leadership qualities, must be
verified.
Now that I've spent a very long time laying open the
scriptures and likening them to our situation, I will attempt to provide
comfort on the relationship of women and the priesthood. I think it is true
that women’s relationship and responsibilities within the priesthood have changed
over time, and are subject to change as the Lord sees fit to build his kingdom.
In our dispensation and especially our day, so many things
are tearing men and women apart. Satan greatly fears and resents the sacred
union and complementary relationship between man and woman. He attempts to take
us apart and keep us separate through divorce, normalizing single parenthood, gender
confusions, worldly teachings, job competition, government welfare, popular
media, and anything else he can use as a wedge.
Imagine for a moment what would happen in our day, with so
many forces pulling the sexes apart, if women became fully and equally
responsible for all offices and functions of the priesthood. Would men still be
absolutely essential? Could we technically have wards and branches without
them? If they are no longer an absolute necessity, would the priesthood then
serve as a uniter, or a divider?
Maybe I’m a bit of a cynic, but I’m fairly certain that it
would serve to divide us.
As it stands, we as women, must seek men out in order to
enjoy the full benefits and blessings of the priesthood. Men must seek women
out in order to offer the full expression of their priesthood duties (namely
marriage and temple duties, but it can also refer to Home Teaching and family
obligations). We belong together in our journey to the Tree of Life, and we
still belong together when we partake of the Fruit.
1 Corinthians 11
11 Nevertheless
neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
Sheri Dew from the October 2001 conference report said,
Neither
Adam with his priesthood nor Eve with her motherhood could bring about the Fall
alone. Their unique roles were interconnected. They counseled with one another,
lifted burdens neither could have lifted alone, and then faced the wilderness,
with all of its uncertainty, together. This is the Lord’s pattern for righteous
men and women.
I highly recommend reading the entire talk, or even watching
or listening to it.
In closing, let me assure you that the Lord loves all
equally. It is OK to question. In fact the Lord invites our sincere questioning. Remember James 1:
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally,
and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him.
With love, Christine
P.S. Another recommendation:
I love Elder Dallin H. Oaks. I suggest listening to all his talks. He speaks so clearly,
it’s nearly impossible to miss the point. In particular, his most recent
conference talk is especially appropriate to this subject.
April 2014 General
Conference, The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood
