Goodness, you do not know the writer's block I've had in trying to write this post.
It seemed simple enough: it all started off with an email from my family, describing how there was a group of women who were going to try and attend the Priesthood Session of General Conference a month ago. (What is Priesthood Session? It's a meeting in the conference that all Priesthood holders are invited to attend. Why don't women attend? We'll get to that) It seemed like it would be a good idea to jump on the issue and write a blog post about it. I'd originally wanted to post the entry a bit closer to Conference, but then I got rather busy with missionary things. Sometime last week, I finally sat down to start writing, and I've been stuck ever since.
It's not exactly that I don't have anything to say--if you could see my browser window you'd see that's not the case. It's just that I don't exactly know...what I want to say. And how I want to say it.
I guess I'll start out with the basics. The Priesthood is God's power (the same force that created the world and parted the red sea), coupled with the authority (or His permission) to use it. It's given to men on earth so that they can officiate in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which we believe is God's kingdom here on the earth. So, all the leaders of the basic Church organization, from the President of the Church to the local bishop (like a pastor of other faiths) have this power and authority, and if they use it righteously, the church succeeds and grows.
So, what's the issue? Well, when I said that God gives the Priesthood to men in order to church, I didn't mean it generally, in a mankind sort of sense; only men hold the Priesthood. There are auxiliary organizations in the church that are presided over by women (The Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary), but at the core of everything, the church is presided over and run by men. (And only the men who hold the priesthood attend Priesthood Meeting)
That seems a bit sexist, doesn't it? If this were any other organization, I'd probably be on the women's side, pushing for equality.
BUT...
This church isn't just any old organization. While it has leaders such as the Prophet and the Apostles here on the earth, they're really not the ones in charge. We believe that God, our Heavenly Father, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, is the one calling the shots, and all the Prophets and Apostles do is relay His instructions to His children on the earth.
With this being true, another question pops up: if God is our Loving Heavenly Father, and all of His children are equal in His sight, why does he only want men to hold the Priesthood? Why doesn't He let women hold the Priesthood, too?
The answer (which, admittedly, I've been waiting this whole post to say):
WE DON'T KNOW.
Elder Neil L. Andersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, used a passage of scripture to illustrate this point beautifully (in fact, this topic, of women and the Priesthood, is what he spoke on. You should go read it/watch it/share it with friends here). The following dialogue is between an angel and an ancient Book of Mormon prophet, named Nephi:
"And he [the angel] said unto me [Nephi]: Knowest thou the condescension of God?
And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." (1 Nephi 11:16-17)
Even though I very often do not understand why God does things the way He does, at the core of all my beliefs and testimony is the fact that He loves me and all of His other children, and would never do anything to limit their growth or hold them back.
So, sisters, in a sense we do have an answer for you: you don't hold the Priesthood because God loves you and knows that you don't need it to realize your full potential. And perhaps that's not true of men. Perhaps, without this power from God, with all of the responsibility it carries with it (Uncle Ben was right when he said that With Great Power comes Great Responsibility. You can imagine, then, what kind of weight the infinite, eternal power of God entails), we men wouldn't be able to reach what we're supposed to become.
That's just an opinion, though.
So, what does all this have to do with water fountains, and why am I glad to be one? Well, let's think about drinking fountains: their purpose is to distribute water, a substance necessary for life. Anyone, male or female, adult or child, can come to the fountain and drink. That's not to say that the fountain has any sort of power or control over the people. It's purpose is to serve.
Thus it is with the Priesthood. Though we men hold it, we can't use it to bless ourselves. We can only use it to bless others. We are to use it to serve, and as we do, we obtain indispensable blessings for ourselves as well.
I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He has an important part for each of us to play. I know that He knows best and has created a perfect plan for each of us to progress in the best way possible. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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Whew, well, that took a while to get out. I hope I've expressed everything in a way that helps you. Even if I didn't, I'll Keep Moving Forward, as I encourage each of you to do. Carry on!
-Elder Richmond
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