Society has told us that being a wife and mother is not enough. We must become better than men. However, this is a lie propagated to thwart God's plan. We are all equal in the sight of God, and it is unacceptable to belittle and push down men in order to gain supremacy.
Jesus Christ is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not the philosophies of men or even imperfect men (or women) who lead and guide the Church. It is through personal revelation that we can know for a surety of this plain truth and have trust and faith that the doctrines and principles of this restored gospel were, and are, revealed to leaders from God. Protesting will not change God's plan for His children.
God's laws were established before the creation of the universe. One of those is the responsibilities and blessings inherent in being a woman. The Family: A Proclamation to the World (https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/36035_000_24_family.pdf) clearly states:
"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. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
"In The Premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their eternal Father and accepted his plan by which his children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life."
Yes! We each have divine roles and potentials. Neither is above or below the other. We are divinely created to have different roles. I know we have Heavenly parents who model the perfect synchrony of men and women in how they complement each other and how thy sustain the other.
A clear example of how God's plan came to be on earth is the story Adam and Eve. A modern day apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ said the following:
"From the rib of Adam, Eve was formed (see Gen. 2:22; Moses 3:22; Abr. 5:16). Interesting to me is the fact that animals fashioned by our Creator, such as dogs and cats, have thirteen pairs of ribs, but the human being has one less with only twelve. I presume another bone could have been used, but the rib, coming as it does from the side, seems to denote partnership. The rib signifies neither dominion nor subservience, but a lateral relationship as partners, to work and to live, side by side.
"Adam and Eve were joined together in marriage for time and for all eternity by the power of that everlasting priesthood (see Gen. 2:24–25; Moses 3:25; Abr. 5:18–19). Eve came as a partner, to build and to organize the bodies of mortal men. She was designed by Deity to cocreate and nurture life, that the great plan of the Father might achieve fruition. Eve 'was the mother of all living' (Moses 4:26). She was the first of all women."
--Russell M. Nelson
The late Prophet of the Church, President Gordon B. Hinckley, gave a beautiful talk on women entitled, "The Women in Our Lives" (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/10/the-women-in-our-lives?lang=eng). He explains in this address that the grand, crowning, summation of the glorious and marvelous Creation was the placing of women upon the earth. With the complementary nature of men and women working beside each other, one sex cannot degrade or belittle the other without degrading and belittling himself or herself. So why the urge to insist that women are better than men?
I have always felt equal with men in the Church. Surely their ordination to the Priesthood blesses both men and women. Both men and women must be worthy to be blessed by the Priesthood. I have the same access to the blessings of the Priesthood as men. A man cannot bless himself or perform for himself ordinances of the Gospel. It comes through service from others. Women perform one of the greatest acts of service by housing the bodies of children before they come to earth and then through raising them alongside their husbands. Women perform great acts of service by serving in leadership positions in the church. Women perform an immense service by being faithful in their callings as visiting teachers, mourning with those that mourn and comforting those that stand in need of comfort. Women perform acts of service each and every time they go to the temple, serving those who cannot make covenants and receive ordinances on their own.
One of my dearest friends stated it perfectly when she said that if it was necessary for our salvation as women to hold the Priesthood, God would have given it to us. He hasn't. That shows us that it is not necessary. Though, it is necessary to receive ordinances and blessings through the Priesthood, and that is a perfect explanation for me.
As a Relief Society President in a local congregation, I have much input into the workings of our congregation. I have always been invited to counsel with the male leaders of my ward before any decision affecting the welfare of the members of the ward has been made. I have worked alongside male leaders and they have sought after my perspective, insight, wisdom, and knowledge. I have had a great impact on many--men and women alike. This is an example of God's workings in the details of His children.
The late James E. Foust said the following in a public address to women entitled, "Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor":
"In the movie 'My Fair Lady,' Professor Higgins poses the question, 'Why can’t a woman be more like a man?' What a terrible mistake that would be. The opportunities for you young sisters in today’s world are endless. The recognition of the special gifts of women has been slow in coming. The Woman’s Exponent of 1872 reported that some who would improve women’s status 'are so radical in their extreme theories that they would set her in antagonism to man, assume for her a separate and opposing existence; and to show how entirely independent she should be would make her adopt the more reprehensible phases of character which men present, and which should be shunned or improved by them instead of being copied by women.'
"I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents and how all of you can achieve the 'highest place of honor' in the Church and in the world." (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/04/womanhood-the-highest-place-of-honor?lang=eng&query=women)
I have a testimony of the Plan of Happiness. I know that Heavenly Father has an intricate plan for each of us. We as women are not secondary in God's plan. We hold an important place in God's Kingdom. Let us not diminish that role. We have beautiful contributions to offer. Let us not waste time dilly-dallying in ideas and philosophies that are contrary to the will and plan of God.
