Women Cannot Hold the Priesthood!

One of the many aspects of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that sets it apart from other religions is that it has power directly from God called the priesthood. The Lord has maintained that only males will be ordained to offices in the priesthood. It is a sacred and serious duty to hold this special power. Men must live worthy of it and use it to bless God’s children through service. Nobody with priesthood power can use it for their own advantage.

In 2013, Kate Kelly, a member and return missionary of the LDS church (now excommunicated) founded the group “Ordain Women” to advocate that the priesthood should be able to be held by women. She claims that she is seeking equality as if being able to hold the priesthood makes men better than women.

I think this is absolutely ridiculous. It’s not even like not holding the priesthood is unfair to women- they still get the blessings from it! Women aren’t disadvantaged from their lack of priesthood power either. Everyone, even a non-member of the church can still receive the blessings of the priesthood.

In the church, as well as in families, men and women are considered equal with separate roles. Women’s precious power is to be able to bear children and be mothers, which is absolutely amazing! This world has diminished this incredible capacity and has made it seem like raising a family is less important than a career. But it is not. Raising children that will become the adults of the next generation is a major task that should not be taken lightly. Ideally, the rearing of children should be done with a husband and wife in an equal partnership.

In my mind, although it is true that women cannot hold the priesthood, men can’t have babies either. It’s that simple- it is just a fact of life that cannot be changed. It is literally not possible for women to be able to hold the priesthood because it is not the way God designed it. 

If women claimed that they held the keys, it would not be legitimate power. The modern-day prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, could not allow this change unless he received revelation from God. I will go so far as to say that this will never happen. Otherwise, he would be leading the church astray and would cease to be prophet. God does not change because of the trends of the modern world or else he would cease to be God.

In general, it is pointless to try to change the principles of the church. The gospel is lead by God through his servants here on Earth. It has maintained the same ordinances and doctrine for thousands of years. Men received the priesthood in the preexistence and it was the power used to create the earth. It is the same power that is used today to conduct all of the ordinances that bring salvation to all of God’s children.

Never in all of that time did a woman hold the priesthood. Not because God didn't think that women could handle the responsibility or that they weren’t smart or strong or important enough, but because that was his plan. The Lord is all-knowing and all-powerful and knows what is best for us better than we do. He has his reasons why the priesthood was meant for man so it is wise not to contend against him.