tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2244053803795057058.post5128681037041919264..comments2023-04-03T04:56:43.103+09:30Comments on A spiritual life: More conversations with a Mormon......Roslyn Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15700960108357035957noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2244053803795057058.post-62003761295176427492012-03-09T20:57:41.278+10:302012-03-09T20:57:41.278+10:30Dear John,
Yes, I have and do spend quite a bit o...Dear John,<br /><br />Yes, I have and do spend quite a bit of time thinking about these things because I have an absolute belief in justice for everyone, regardless of their sex, their race, their religion or their circumstance.<br />While you may not see discrimination which limits what a woman can do in the Mormon Church, i.e. being a priesthood holder as sexist - it patently is. You have every right though to see it as you wish but given that sexism is purely the application of limitations, rules, regulations, laws, based solely on gender then sexist it is and will always remain.<br />Just as racism is discriminatory, where people are limited or subject to limitations etc., based on their race(or colour of skin) and we now accept that as a given, including the Mormon church which has made changes to its regulations to remove racism - so too is sexism. No doubt, in time, the Mormon Church like other religions which discriminate against women will catch up to modern attitudes of justice and enlightenment and in the doing, discover that the Church in fact gained nothing from limiting what women could do, but in fact lost.<br />Given how shared your family life appears to be, and one would expect this in a modern, democratic nation, it makes it all the more surprising that you and your wife do not recognise the inherent sexism in the Mormon church.<br />It is one thing to recognise sexism and to decide you are comfortable with it, for whatever reason, but quite another thing to claim that only males being eligible for priesthood is not sexist. For clearly it is.<br />The Mormons are hardly alone in discrimination against women in religious systems and they all claim, as you do, that such discrimination does not mean women do not play a part nor make a contribution. But this of course is not the point. Before universal suffrage it was recognised that the working classes and even the poor, played a part and made a contribution ... they were just not equal. In civilized world no human being is discriminated against on the basis of creed, race or gender - that is what democracy and enlightened thinking demands.<br />But thankyou for your post.Roslyn Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700960108357035957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2244053803795057058.post-22922699660214139692012-03-08T18:23:09.296+10:302012-03-08T18:23:09.296+10:30You have obviously spent some time giving thought ...You have obviously spent some time giving thought to these points. I am not sure I can agree with all, but that is the way life goes. Regarding Mormons being Sexist. I can only share my own experiences as a Mormon man,husband and father. Yes it is true that the males of the church hold the priesthood or the authority to perform ordinances and yes the church is run under the direction of the priesthood. But this does not mean women play no part in the governance of the church. The church is governed by councils of which women play a large part. A wise priesthood leader listens to the advice of those council members.<br /><br />At a home level I don't think many would see my family relationship as Sexist. My wife and I both work, she earns more than I do some weeks. I wash iron and clean as much as she does and we consider our relationship an equal partnership. Are their differences in our roles, yes. Am I the only priesthood holder in the relationship, yes. Do either of us think this is sexist, no. We don't have to be the same to be equal.<br /><br />Regards<br /><a href="http://rjrdaydreamer.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">RJRdaydreamer</a>John Tealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09873356271475934162noreply@blogger.com