A group promoting a new feminist movement in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held their launch party Saturday night during the men’s session of the church’s annual General Conference. The group, called “Ordain Women,” drew an audience of about 100 people, including men and women.
The new group, advocating for women’s ordination to the traditionally male priesthood, has gained ground using social media and their website, which launched about two weeks ago. Since then, they have added about 60 profiles of people who support their cause to the home page.
“While women speak, teach and pray in church meetings, they are not ordained to the lay priesthood available to all men. This means men in the church have a practical authority that women do not,” said Lorie Winder, former editor of the Mormon Women’s Forum Quarterly. “Because institutional power in the church is tied to the priesthood, women are excluded from nearly every position of clerical, fiscal, ritual and ultimate decision-making authority.”
Alex Christman, a student at Brigham Young University, supports the ordination of women as a way to remove the inequality, both institutionally and culturally, within the church.
“The priesthood could then be used for healing and supporting each other and spreading the gospel instead of supporting an unequal power structure,” he said.
Winder said the idea of “separate but equal” is not equal. Equality is not about sameness, it is about removing obstacles to access and opportunity, she said.
“Rhetoric that exalts motherhood has been used throughout history to circumscribe women’s lives and deny them access to the voting booth, political office, education, employment and spiritual empowerment,” Winder said.
During a question and answer session, a member of the audience asked the panel members what they would do if they were continually denied access to priesthood authority.
“I’m prepared for a long conversation about this. I’m prepared for it to take awhile,” said Debra Jensen, a member of the panel. “I believe that eventually this will happen and I’m OK with this taking awhile, as long as they are OK with me kind of poking them.”
Panel members said throughout the history of the church, women were involved in priesthood ordinances such as performing blessings to heal the sick and organizing the women’s leadership organization called Relief Society.
“I am convinced that Joseph Smith saw the restoration of female priesthood as part of the restoration of all things,” said Margaret Toscano, a former Mormon and assistant professor of language arts at the U.
Winder said she believes the idea of continuing revelation is not only foundational to the Mormon church but also compelling. It seems to Winder that “we have to really envision continuing revelation in a way that it includes members as part of the process. We articulate the need for it.”
“We want this to be an action-oriented group,” Kelly said. “When the New York Times calls you and wants to interview you because you’re having a meeting and put up a website, you know you can get some attention on this issue. The Mormon Moment is not over, people.”