LDS Church: Aims of Ordain Women detract from dialogue Crowds leave after the close of the 183rd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, in Salt Lake City. The LDS Church released a statement Monday in response to a group of women who have requested to attend the priesthood session of this years April conference. The LDS Church sent a letter to an activist womens group on Monday, asking it to reconsider plans to demonstrate at a general priesthood meeting next month and, if it does, to confine the demonstration to free-speech zones outside Temple Square. More Coverage LDS Church responds to priesthood meeting request by activists LDS Church urges attendance at priesthood conference LDS Church combines Relief Society and Young Women general conference meetings, adds Primary girls SALT LAKE CITY — A small activist womens organization is detracting from thoughtful discussions about women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church spokeswoman said Monday in a letter to the group. The letter, signed by Jessica Moody, also said the church is unable to fulfill a request made by the Ordain Women group for tickets to the churchs semiannual general priesthood meeting next month because the meeting is designed to strengthen men and boys as they receive specific instruction about their roles and responsibilities. Women in the church, by a very large majority, do not share your advocacy for priesthood ordination for women and consider that position to be extreme, Moody said. Declaring such an objective to be non-negotiable, as you have done, actually detracts from the helpful discussions that church leaders have held as they seek to listen to the thoughts, concerns, and hopes of women inside and outside of church leadership. Ordination of women to the priesthood is a matter of doctrine that is contrary to the Lord’s revealed organization for His church. In October, women with the Ordain Women group approached the priesthood meeting and entered the stand-by line, which his for people without tickets. They left when they were denied entry. Ordain Women spokeswoman Kate Kelly said Monday morning the group would repeat the process on April 5. Were going to continue to ask and knock as we are are told to do in Matthew 7:7. The only thing were going to demonstrate is that were ready for the blessings and responsibilities of the priesthood. We’re going to continue to gather, ask and to knock as planned.” Kelly said she felt Moodys letter is a sign the church is willing to continue the dialogue. Moody asked the group in her letter to reconsider its plans to demonstrate and said any demonstration should be kept to the free-speech zones outside Temple Square. Kelly said the group doesnt feel like it belongs in the free-speech zones, provided by the city for protestors who demonstrate during the churchs semiannual general conferences in April and October. Its striking they would direct us to the free-speech zones, Kelly said. We feel as faithful, active Mormon women we have nothing in common with people who oppose the church and want to protest against it. The church is its members. We arent against the church, we are the church. The Pew Research Center surveyed American Latter-day Saint women in 2011 and found that 90 percent opposed the ordination of women to the priesthood. The Deseret News will add to this report throughout the day. Here is the complete letter from Jessica Moody of the LDS Church to the Ordain Women group: Some wonderful conversations have been held over recent years, and are continuing to be held, relative to women in the church and the invaluable contributions we make. The recent changes you have seen, most notably the lowering of the missionary age for sisters, serve as examples and were facilitated by the input of many extraordinary LDS women around the world. Women in the church, by a very large majority, do not share your advocacy for priesthood ordination for women and consider that position to be extreme. Declaring such an objective to be non-negotiable, as you have done, actually detracts from the helpful discussions that church leaders have held as they seek to listen to the thoughts, concerns, and hopes of women inside and outside of church leadership. Ordination of women to the priesthood is a matter of doctrine that is contrary to the Lord’s revealed organization for His church.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:20:08 +0000
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