Unless you live under a rock you've probably noticed all the talk about "Wear Pants to Church Day". There is a group of mormon feminists in Utah who call themselves "All Enlisted" who have started a movement to encourage any mormon women who want more gender equality in the church to wear pants to church this Sunday.
I know this is such a hot topic for so many women, but I must say I don't understand exactly where their complaint is. In my life in the LDS religion I have never, NEVER felt unequal to men. My role is different from a man's. But I'm not a man - nor do I want to be one. I attend meetings where decisions are made and I always feel heard and often my suggestions are used. I don't understand how you can say you are an active, believing member of the church - but then not agree with something as fundamental as the role of men and women in the church.
Maybe some women have had experiences with men who practised unrighteous dominion - luckily this has never been my experience. I looked at my parents as equal partners in their marriage and in the way they raised their children - but their roles were very different. My husband and I have that same kind of marriage. I feel equal to my husband and we discuss how to raise our family together. On occasion when my husband has been inspired to lead our family in a certain way - I trust he is intune with his heavenly father and support him as the patriarch in our home. This doesn't lessen me in anyway.
If you want to wear pants to church - you can! This is so not about wearing pants. I think we should be worrying about much more important things. When we start to think like this it is such a slippery slope and is why people lose their testimonies and leave the church. But I also think every person has the right to feel however they want to and it is not my place to judge. My feeling is that being dressed in my best helps me show respect and reverence to my Heavenly Father. So I just wanted to publicly say that I will be wearing a dress to church this Sunday.
I must live under a rock because I never heard that. But I agree with everything you said. I was thinking about the slippery slope and that it is not about pants but testimonies then you said that anyways. Sounds crazy. What you said is exactly how I feel.
ReplyDeleteYou said exactly everything I have been feeling lately!!! Love this post. Very well said.
ReplyDeleteI too have not heard anything about this! But wow Lalainia, so well said! It really is too bad that some women feel unequal to men in our faith, and I believe if those women took a step back they would see it is the world placing these thoughts in their head and wearing pants to church will never change the way the world feels! What will change the way of the world is if more women took a stand like you have! So I too will be wearing a dress to church! I am thankful to be a woman in this wonderful church and to have a man by my side who loves and respects me and treats me as an equal!!! Thanks again for posting this! You are truly a remarkable woman!!!
ReplyDeleteWEll said Lainie, I have never anything so stupid as this.....Unreal. YOu said it just right.......I will be wearing a dress too. Crazy Utah people.
ReplyDelete