Daughters of Heavenly Father
I would like to bring to your attention the spiritual importance of respecting the women in our families and relationships. For centuries women have been treated like commodities and possessions. Men have traded women, and have abused them in many ways. Even today expressions like “my woman” or “the little woman” give the impressions of possessions more than loving partners. Spiritually God created woman to be not only a loving partner but an essential half of the priesthood on this Earth and in the heavens. Let’s explore the importance of spiritual respect for women. “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.”(Gen. 2:22–24)
Decision of Existence
Even though Eve was beguiled by Lucifer in the Garden of Eden a single decision became a mutual one. Some would tell you that Eve was weak and easily swayed but that is not true. She made the first decision that man must exist with knowledge of good and evil. When Adam was approached with the forbidden fruit, he seconded the decision by partaking of it. This was a mutual decision even though it was a transgression before Heavenly Father. Therefore this became a mutual decision of and for knowledge and existence.”And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.(Gen. 3:17–20)
The Restored Gospel and Women
When then restored gospel of Jesus Christ was brought forth to the earth again the role of women changed in regards to the priesthood. Women sit besides men in the Holy Temples and perform sacred ordinances together. This goes against a common belief that women who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are either lower or subservient to their male counterparts. The family is an essential part of life and it takes a man and woman to exist in a gospel based home. This is not to say that families that have different circumstances cannot have a faith based life. They can because Heavenly Father does not discriminate between His children. It is part of your agency to make the right decisions in your life that Heavenly Father wishes to be within the doctrines, covenants, and commandments he has given to us. “And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.”(Doctrine and Covenants 132:64)
So as you can see, women have a very significant importance in the gospel and are not subservient to men. They are part of a partnership of marriage and to live in general. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints women are not belittled of treated badly. There are instances where men do that to their spouses and partners but if this is found they are disciplined and counseled. Please take care of each other and show mutual respect to each other too. You are together for all time and eternity so work together and build a home that is centered on the wonderful kingdom of Zion. Zion is not just a place of happiness in a significant location; it is a state of spiritual being…
Talking Feathers by Tsisqua 