Ordain Women

Last updated

Ordain Women is a Mormon feminist organization that supports the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded on March 17, 2013, by Kate Kelly, a human rights attorney from Washington, D.C., with the website launch containing 19 profiles of individuals calling for the ordination of Mormon women. [1] As of May 17, 2014, the website featured more than 400 profiles. [2]

Contents

Actions

Ordain Women's April 2014 Priesthood Action Ordain Women April 2014 Priesthood Action.jpg
Ordain Women's April 2014 Priesthood Action

On April 6, 2013, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Ordain Women held its first public meeting, concurrent with the priesthood session of the LDS Church's general conference.

On August 26, 2013, Ordain Women collaborated in the organization and execution of an interfaith fast called "Equal in Faith: Women Fast for Gender Justice." This event took place in both Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City, and saw participation from a range of faiths including sects of Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. Mormon women represented half the participants. [3] [4]

The group requested tickets to the priesthood session of the October 2013 general conference. The request was denied in a response from Ruth Todd, spokeswoman for the LDS Church. [5] On October 5, 2013, Ordain Women organized an event in which approximately 150 Latter-day Saint women and men attempted to attend the priesthood session of the LDS Church's semiannual general conference in the stand-by line, held in the LDS Conference Center and Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. [6] The women were told at the door that the session was for men only and that they would not be admitted. Later that year, church headquarters sent a letter to local church leaders, stating that if women asked to be admitted to attend a general conference priesthood session in a stake center, the male leaders were "to inform them that the meeting is for men and that men are invited to attend", but since the church's meetinghouses "should be places of peace, not contention," if women "become insistent" about entering the priesthood session "to the point that their presence would be disruptive, please allow them to enter and view the conference." [7]

On February 28, 2014, the group requested 250 tickets to attend the church's priesthood session on April 5, 2014. [8] On March 17, 2014, church representatives denied the request and asked Ordain Women supporters not to protest during General Conference, directing the group to stand in the free speech zone at Temple Square if they chose to follow through with any demonstration. [9] On April 5, members of the group, most of whom were church members, staged a demonstration, the culmination of which took place outside the Tabernacle. They were again denied entrance to the priesthood session. [10]

Another Ordain Women action, titled the Six Discussions, debuted May 22, 2014. Originally, the Discussions were meant to be released on a weekly basis over a period of six weeks, however, Kate Kelly's excommunication delayed the final discussion's release. The aim of this action was to promote discussion about gender inequity within the church and the possibility of female ordination. Each discussion (titled: See the Symptoms, Know the History, Study the Scriptures, Revel in Revelation, Visualize Our Potential, and Be the Change) focuses on a different topic and provides a packet filled with essays, scriptural references, and General Conference talks, as well as prompts and questions to be discussed in a book club like setting. [11]

In October 2014, members of Ordain Women joined men at church meetinghouses to watch a live broadcast of the priesthood session. [12] Specifically, women were able to watch the broadcast of the priesthood session in Logan, Utah; Ogden, Utah; Provo, Utah; San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; Dallas, Texas; Tempe, Arizona; Lakewood, Colorado; Medford, Oregon; and the Washington, D.C., area. [12]

In 2015, Ordain Women created fictional photo illustrations of Mormon women healing the sick through blessings, to help women imagine what it would look like if they were ordained to the priesthood. [13]

LDS Church reaction

On May 5, 2014, Kelly was placed on informal probation by her local LDS Church leaders for "openly, repeatedly and deliberately acting in public opposition to the church and its leaders after having been counseled not to do so." She then received an email on June 8 threatening her with disfellowshipment or excommunication for apostasy. Kelly's disciplinary council was scheduled for June 22; [14] [15] on June 23, she was informed by her bishop that she had been excommunicated in absentia. [16] Kelly's bishop, Mark Harrison, stated that the Six Discussions "intended to proselyte others and persuade them to support your [Kelly's] particular interpretation of church doctrine." [17] As such, these packets represent part of the basis for Kelly's excommunication on the grounds of "conduct unbecoming of a member of the church" and her "aggressive effort to persuade other Church members to [her] point of view..." [18]

The LDS Church has not publicly issued any direction to formally or informally discipline Ordain Women profile holders. When church spokesman, Cody Craynor was asked if profile holders should be worried about their temple recommend status due to involvement with Ordain Women, he stated that "qualifying for a temple recommend is a matter between members and local leaders." [19] Despite the lack of coordination from Church Headquarters, it is confirmed that men and women have lost church callings and temple recommends directly because of association with Ordain Women. [19] [20]

Demand for ordination

In October 2013, Pew Research released the poll results of a 2011 survey that suggests a large majority of Latter-day Saints—including 90 percent of Latter-day Saint women—disagree that women in the LDS Church should be ordained to the priesthood. [21] While these results have been widely cited, the survey itself has been described as "problematic" by some. [22] The relevancy of the results have been questioned based on the fact that the survey question, "Should women who are dedicated members of the LDS Church be ordained to the priesthood?," is an either/or proposition, whereas a spectrum of views on female ordination exists within the LDS faith. [23] Additionally, it has been suggested that these results are quickly becoming outdated as a result of the increased discussion of female ordination. [23]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Welker, Holly (March 16, 2014). "Ordain Women Transforms Mormon Feminism". Religion Dispatches . Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  2. ↑ "Complete List of Profiles". OrdainWomen.org. Ordain Women. Archived from the original on 2014-06-17.
  3. ↑ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (August 28, 2013). "Women want to attend Mormon priesthood meeting in October". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  4. ↑ Manson, Jamie (August 23, 2013). "Women's ordination movement takes interfaith approach". National Catholic Reporter . Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  5. ↑ Todd, Ruth (September 24, 2013). "Ticket Request" (PDF). Public Affairs Department, LDS Church. Response letter as published at OrdainWomen.org
  6. ↑ Evans, Whitney; Mikita, Carole (October 5, 2013). "Debate over LDS women's roles spotlighted in protest". KSL-TV.
  7. ↑ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (September 17, 2014). "Ordain Women will take its message local to Mormon congregations". The Salt Lake Tribune . Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  8. ↑ Christy (March 16, 2014). "Ordain Women Requests Tickets to the Priesthood Session". OrdainWomen.org. Ordain Women. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  9. ↑ "Church Asks Activist Group to Reconsider Plans to Protest at General Conference". Newsroom [MormonNewsroom.org] (News Story). LDS Church. March 17, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-07-23.
  10. ↑ Dobner, Jennifer (April 6, 2014). "Mormon women, seeking wider role, denied entrance to all-male priesthood meeting". Reuters . Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  11. ↑ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (June 14, 2014). "Ordain Women launches new push for Mormon priesthood". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  12. 1 2 "Group of LDS Women Attend All-Male Meeting". ABC News. (AP). October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  13. ↑ "Picture this: Mormon women giving blessings (Ordain Women can)". The Salt Lake Tribune. January 10, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  14. ↑ Goodstein, Laurie (June 11, 2014). "Two Activists in Mormon Church Threatened With Excommunication". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2015-01-16.
  15. ↑ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (June 11, 2014). "Founder of Mormon women's group threatened with excommunication". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  16. ↑ Price, Michelle L.; McCombs, Brady (June 23, 2014). "Mormon church excommunicates women's group founder". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  17. ↑ Walch, Tad (June 23, 2014). "Kate Kelly's 'conduct contrary to the laws and order of the church,' bishop says". Deseret News . Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  18. ↑ "Ordain Women releases LDS bishop's letter giving reasons for Kelly's excommunication". Deseret News. June 23, 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  19. 1 2 Stack, Peggy Fletcher (July 8, 2014). "Fear runs through many Mormons in Ordain Women ranks". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  20. ↑ Pfalz, Jennifer (June 23, 2014). "Mormon Church Excommunicates Activist Kate Kelly". Guardian Liberty Voice. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  21. ↑ Lipka, Michael (October 8, 2013). "Big majority of Mormons (including women) oppose women in priesthood". Fact Tank. Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  22. ↑ Radke-Moss, Andrea (July 10, 2014). "Mormon Women, Traditionalists and Feminists: An Evolving Conversation". Patheos. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
  23. 1 2 Reiss, Jana (May 23, 2014). "How many Mormons seek an expanded role for women". Flunking Sainthood. Religion News Service. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</span> Nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a restorationist, nontrinitarian Christian denomination that is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The church is headquartered in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 17 million members and over 72,000 full-time volunteer missionaries. The church was the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States as of 2012, and reported over 6.8 million US members as of 2022.

During the history of the Latter Day Saint movement, the relationship between Black people and Mormonism has included enslavement, exclusion and inclusion, official and unofficial discrimination, and friendly ties. Black people have been involved with the Latter Day Saint movement since its inception in the 1830s. Their experiences have varied widely depending on the specific denomination within Mormonism, and the time in history of their involvement. From the mid-1800s to 1978, Mormonism's largest denomination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints barred Black women and men from participating in ordinances of its temples necessary for the highest level of salvation, prevented most men of Black African descent from being ordained to the church's lay, all-male priesthood, supported racial segregation in its communities and schools, taught that righteous Black people would be made White after death, and opposed interracial marriage. The temple and priesthood racial restrictions were lifted by top leaders in 1978. In 2013 the church disavowed its previous teachings on race for the first time.

The September Six were six members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were excommunicated or disfellowshipped by the church in September 1993, allegedly for publishing scholarly work against or criticizing church doctrine or leadership. The term "September Six" was coined by The Salt Lake Tribune and was used in the media and subsequent discussion. The church's action was referred to by some as evidence of an anti-intellectual posture on the part of church leadership.

The status of women in Mormonism has been a source of public debate since before the death of Joseph Smith in 1844. Various denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement have taken different paths on the subject of women and their role in the church and in society. Views range from the full equal status and ordination of women to the priesthood, as practiced by the Community of Christ, to a patriarchal system practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the ultra-patriarchal plural marriage system practiced by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other Mormon fundamentalist groups.

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Presiding Patriarch is a church-wide leadership office within the priesthood. Among the duties of the Presiding Patriarch are to preside in council meetings, ordain other patriarchs, and administer patriarchal blessings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyrum G. Smith</span> American Mormon leader

Hyrum Gibbs Smith was Presiding Patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1912 until his death.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind. Male members of the church who meet standards of worthy behavior and church participation are generally ordained to specific offices within the priesthood.

The Genesis Group is an auxiliary organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for African-American members and their families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine S. Dalton</span>

Elaine Schwartz Dalton was the thirteenth president of the Young Women organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2008 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dehlin</span> American historian

John Parkinson Dehlin is an American podcast host. He holds a PhD in psychology. Dehlin founded the Mormon Stories Podcast, as well as several other Mormon-themed podcasts, blogs, and web sites. He was an influential early participant in the Mormon blogosphere, and blogs at Patheos.com. He has advocated for the rights of skeptics in Mormonism, LGBT rights, equality for women, and other individual views outside mainstream Mormonism.

The Church History Department (CHD) manages the historical and publishing activities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This includes the Church History Museum, Church Historian’s Press, and various research and collection projects. LeGrand R. Curtis, Jr., an LDS Church general authority, has been the Church Historian and Recorder (CHR) since August 1, 2019.

North Star Saints is an organization for LGBT people in the Latter-day Saint community. North Star is described as a faith-affirming resource for Latter-day Saint people addressing sexual orientation and gender identity who desire to live in line with teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. North Star supports the teaching of the LDS Church including the law of chastity and teachings on homosexuality, which prohibits sexual relationships outside of a legal marriage between one man and one woman, as well as teachings on gender identity and expression. The organization takes "no official position on the origin or mutability of homosexual attractions or gender identity incongruence", and does not "endorse political causes or join political coalitions, including those officially sanctioned by the [LDS] Church."

Peggy Fletcher Stack is an American journalist, editor, and author. Stack has been the lead religion writer for The Salt Lake Tribune since 1991. She and five other journalists at the Salt Lake Tribune won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. She won the Cornell Award for Excellence in Religion Reporting—Mid-sized Newspapers from the Religious News Association in 2004, 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2022.

From 1852 to 1978, temple and priesthood policies in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prohibited women and men of Black African descent from temple ordinances and ordination in the all-male priesthood. In 1978, the church's highest governing body, the First Presidency, declared in the statement "Official Declaration 2" that the restriction had been lifted. Between 1830 and 1852, a few Black men had been ordained to the Mormon priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement under Joseph Smith.

Denver Carlos Snuffer Jr. is a Utah lawyer, an author of Restorationist devotional books, a lecturer, a speculative theologian, and claims to be a “revelator to fellowships of the remnants movement,” a spiritual movement in schism with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The movement has a few thousand adherents, many of them members or former members of the LDS Church. He was excommunicated by the LDS Church in 2013 for refusing to cease publication of his 2011 book, Passing the Heavenly Gift which challenges many points of LDS orthodoxy. He subsequently has been identified as a prophet by many, and several of his teachings have been canonized as scripture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Kelly (feminist)</span> American feminist (born October 29, 1980)

Kathleen Marie Kelly is an American activist, human rights lawyer, and Mormon feminist who founded Ordain Women, an organization advocating for the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kelly was excommunicated from the church in 2014. She is also a nationally known advocate for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and abortion access.

Mormon feminism is a feminist religious social movement concerned with the role of women within Mormonism. Mormon feminists commonly advocate for a more significant recognition of Heavenly Mother, the ordination of women, gender equality, and social justice grounded in Mormon theology and history. Mormon feminism advocates for more representation and presence of women as well as more leadership roles for women within the hierarchical structure of the church. It also promotes fostering healthy cultural attitudes concerning women and girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender minorities and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</span>

Transgender people and other gender minorities currently face membership restrictions in access to priesthood and temple rites in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —Mormonism's largest denomination. Church leaders have taught gender roles as an important part of their doctrine since its founding. Only recently have they begun directly addressing gender diversity and the experiences of transgender, non-binary, intersex, and other gender minorities whose gender identity and expression differ from the cisgender norm.

This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 2010s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.