Ongoing Discussion about Women and Priesthood
February 24, 2025 - For Discussion: Doctrine and Section 25 - Spiritual Treasures (President Russell M. Nelson) - Live Up To Your Privileges (President Emily Belle Freeman)
Discussion:
We are still trying to find the manual (President Nelson: “You won’t find this process spelled out in any manual. The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do.”) For some reason, we can’t get it into our heads that no one is going to tell us exactly how to practice our priesthood power and authority. We don’t need permission—just do it.
It is hard to do the work—we are to rely on the Holy Ghost as we learn—much easier when it is spelled out. What can we learn from this practice?
Why are we struggling to understand this? Women know they have power, but some don’t understand what that means and what that looks like in their daily life.
One member of our group is teaching her children, her young daughters, so that they understand this power they have as they grow up. It won’t be a shock to them to have to adjust their thinking based on what they have been taught culturally—they will already know what they have and not be afraid to say it and use it.
We are washed clean - we have the power.
Some are careful about talking about their priesthood and how they use it because they don’t want to diminish men -
People are starting to grasp this—even men are starting to understand and talk about it
God is so merciful to us - baptism, the sacrament, initiatory—think about the words said in each of these ordinances
Men must have a priesthood office to enter the temple, women and young women do not need to have a priesthood office to enter the temple. Why don’t we think about that more and embrace this fact? James Faust quote: “In his infinite wisdom, the Lord requires worthy brethren to wear the mantle of the priesthood in order to enter the temple, but He permits the sisters to enter solely by virtue of their personal worthiness.”
D&C 109:
President Nelson - Rejoice in the Priesthood Keys - “We are also promised that in the temple we may “receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost.” Imagine what that promise means in terms of having the heavens open for each earnest seeker of eternal truth.”
President Freeman: Under His direction, within the order of His priesthood, the sons of God have been ordained to stand in place of the Son of God.
Dr. Wendy Ulrich - on Follow Him: “The common definition of priesthood is the office of being a priest or a group of priests who are authorized to perform sacred rituals, to preach and interpret sacred texts who intercede with the divine on behalf of others who pronounce forgiveness, who visit the sick and provide counsel, who minister and lead in congregations and so forth. And when we look at those definitions, we could go down that list I just read and say, "Do men perform those things in our church?" Absolutely. Do women? Do we perform sacred rituals? Check. Do we preach and interpret sacred texts in public ways? Check. Do we intercede with the divine on behalf of others? That's called prayer. Yes, I do that. Ministering. Yes, check. Do we pronounce forgiveness? Actually, we do in the temple. Do we visit the sick and provide counsel? Yes. Do we minister to and lead members? Yes.”
The Spirit is always strong—it’s us who views it as weak or strong—we have to work to stay as close to the Spirit as we can
What do we need to get rid of or add to our life to receive more inspiration or guidance?
President Freeman: Footnote 25: See Dallin H. Oaks, “The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 38–39; Liahona, Jan. 1999, 44–45. President Oaks taught: “In a closely related way, these ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood are also vital to the ministering of angels. … “… Angelic messages can be delivered by a voice or merely by thoughts or feelings communicated to the mind” (“The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 38, 39; Liahona, Jan. 1999, 44, 45).
President Nelson spoke to the women about spending more time in the temple over and over, and then announced new temples — great connection for us
Dr. Ulrich: My father was not an active member of the church. Not at all. He's standing there at this time and he says to me, the words were just clear in my mind, "I'm sorry about your thumb. I wasn't allowed to stop the accident from happening, but I was allowed to help it so that it wouldn't hurt." And I thought, "Okay, why?" And then I started remembering what had happened. I'm telling the story to my grandchildren because my daughter asked me to, and then I started remembering more what had gone on earlier in that meeting when we had attended this meeting. It was in Genoa, Italy, and the two men who were traveling with us had both served in Italy as missionaries.
Wendy Ulrich’s FAIR Latter-day Saints Presentation in 2019 - So good.
President Freeman: “If we read section 25 carefully, we discover an important progression taking place. Emma would go from being a daughter in the kingdom to “elect lady” to queen. Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood ordinances, combined with the keeping of her covenant promises, would increase her companionship with the Spirit and with angels, empowering her to navigate her life with divine guidance. Through His divine power, God would heal her heart, enlarge her capacity, and transform her into the version of herself He knew she could become. And through the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood, “the power of godliness [would be] manifest” in her life, and the Lord would part the veil so she could receive understanding from Him. This is what it looks like for God’s power to work within us.”
Lent - what can we eliminate or add to for 40 days to bring us closer to Christ and to better understand our power? March 5, 2025
President Freeman: “Partaking of the bread and water is a weekly reminder of His power working in you to help you overcome. Wearing the garment of the holy priesthood is a daily reminder of the gift of His power working in you to help you become.”
We can sense that there was a lot going on in Emma’s life for the Lord to give her a revelation.
Sources:
“Spiritual Treasures” by President Russell M. Nelson
“Live Up To Your Privileges” by President Emily Belle Freeman
Dr. Wendy Ulrich on Follow Him Podcast
“Women, Men, and Priesthood Power” presentation by Dr. Wendy Ulrich
“What it Means to Be a Daughter of God” by President James E. Faust