Ordain Women: A Man's Perspective
This is from a guest blogger. He says it well so I'm spreading the word! :)
So this is is going to be kinda long and I apologize, but too bad, nobody is making you read this.
So I've seen a several people link to the article about the fact that Ordain Women is going to be wearing purple to the general women's meeting, and saying that you shouldn't wear purple. So if you didn't know, Ordain Women is wearing purple to the meeting. Now, I'm all for avoiding accidental professions of support for creeds you don't support, but I have a totally different view on what we should do to about it. Now, this is not a post about my feelings for the ordain women movements, my feelings about about the general church memberships response to the ordain women movement, or my feelings toward the color purple, that would be a different post for a different time, but for the sake of understanding where I am coming from: I disagree with ordain women but support their right(?) to disagree, and even to protest; I am confused/disappointed/upset with the general response to the movement; and I'm not the biggest fan of purple-that would be my brother.
With that said, here are my thoughts on the subject. I think that the smartest response is not to shun purple, but to embrace it. Start a counter movement wearing purple because you support the status quo, because you are daughters of a heavenly father who loves us and you love him, because donuts are cool. Heck, start a counter movement for all three. But wait, you cry, then people will think that we are supporters of Ordain women. To which I respond, not if you get enough people to wear purple with you. Not if you can make it as big of a thing to wearing purple as non Ordain Women supporter as a supporter. Then there are just a whole bunch of people wearing purple. Some for some reason, some for another, and a third group who didn't wearing purple was a thing. You take the color back. Instead of it meaning anything it means nothing. You just get a sea of purple. But wait you say, then the fact that we are saying anything is also lost. EXACTLY. Instead of it being about us and them, it becomes about us. Ya take the them right out of it.
It will be just like priesthood session with a sea of white, but instead of white, purple. United as a group of LDS women. Imagine how powerful that would be. Think about the awesomeness of seeing a group of priesthood holders all wearing white shirts. While I was in the MTC we actually had a speaker who told us to take of our jackets because he wanted to see us all, and give us a chance to see us all in our white. It was impressive. Now double that. Not divided by your differences, but united by your similarities. United in your desire, your need for the peace that this gospel brings. United in your faith in the healing power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. United in your knowledge that the priesthood, the power of God on earth, has been restored. United in your womanhood. United in the goodness that brings. That would be a sight to see
I hope that those that do support Ordain Women won't get too mad at me for proposing this. On a normal day, at a normal meeting, I support the right to wear purple, wear pants, wear flowers in you hair(if you are going to San Francisco), generally be different, to show solidarity, to help people feel that they aren't alone in thinking and feeling the way that they do. I might even go as far as to say that that is a good thing, but this is special. Which I understand is why you want to do it now, but it is why I don't want you to. I don't want this meeting, or the meetings next week to be about us and them. The right and the wrong(because that is what this is really about-I'm right on this subject and you are wrong). I want it to be about us. Children of God. Each struggling along in this mortal world. Each trying to find the path that we should follow. Coming together for revelation. For knowledge. To worship God. To praise him. To find strength from one another. So let's put aside the you and the me and become a we.
So this is is going to be kinda long and I apologize, but too bad, nobody is making you read this.
So I've seen a several people link to the article about the fact that Ordain Women is going to be wearing purple to the general women's meeting, and saying that you shouldn't wear purple. So if you didn't know, Ordain Women is wearing purple to the meeting. Now, I'm all for avoiding accidental professions of support for creeds you don't support, but I have a totally different view on what we should do to about it. Now, this is not a post about my feelings for the ordain women movements, my feelings about about the general church memberships response to the ordain women movement, or my feelings toward the color purple, that would be a different post for a different time, but for the sake of understanding where I am coming from: I disagree with ordain women but support their right(?) to disagree, and even to protest; I am confused/disappointed/upset with the general response to the movement; and I'm not the biggest fan of purple-that would be my brother.
With that said, here are my thoughts on the subject. I think that the smartest response is not to shun purple, but to embrace it. Start a counter movement wearing purple because you support the status quo, because you are daughters of a heavenly father who loves us and you love him, because donuts are cool. Heck, start a counter movement for all three. But wait, you cry, then people will think that we are supporters of Ordain women. To which I respond, not if you get enough people to wear purple with you. Not if you can make it as big of a thing to wearing purple as non Ordain Women supporter as a supporter. Then there are just a whole bunch of people wearing purple. Some for some reason, some for another, and a third group who didn't wearing purple was a thing. You take the color back. Instead of it meaning anything it means nothing. You just get a sea of purple. But wait you say, then the fact that we are saying anything is also lost. EXACTLY. Instead of it being about us and them, it becomes about us. Ya take the them right out of it.
It will be just like priesthood session with a sea of white, but instead of white, purple. United as a group of LDS women. Imagine how powerful that would be. Think about the awesomeness of seeing a group of priesthood holders all wearing white shirts. While I was in the MTC we actually had a speaker who told us to take of our jackets because he wanted to see us all, and give us a chance to see us all in our white. It was impressive. Now double that. Not divided by your differences, but united by your similarities. United in your desire, your need for the peace that this gospel brings. United in your faith in the healing power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. United in your knowledge that the priesthood, the power of God on earth, has been restored. United in your womanhood. United in the goodness that brings. That would be a sight to see
I hope that those that do support Ordain Women won't get too mad at me for proposing this. On a normal day, at a normal meeting, I support the right to wear purple, wear pants, wear flowers in you hair(if you are going to San Francisco), generally be different, to show solidarity, to help people feel that they aren't alone in thinking and feeling the way that they do. I might even go as far as to say that that is a good thing, but this is special. Which I understand is why you want to do it now, but it is why I don't want you to. I don't want this meeting, or the meetings next week to be about us and them. The right and the wrong(because that is what this is really about-I'm right on this subject and you are wrong). I want it to be about us. Children of God. Each struggling along in this mortal world. Each trying to find the path that we should follow. Coming together for revelation. For knowledge. To worship God. To praise him. To find strength from one another. So let's put aside the you and the me and become a we.
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