World Conference Business 1986

The following resolutions were submitted for consideration by the 1986 World Conference and were published for the information of delegates and interested members. It is published here as an item of interest on the debate over women in the priesthood.

Removal of Doctrine and Covenants Section 156

From Central Missouri Stake:

WHEREAS, During the interim period since the last World Conference many Saints, having had sufficient time to prayerfully consider and compare Section 156 and its far-reaching consequences, have reconsidered their first impressions as to its inspiration, finding Section 156 lacking in that it does not measure up to the Word of God contained in the three standard books and jeopardizes the continued existence of Christ's church here on the earth, and

WHEREAS, Both Jesus Christ and the angel Moroni testified that the Book of Mormon contains "the fullness of my everlasting gospel" Doctrine and Covenants 26:1-2, Church History, Volume 1, page 13; and yet the doctrine of women's ordination is not found in the Book of Mormon, and

WHEREAS, In I Corinthians 14:34 (which scripture was corrected by inspiration, through Joseph Smith) Paul says, "Let your women keep silence in the churches for it is not permitted unto them to rule. and in verse 37 Paul writes, of that which he has just written, the things I write to you are commandments of the Lord," and as it is the duty and privilege on occasion for all officers of the priesthood to rule or preside, women could not hold the priesthood and on this matter these two prophets, Paul and Joseph, speak in harmony, and

WHEREAS, In Genesis 6:7 (which scripture as restored by Joseph) Moses says, "Now this same priesthood which was in the beginning shall be in the end of the world also," and it is plainly shown in Genesis and in Section 104:18 of the Doctrine and Covenants that men only held the priesthood in the beginning, and in Titus 1:5-7 and I Timothy 3:2, Paul comments that the elders and bishops are to be the husbands of one wife, and in I Timothy 3:12 that deacons are to be the husbands of one wife, indicating the gender of priesthood, and

WHEREAS, The Lord said (Doctrine and Covenants 52:4) "I will give unto you a pattern in all things that ye may not be deceived,…" and he has given us a pattern for the priesthood in the Doctrine and Covenants, and

WHEREAS, Doctrine and Covenants 104:18 says, "The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son,... this order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage..." and Section 83:2 indicates that priesthood came to men through the lineage of their fathers, "...which priesthood continueth in the church of God in all generations, and is with-out beginning of days or end of years," and

WHEREAS, This pattern of priesthood can be seen to continue in Section 124:7e which was given through Joseph Smith III, and

WHEREAS, Many sections in the Doctrine and Covenants speak of only men in reference to the priesthood (Doctrine and Covenants 68, 85, 104, 120, 124, 129, 131), and

W'HEREAS, Mormon (chapter 4:68) says, "For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and in Him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing," and Doctrine and Covenants 2:lc says further, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said..." and

WHEREAS, The Aaronic priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery through John the Baptist, and then the Melchisedec priesthood was restored through Peter, James, and John at which time the Lord restored the priesthood to the church through Joseph and Oliver, and Church History, Volume 1, page 61 records that after their ordination Joseph and Oliver were to "…call out such men as the spirit should dictate, and ordain them,..." yet through this restoration process no woman was called or ordained to a priesthood office, and

WHEREAS, Because Joseph Smith presents us with so much testimony as to the nature and gender of priesthood, if we are to believe in Section 156 and women's ordination, we must disavow our belief that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet, and if he is no prophet then we have no church, and

WHEREAS, Many are not ready to disavow their belief in the angel message, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Inspired Version, the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., and the unchangeable nature of God, be it therefore

Resolved, That Section 156 of the Doctrine and Covenants be removed to the appendix and designated the will of man, rather than the will of God: and be it further

Resolved, That all women thus far ordained be restored to ministry harmonious with God's will, that of lay-member and handmaidens of the Lord: and be it further

Resolved, That this resolution be sent to the World Conference for appropriate action.

G-10

Cultural Determinism

From Central Missouri Stake:

WHEREAS, Adam was created by God to be the first man on the earth; no cultural influences obstructed any plan that God might have had for a priesthood of both genders (Doctrine and Covenants 22:21c; Genesis 2:8); Adam both saw and conversed with the Lord on more than one occasion (Genesis 4:4 and 6:1-71; Doctrine and Covenants 104:28b-c); Adam predicted everything that would befall his posterity until the end of time (Doctrine and Covenants 104:29a); the Lord knew of any inequities that might arise with regard to priesthood, and yet he chose Seth to carry the mantle of priesthood responsibility while making no reference to the ordination of Eve or her daughters or her granddaughters for the benefit of later generations (Doctrine and Covenants 104:19a; Genesis 4:2-3); and

WHEREAS, Enoch received plenary revelation in that he saw the Lord and talked with him face-to-face as one man talks to another for a period of 365 years (Genesis 7:4; Doctrine and Covenants 104:24b) the Lord showed Enoch all things unto the end of the world (Genesis 7:75); Enoch established an entirely new culture of righteousness from which the people of the World "stood afar off" reducing the possibility that cultural influences could undermine (God's presumed desire for a female priesthood (Genesis 7:15-25); it was Enoch's son, Methuselah, who was ordained to the priesthood and remained on the earth when Zion was translated (Doctrine and Covenants 104:25; Genesis 7:79); and

WHEREAS, Noah hearkened unto the Lord, walked with God, and was a perfect man (Genesis 8:1 and 16); the culture of Noah's day rejected the gospel, and as a result every living thing on the earth was destroyed except eight souls who were saved by water (Genesis 8:22, 37, 42-45); Noah was the father of an entirely new civilization without any cultural limitations to obstruct God's presumed desire for a dual-gender priesthood; there were at least four female candidates available for priesthood ordination (Genesis 9: 1), and yet a male priesthood was perpetuated under Noah's leadership (Doctrine and Covenants 83:2e); and

WHEREAS, The Brother of Jared had exceeding faith and received the plenary revealment of Jesus Christ who personally. ministered to him (Ether 1:72, 76, 77, 85, and 5:30); the Lord could not withhold anything from him; therefore, he saw all things (Ether 1:90, 91, 98, 5:21); he established an entirely new culture and the greatest nation on the earth (Ether 1:16-20): the Brother of Jared had a wife and daughters (Ether 3:17) Jared had eight daughters (Ether 3:23); they had twenty-two friends who also had daughters (Ether 3:18), and yet none are mentioned as assuming spiritual leadership among the Jaredites; and

WHEREAS, Nephi was a prophet who spoke with the Lord as a man speaks with another and heard the voice of the Lord (II Nephi 11:16; I Nephi 3:50 and 5:68); Nephi knew that his words would be read by us in the latter days, and yet he failed to address the issue of gender inequality for the benefit of later generations (II Nephi 11:14 and 12:66-72); his people were taught very little about the culture of the Jews and believed in the revelations of God (II Nephi 11:3 and 4:7-12): despite the absence of cultural prohibitions, the Aaronic priesthood was conferred on Jacob and Joseph-while no mention is made of women's ordination (II Nephi 4:42); later, Jacob was ordained an elder (II Nephi 5:1-3); and

WHEREAS, Jesus specifically spoke against the ungodly cultural restrictions of his day without equivocation (Matthew 9:2-6, 12:8-13, 15:1-13, 21:10-28); rather than seeking to identify with the culture of his day, he sought to do only the will of the Father and was rejected by that culture (John 5:31; Isaiah 53:2-3; II Nephi 11:34); in performing the will of the Father, Jesus had the opportunity, on two continents. to alter the pattern of a male dominated priesthood and call women to the priesthood or at least address the issue of gender inequality as a cultural evil; of the twenty-four priesthood that He called, all twenty-four were men (Matthew 10:1-2, II Nephi 5:22, 44 and 9:4); Jesus "knew all things" including the fact that his life would be an example for later generations (John 2:24, I Peter 2:21; John 6:65) and

WHEREAS. It has been suggested that throughout history men have been blinded by cultural mores that subverted God's desire to ordain women; in each of the aforementioned cases, little or no cultural influences were clearly extant except in the case of Jesus, how is it that Adam, Enoch, Noah, the Brother of Jared, and Nephi seemingly resisted the impulse of God's Spirit to call even one woman to priesthood responsibility when little or no cultural limitations existed? And

WHEREAS, Some church members have submitted that rather than culture being the culprit, it was the chauvinistic attitudes of individual religious leaders, such as Paul, who undermined God's plan for female priesthood, in each of the above situations we find evidence of righteous men, who hearkened unto the voice of the Lord and enjoyed a greater degree of God's light than any men on the earth, what evidence is there that those men opposed an equality of genders? And

WHEREAS, Some would suggest that God attempted to initiate a dual-gender priesthood in each of the aforementioned settings but that each attempt was short-lived and scriptural records are incomplete on this subject; if God is omniscient and Adam, Enoch, Noah, the Brother of Jared, Nephi, and Jesus all saw our day or at least knew that we would see their writings-what prevented them from addressing this issue in scripture for the benefit of later generations who they knew would read their writings? And

WHEREAS, Despite the cultural limitations of Christ's day he sought only to do the will of the father, and yet he perpetuated a system of entirely male priesthood by calling twenty-four more men to ministerial responsibility, how is it that God, through the instrumentality of his Son, did not see fit to effect any change at that time?, and if God desired a female priesthood as well, why would Jesus compromise the desires of God and submit to the cultural dictates of that day by calling only males to priesthood responsibility therefore, be it

Resolved, That Section 156 be accorded the status of nonscripture, and be it further

Resolved, That all ordained women be returned to the status of member in good standing.

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