There are three points of the gospel I hold close to my
heart in situations like this.
1- Our church is a church founded on the asking of
questions. Joseph Smith asked God which church to join and got an answer. Matthew 7:7-8 tells us to
ask, seek, and knock and we will receive, find, and have doors opened. Each
member is told to ask God of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. We are
instructed to ask him for guidance on the big things in life. 2nd
Nephi 28:30 says, “For
behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon
line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little…” I believe that
applies not just to the individual lives of members, but to the church as a
whole. I believe God gives us revelation, like blessings, as we prepare ourselves
to receive it, but we’ve got to ask for it.
2- This church is a living church. It grows. It adapts. It
changes. This is a blessing. The 9th article of faith says, “We
believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe
that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the
Kingdom of God.” Why does it seem as though some of us have forgotten that “He
will yet reveal many great and important things”? The last bit of 2nd
Nephi 28:30 says, “…for unto him that receiveth [wisdom] I will give more; and from
them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that
which they have.” Why are some of us resisting the opportunity to learn?
3- While
God does indeed want us to ask him for direction, he has made it clear that we
should be able to handle the small stuff on our own. There are a great many areas
we can improve on in the church regarding gender equality, and they are things
well within the existing framework of current doctrine (listed here). I don’t
think God feels it necessary to step in to remind us that women are just as
capable as men to say prayers at General Conference, for instance. Let us
handle that on our own. Doctrine and Covenants 58:26- 28 reminds us that “it is not meet that I
should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is
a slothful and not a wise servant… men
should be aanxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free
will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein
they are agents unto themselves.”
I
can see no greater cause I am personally fit to be anxiously engaged in than
this one and so, I will wear pants. I’ve spent a significant part of my
adult life learning (informally as well as formally) to recognize the
subtleties of what male privilege and female subordination looks and the
problems that pair causes. I’ve learned, through experience, what forced
silence and isolation does to a person as well. It’s heartbreaking. I see it in
the church at large. I hear our women talk about it, even if they aren't sure what to call it.
I didn’t decide which “side” I stood on regarding this pants
issue until others insisted there were sides. There are women in this church saying
that they don’t feel heard or welcomed. The response they’re getting is to be
quiet and do as they’re told or that maybe, if they’re not happy here, they
should just leave. The side I stand with is the one that wants to listen to
these women and their supporters.
I will wear pants this Sunday, quietly and reverently, to
tell other women, both in my ward and not, that they are not alone, that they are
not crazy, and that I hear them.
