Excerpts from "Woman and the Priesthood" (1972)
By Rodney Turner
When I worked at a used book warehouse from 2016 to 2020, I saw many copies of this book, which was still in some demand. Eventually I read it and decided to share some excerpts as a stark illustration of the toxic teachings that LDS women (and men) - including both of my grandmothers - were subjected to in the 1970s, which still have repercussions today even though the LDS Church has quietly changed them. A couple of disclaimers:
1. Rodney Turner quotes liberally from the standard works, the Journal of Discourses, Conference Reports, and various other church sources. I focused on his own words and omitted those quotes because they're available elsewhere and it seemed redundant, but I want to be clear that, although he was "only" a BYU religion professor and his book "is not and does not purport to be an authoritative statement on any of the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," his ideas were by no means out of sync with mainstream LDS belief at the time. And though he doesn't mention it, the hierarchical marriage relationship he describes with the man positioned between the woman and God was explicitly taught in the temple ceremonies until 2019.
2. I cherry-picked these excerpts. Though I find the overall tone of the book pretentious and fearmongering, much of it is good or at least inoffensive (at least to me), and I have no doubt that Rodney Turner had the best of intentions. I want to have charity toward him and recognize that despite my own best intentions, some of my writings may not age well either. But in a sense, that context makes these excerpts all the more pernicious. It would have made it harder for women (or men) in the 1970s to recognize the blatant sexism staring them in the face. And to this day many Latter-day Saints still find it hard to recognize the blatant sexism staring them in the face. I know I did. The rhetoric has softened, some of the teachings have changed, but women in the church are still put on a pedestal and told that they shouldn't have the same rights and privileges as men because they're special.
1. Rodney Turner quotes liberally from the standard works, the Journal of Discourses, Conference Reports, and various other church sources. I focused on his own words and omitted those quotes because they're available elsewhere and it seemed redundant, but I want to be clear that, although he was "only" a BYU religion professor and his book "is not and does not purport to be an authoritative statement on any of the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," his ideas were by no means out of sync with mainstream LDS belief at the time. And though he doesn't mention it, the hierarchical marriage relationship he describes with the man positioned between the woman and God was explicitly taught in the temple ceremonies until 2019.
2. I cherry-picked these excerpts. Though I find the overall tone of the book pretentious and fearmongering, much of it is good or at least inoffensive (at least to me), and I have no doubt that Rodney Turner had the best of intentions. I want to have charity toward him and recognize that despite my own best intentions, some of my writings may not age well either. But in a sense, that context makes these excerpts all the more pernicious. It would have made it harder for women (or men) in the 1970s to recognize the blatant sexism staring them in the face. And to this day many Latter-day Saints still find it hard to recognize the blatant sexism staring them in the face. I know I did. The rhetoric has softened, some of the teachings have changed, but women in the church are still put on a pedestal and told that they shouldn't have the same rights and privileges as men because they're special.
Man and Woman
"The very attributes which characterize a woman of high spiritual endowment suggest that, for now, her essential milieu is the home rather than the world at large. Those who are continually subjected to the ravages of wind, rain, heat and cold are invariably weathered by them. Likewise, no woman can fully identify with the work-a-day world of men and escape unmarked. Men, with their generally less refined natures, do not; how can women hope to do so? Modern urban life is often soul-desensitizing. The dull routine, the unremitting pressures, the ceaseless competitiveness, the constant jostling with alien personalities, the daily necessity of reestablishing one's worth - these are the elements which batter away at the basic personalities of many men and women today....
"When women willingly join men in their 'city,' when they willingly forsake the home, they, too, become fugitives and vagabonds in the earth - fugitives from their own natures, vagabonds in a masculine world. For it is in willingly becoming 'city dwellers' that they compromise those qualities and attitudes which are the hallmark of the true woman. They do this, not by their physical presence in the city, but by their emotional commitment to it. The Savior declared: 'where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.'
"It is in putting their hearts upon the 'treasures' of the city that they become spiritually impoverished. Their destitute condition is exposed by a certain brittle facade which, although similar to that of many males, is nevertheless more offensive because it is a contradiction of the feminine character. In its extreme form, this acquired masculinity emerges as a third sex - being neither truly male nor female. That women can take on something of the male temperament is undeniable. Indeed, if obliged to live and think like a man - facing the life situations of a man - there are few women who will not do so." - pp. 23-4
"Admittedly, circumstances have forced many women to join the work-a-day world for sheer survival. From time immemorial, infant mortality, disease and war have created serious imbalances in the ratio of males to females. Many women have been obliged to live with little or no male support. Then there are those whose husbands are either unwilling or unable to provide for their families. Divorce and desertion are also major causes of the influx of wives and mothers into the labor force. Many of these women are victims of unrighteous social conditions. However, there are many others who are not justified in leaving their homes for outside employment. They - and often their husbands - are motivated by purely selfish factors. Dislike of childbearing and childrearing and/or the other duties associated with motherhood and homemaking, rejection of husband, an appetite for material luxuries, economic freedom, the desire to gratify some ambition, to exploit a presumed talent or to be part of that supposedly more exciting world beyond one's front gate - these are the chief reasons millions of women are turning to the 'city of men.' These women left home to embrace marriage, only to leave home to escape it." - pp. 25-6
"The false prophet has been joined by the false prophetess. Strident female voices now proclaim the emancipation of woman from her womanhood. No longer is she to be bound by the restrictions of her traditional role in society. No longer will she accept the male-imposed bondage her sex has known from time immemorial. She is free! This movement is but one manifestation of a general retreat from the old established order of things. Ours is the time of fulfillment of Isaiah's words, 'As for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them.' The order of heaven is being turned upside down. Life is in commotion. The tides of change are moving swiftly, sweeping before them much that has been; it was inevitable that many women would be swept along by these tides. Mass education, industrialization, and the technological revolution have profoundly influenced the lives of millions of females. They have become breadwinners in their own right. Money is freedom. The political and social emancipation of women is due more to their growing economic independence than to any other single factor. In this respect, they are not unlike children who, finding themselves gainfully employed, promptly demand greater freedom of action than they previously enjoyed. Males have abetted this trend, not only by creating the very conditions which allowed women to achieve economic independence, but by their own willingness - even eagerness - to have them become co-producers of material wealth." - pp. 26-7
"When women willingly join men in their 'city,' when they willingly forsake the home, they, too, become fugitives and vagabonds in the earth - fugitives from their own natures, vagabonds in a masculine world. For it is in willingly becoming 'city dwellers' that they compromise those qualities and attitudes which are the hallmark of the true woman. They do this, not by their physical presence in the city, but by their emotional commitment to it. The Savior declared: 'where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.'
"It is in putting their hearts upon the 'treasures' of the city that they become spiritually impoverished. Their destitute condition is exposed by a certain brittle facade which, although similar to that of many males, is nevertheless more offensive because it is a contradiction of the feminine character. In its extreme form, this acquired masculinity emerges as a third sex - being neither truly male nor female. That women can take on something of the male temperament is undeniable. Indeed, if obliged to live and think like a man - facing the life situations of a man - there are few women who will not do so." - pp. 23-4
"Admittedly, circumstances have forced many women to join the work-a-day world for sheer survival. From time immemorial, infant mortality, disease and war have created serious imbalances in the ratio of males to females. Many women have been obliged to live with little or no male support. Then there are those whose husbands are either unwilling or unable to provide for their families. Divorce and desertion are also major causes of the influx of wives and mothers into the labor force. Many of these women are victims of unrighteous social conditions. However, there are many others who are not justified in leaving their homes for outside employment. They - and often their husbands - are motivated by purely selfish factors. Dislike of childbearing and childrearing and/or the other duties associated with motherhood and homemaking, rejection of husband, an appetite for material luxuries, economic freedom, the desire to gratify some ambition, to exploit a presumed talent or to be part of that supposedly more exciting world beyond one's front gate - these are the chief reasons millions of women are turning to the 'city of men.' These women left home to embrace marriage, only to leave home to escape it." - pp. 25-6
"The false prophet has been joined by the false prophetess. Strident female voices now proclaim the emancipation of woman from her womanhood. No longer is she to be bound by the restrictions of her traditional role in society. No longer will she accept the male-imposed bondage her sex has known from time immemorial. She is free! This movement is but one manifestation of a general retreat from the old established order of things. Ours is the time of fulfillment of Isaiah's words, 'As for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them.' The order of heaven is being turned upside down. Life is in commotion. The tides of change are moving swiftly, sweeping before them much that has been; it was inevitable that many women would be swept along by these tides. Mass education, industrialization, and the technological revolution have profoundly influenced the lives of millions of females. They have become breadwinners in their own right. Money is freedom. The political and social emancipation of women is due more to their growing economic independence than to any other single factor. In this respect, they are not unlike children who, finding themselves gainfully employed, promptly demand greater freedom of action than they previously enjoyed. Males have abetted this trend, not only by creating the very conditions which allowed women to achieve economic independence, but by their own willingness - even eagerness - to have them become co-producers of material wealth." - pp. 26-7
In the Beginning
"In the divine order, woman is given to man, not man to woman. Eve was brought to Adam to be his helpmate, he was not brought to her. Paul noted, 'For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.' At first glance, it might appear that woman is inferior to man, that she exists only for his benefit. This is incorrect. Man and woman are equal before the Lord. However, they are not the same before him.... The practice of giving men their wives stems from the principle of stewardship and, ultimately, from the fact that all organized life exists as such by the grace of God and is, in effect, his possession." - pp. 37-8
"The significance of the woman being named Eve is heightened by the fact that it was done, not by God, but by her husband. Adam had been made lord of all creation - guardian over the entire earth and every living thing thereon. In connection with this appointment, he named all things. The right to name connotes the right to rule. In naming his wife, Adam became - by divine appointment - her steward. And in accepting that name, Eve acknowledged Adam's position and submitted herself to the righteous leadership of the holy priesthood. A similar commitment is inferred in those marriages where the woman takes upon herself the name the man gives her - his name.
"Further, to name is to claim. In naming Eve, Adam claimed her for his own. Likewise, the only church Christ acknowledges as his own is the one which he personally - by direct revelation - has named and claimed: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Only this church can be the 'bride of Christ' - all others have taken his name in vain because he has not given them that name." - p. 41
"Of course, the overall treatment of women varies from culture to culture and group to group. However, it is safe to say that, with but a very few exceptions, women have never been shown the respect, protection, guidance or love they both needed and deserved. They are the betrayed sex. Unfortunately many modern women are compounding their plight by betraying themselves in new and more damaging ways. Still, the cause of womankind is just. If they are to plead it effectively, they must understand what their true cause is, what God willed for them in the beginning, and why he said, 'thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.'" - p. 45
"This apparently idyllic arrangement ended with Lucifer's successful beguilement of Woman. She was, for all her physical maturity, like a little girl who, lacking experience, succumbs to the blandishments of a would-be molester. Hers was not the knowing, sophisticated sin of a worldly person. It was more the seduction of an innocent, trusting child. Note that the stated reasons for her disobedience reflect her feminine nature: the fruit was good for food (tasty), pleasant to the eyes (beautiful), and would make her wise (curiosity). Doubtless, the last rationalization was the deciding factor - feminine curiosity being what it is. Adam, having greater understanding, was impervious to such appeals. He was not beguiled; he partook 'that man might be.' The apostle Paul cited this distinction between the two as justification for women keeping silent in church. He may have felt that they had already caused enough trouble." - pp. 45-6
"The guidance and protection the Lord had afforded his daughter was also to continue. However, inasmuch as he could no longer be her immediate head, God appointed the man to act in his stead and 'rule over' Woman. This assignment was, in fact, given to Adam in connection with the keys and powers of the priesthood previously bestowed upon him as sovereign lord over the earth and all things thereon." - p. 46
"Said Paul, 'But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.' Such a relationship can only apply to those who are members of the body of Christ - the true Church. Among the saints, a woman is justified in binding herself to her husband's law when he, in turn, is bound to Christ. However, such is not the case in the world at large where Christ is not acknowledged as 'the head of every man.' It follows, therefore, that husbands in worldly marriages have no divine right to exercise dominion over their wives. Ironically, those who insist that marriage should be a partnership between equals in which the wife enjoys autonomy along with her husband are correct - but not for the reasons they advance. Worldly marriages are between peers. Neither is justified in imposing his or her authority on the other because neither has any legitimate authority to impose beyond that granted by human law. By the same token, no man-made church has a divine right to speak for God or to impose its will upon others in his name. Historically, many churches, like many husbands, have exercised dominion either by employing threat, brute force or civil power. It is no mere coincidence that the traditional authority of both husbands and churches is being challenged today.
"Paul's statement was not a generalization, nor was it timebound; it also applied to the eternal order of things. It is an allusion to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage within the new and everlasting covenant of the gospel. Under the patriarchal order of marriage, the father - the patriarch, the high priest in the home - holds the keys of the priesthood for his family. He presides. His position in the home is similar to that of a bishop over a ward, a president over a stake, the prophet over the Church or God over the universe. Baptism is a pledge of allegiance to the kingdom of God by which anyone becomes a citizen thereof. Ordination to the priesthood makes a man an officer of that kingdom and commits him to specific service under the authority of Christ. Likewise, in being sealed to a worthy husband, a woman commits herself to the law or guidance of her husband. Thus an unbroken chain of stewards and stewardships extends back into the eternities. Everyone has a secure and honorable place in the family organization. Everyone has a steward and a stewardship. Everyone finds happiness and fulfillment under the law.
"Woman, being the 'weaker vessel,' should be under the constant protection and guidance of the priesthood. Ideally, her father is her first guide and protector. He, in turn, gives her to her husband who becomes her second steward. Should she become orphaned or widowed, the male leader of the family should assume responsibility for her welfare. If there is no one available or qualified to do so, then the organized priesthood as represented by her bishop or some other responsible officer of the Church should, with her consent, become her guardian. Since most women have neither the physical strength nor the social and economic independence of men, they both require and are entitled to such consideration." - pp. 47-9
"All things being equal, as long as a woman is under her father's roof she owes him her chief loyalty. When she marries, that loyalty passes to her husband. A woman should not attempt to have two stewards, two heads, anymore than a man should attempt to serve two gods. 'No man can serve two masters' - especially when they are in clear opposition to one another.... A woman cannot have an eye single to both her husband and someone else. A two-headed woman is a monstrosity. Her husband is her rightful head as long as he is worthy to be so and/or as long as she elects to remain with him." - p. 51
"While the Lord was the immediate steward of Adam and Eve, each had direct communication with the other. It was a triangular association with God at the apex.... However, the Fall altered this arrangement; it became linear. God remained at the apex but the man stood between him and the woman.... Now there was a mediator between herself and her Father. Face to face communication was ended." - p. 52
"Our modern prophets have emphasized repeatedly the necessity of yielding obedience to one's file leader. This principle cannot operate at one level of heavenly government while being inoperative at another. Heber C. Kimball asked: 'Is it not right for all men to be obedient to their superiors. And if so, is it not right for women and children to abide the same principle?' The law is no respector of persons. In truth, no woman of understanding wants to be headless[.]" - p. 53
"President Young was essentially correct in maintaining that, in a manner peculiar to themselves, normal women are emotionally dependent upon men. Wrote Lord Byron: 'Man's love is of man's life a part; it is woman's whole existence.'... Female liberationists would doubtless respond, 'Spoken like a true male chauvinist!' They would argue that the traditional manner in which females have been socialized and controlled inevitably rendered them more emotionally dependent upon men than they should have been. Thus, they regard this dependence as a learned behavior. However, the Lord has indicated that it is both reflective of woman's temperament and essential to her role in the plan of salvation. Jesus said, 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' It is very likely that as more women place increasing value on those interests and opportunities which lie outside of the home, Byron's assessment of the female nature will become less and less valid as a generalization. If men can lay up treasures on earth rather than in heaven, women can place their affections on the world rather than on their husbands and families....
"The obligation to submit to the leadership of fallen man after having enjoyed the personal guidance of God is, undeniably, a descending. Yet, doing so will be the means of woman's very exaltation. If woman is 'cursed' with love for man, man is likewise 'cursed' with love for woman. To love is not to be cursed unless it is done at the price of righteousness and truth. The woman who is married to a worthy husband does not regard herself as being cursed. She is happy because she is needed, fulfilled and loved. The cursed woman is not an Eve, a Sarah, an Emma Smith, or any other woman wedded to a godly man. The cursed woman is she who is bound in her emotions to a man who is, himself, a slave of the world, the flesh and the devil.
"If Adam was to 'rule over' his wife, it was imperative that her affections be centered in him and him alone.That such could be the case, was assured by Woman's very nature. Therefore, God's words constituted a prophetic commandment, 'Thy desires shall be to thy husband.' It was meant to be so. If Eve was to respond to her husband's leadership as she had responded to her Father's, Adam would have to care for her and she for him. Indeed, without understanding and mutual affection, honoring the commandment to multiply would have been little more than an act between animals." - p. 57-9
"The significance of the woman being named Eve is heightened by the fact that it was done, not by God, but by her husband. Adam had been made lord of all creation - guardian over the entire earth and every living thing thereon. In connection with this appointment, he named all things. The right to name connotes the right to rule. In naming his wife, Adam became - by divine appointment - her steward. And in accepting that name, Eve acknowledged Adam's position and submitted herself to the righteous leadership of the holy priesthood. A similar commitment is inferred in those marriages where the woman takes upon herself the name the man gives her - his name.
"Further, to name is to claim. In naming Eve, Adam claimed her for his own. Likewise, the only church Christ acknowledges as his own is the one which he personally - by direct revelation - has named and claimed: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Only this church can be the 'bride of Christ' - all others have taken his name in vain because he has not given them that name." - p. 41
"Of course, the overall treatment of women varies from culture to culture and group to group. However, it is safe to say that, with but a very few exceptions, women have never been shown the respect, protection, guidance or love they both needed and deserved. They are the betrayed sex. Unfortunately many modern women are compounding their plight by betraying themselves in new and more damaging ways. Still, the cause of womankind is just. If they are to plead it effectively, they must understand what their true cause is, what God willed for them in the beginning, and why he said, 'thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.'" - p. 45
"This apparently idyllic arrangement ended with Lucifer's successful beguilement of Woman. She was, for all her physical maturity, like a little girl who, lacking experience, succumbs to the blandishments of a would-be molester. Hers was not the knowing, sophisticated sin of a worldly person. It was more the seduction of an innocent, trusting child. Note that the stated reasons for her disobedience reflect her feminine nature: the fruit was good for food (tasty), pleasant to the eyes (beautiful), and would make her wise (curiosity). Doubtless, the last rationalization was the deciding factor - feminine curiosity being what it is. Adam, having greater understanding, was impervious to such appeals. He was not beguiled; he partook 'that man might be.' The apostle Paul cited this distinction between the two as justification for women keeping silent in church. He may have felt that they had already caused enough trouble." - pp. 45-6
"The guidance and protection the Lord had afforded his daughter was also to continue. However, inasmuch as he could no longer be her immediate head, God appointed the man to act in his stead and 'rule over' Woman. This assignment was, in fact, given to Adam in connection with the keys and powers of the priesthood previously bestowed upon him as sovereign lord over the earth and all things thereon." - p. 46
"Said Paul, 'But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.' Such a relationship can only apply to those who are members of the body of Christ - the true Church. Among the saints, a woman is justified in binding herself to her husband's law when he, in turn, is bound to Christ. However, such is not the case in the world at large where Christ is not acknowledged as 'the head of every man.' It follows, therefore, that husbands in worldly marriages have no divine right to exercise dominion over their wives. Ironically, those who insist that marriage should be a partnership between equals in which the wife enjoys autonomy along with her husband are correct - but not for the reasons they advance. Worldly marriages are between peers. Neither is justified in imposing his or her authority on the other because neither has any legitimate authority to impose beyond that granted by human law. By the same token, no man-made church has a divine right to speak for God or to impose its will upon others in his name. Historically, many churches, like many husbands, have exercised dominion either by employing threat, brute force or civil power. It is no mere coincidence that the traditional authority of both husbands and churches is being challenged today.
"Paul's statement was not a generalization, nor was it timebound; it also applied to the eternal order of things. It is an allusion to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage within the new and everlasting covenant of the gospel. Under the patriarchal order of marriage, the father - the patriarch, the high priest in the home - holds the keys of the priesthood for his family. He presides. His position in the home is similar to that of a bishop over a ward, a president over a stake, the prophet over the Church or God over the universe. Baptism is a pledge of allegiance to the kingdom of God by which anyone becomes a citizen thereof. Ordination to the priesthood makes a man an officer of that kingdom and commits him to specific service under the authority of Christ. Likewise, in being sealed to a worthy husband, a woman commits herself to the law or guidance of her husband. Thus an unbroken chain of stewards and stewardships extends back into the eternities. Everyone has a secure and honorable place in the family organization. Everyone has a steward and a stewardship. Everyone finds happiness and fulfillment under the law.
"Woman, being the 'weaker vessel,' should be under the constant protection and guidance of the priesthood. Ideally, her father is her first guide and protector. He, in turn, gives her to her husband who becomes her second steward. Should she become orphaned or widowed, the male leader of the family should assume responsibility for her welfare. If there is no one available or qualified to do so, then the organized priesthood as represented by her bishop or some other responsible officer of the Church should, with her consent, become her guardian. Since most women have neither the physical strength nor the social and economic independence of men, they both require and are entitled to such consideration." - pp. 47-9
"All things being equal, as long as a woman is under her father's roof she owes him her chief loyalty. When she marries, that loyalty passes to her husband. A woman should not attempt to have two stewards, two heads, anymore than a man should attempt to serve two gods. 'No man can serve two masters' - especially when they are in clear opposition to one another.... A woman cannot have an eye single to both her husband and someone else. A two-headed woman is a monstrosity. Her husband is her rightful head as long as he is worthy to be so and/or as long as she elects to remain with him." - p. 51
"While the Lord was the immediate steward of Adam and Eve, each had direct communication with the other. It was a triangular association with God at the apex.... However, the Fall altered this arrangement; it became linear. God remained at the apex but the man stood between him and the woman.... Now there was a mediator between herself and her Father. Face to face communication was ended." - p. 52
"Our modern prophets have emphasized repeatedly the necessity of yielding obedience to one's file leader. This principle cannot operate at one level of heavenly government while being inoperative at another. Heber C. Kimball asked: 'Is it not right for all men to be obedient to their superiors. And if so, is it not right for women and children to abide the same principle?' The law is no respector of persons. In truth, no woman of understanding wants to be headless[.]" - p. 53
"President Young was essentially correct in maintaining that, in a manner peculiar to themselves, normal women are emotionally dependent upon men. Wrote Lord Byron: 'Man's love is of man's life a part; it is woman's whole existence.'... Female liberationists would doubtless respond, 'Spoken like a true male chauvinist!' They would argue that the traditional manner in which females have been socialized and controlled inevitably rendered them more emotionally dependent upon men than they should have been. Thus, they regard this dependence as a learned behavior. However, the Lord has indicated that it is both reflective of woman's temperament and essential to her role in the plan of salvation. Jesus said, 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' It is very likely that as more women place increasing value on those interests and opportunities which lie outside of the home, Byron's assessment of the female nature will become less and less valid as a generalization. If men can lay up treasures on earth rather than in heaven, women can place their affections on the world rather than on their husbands and families....
"The obligation to submit to the leadership of fallen man after having enjoyed the personal guidance of God is, undeniably, a descending. Yet, doing so will be the means of woman's very exaltation. If woman is 'cursed' with love for man, man is likewise 'cursed' with love for woman. To love is not to be cursed unless it is done at the price of righteousness and truth. The woman who is married to a worthy husband does not regard herself as being cursed. She is happy because she is needed, fulfilled and loved. The cursed woman is not an Eve, a Sarah, an Emma Smith, or any other woman wedded to a godly man. The cursed woman is she who is bound in her emotions to a man who is, himself, a slave of the world, the flesh and the devil.
"If Adam was to 'rule over' his wife, it was imperative that her affections be centered in him and him alone.That such could be the case, was assured by Woman's very nature. Therefore, God's words constituted a prophetic commandment, 'Thy desires shall be to thy husband.' It was meant to be so. If Eve was to respond to her husband's leadership as she had responded to her Father's, Adam would have to care for her and she for him. Indeed, without understanding and mutual affection, honoring the commandment to multiply would have been little more than an act between animals." - p. 57-9
A Marriage in the Lord
"In emphasizing the virtual equality of the sexes, the so-called modern marriage is something of a reaction against the Victorian marriages of the nineteenth century. Today, marriage is emphasized as a 'partnership' in which the husband and wife each hold fifty percent of the voting stock. Both are president of the company. Being a two-headed affair, the modern marriage is, in actuality, headless. Because both preside, neither leads. It is pure democracy. Such marriages are based upon false sociological theories as well as a fatal misunderstanding of the implications of the psycho-physical differences between the sexes. These differences should dictate the valid roles of husbands and wives. In largely ignoring these differences, the modern marriage is essentially a contractual agreement between consenting adults in which they specify the limitations of their obligations to one another both qualitatively and quantitatively. It is understood that each is free to pursue his or her own destiny even though they share certain phases of their lives with one another. The wife has the same rights, privileges and opportunities possessed by the husband. In so far as circumstances will permit, each can do all that the other does and become all that the other becomes.
"This type of marriage is encouraged by modern contraceptive methods which serve to produce an even greater sense of equality between the sexes by virtually freeing the female from unwanted pregnancy. The legalization of abortion is an additional equalizing factor. Now, the female can also enjoy sex for its own sake without the old fears marring the experience and without the risk of limiting her possibilities for self-expression. She can sow without the necessity of reaping." - p. 69
"The true order of marriage, being founded upon the power and the authority of the Holy Priesthood, is patriarchal in design. The husband leads because he is the living embodiment of that priesthood which governs all things. A celestially-oriented wife understands this and fully sustains her worthy mate in his position....
"A covenant wife is a man's God-given helpmate; she is circumscribed by him as he is circumscribed by Christ. The family is like an eternal time piece made up of wheels within wheels - each moving at its ordained pace in its ordained place. Thus, each serves and is served by the other. But just as the movement of one wheel depends upon the movement of another, so does a wife's fulfillment depend upon the fulfillment of her husband. He, in turn, can only advance with the help of God, the great main spring of all progress....
"The wise woman will do this, for it is a matter of enlightened self-interest. There is no more reason for a woman in Israel to chafe under this commandment than it is for a child to resist the guidance of loving parents. Pride is the number one killer of spirituality. It afflicts men and women alike at every level of society. May the Lord deliver us from it! It is the antithesis of all he stands for. It prevents the offering of a broken heart and a contrite spirit - which offering is the basic prerequisite to the blessings of the atonement.
"On the other hand, willingness to sustain a leader who is less gifted or less knowledgeable than one's self is a mark of genuine humility. It is not difficult to bow before the superior attributes of another, this is the way of the world. But to honestly respect and support those whose endowments are seemingly less than one's own savors of godliness....
"A wife may be better educated, more gifted, and wiser than her husband. This is often a trial to her, but it is for her to manifest a spirit of meekness and to honor him in his station. In doing so, she leaves him without excuse should he then fail to magnify his calling." - pp.96-9
"This type of marriage is encouraged by modern contraceptive methods which serve to produce an even greater sense of equality between the sexes by virtually freeing the female from unwanted pregnancy. The legalization of abortion is an additional equalizing factor. Now, the female can also enjoy sex for its own sake without the old fears marring the experience and without the risk of limiting her possibilities for self-expression. She can sow without the necessity of reaping." - p. 69
"The true order of marriage, being founded upon the power and the authority of the Holy Priesthood, is patriarchal in design. The husband leads because he is the living embodiment of that priesthood which governs all things. A celestially-oriented wife understands this and fully sustains her worthy mate in his position....
"A covenant wife is a man's God-given helpmate; she is circumscribed by him as he is circumscribed by Christ. The family is like an eternal time piece made up of wheels within wheels - each moving at its ordained pace in its ordained place. Thus, each serves and is served by the other. But just as the movement of one wheel depends upon the movement of another, so does a wife's fulfillment depend upon the fulfillment of her husband. He, in turn, can only advance with the help of God, the great main spring of all progress....
"The wise woman will do this, for it is a matter of enlightened self-interest. There is no more reason for a woman in Israel to chafe under this commandment than it is for a child to resist the guidance of loving parents. Pride is the number one killer of spirituality. It afflicts men and women alike at every level of society. May the Lord deliver us from it! It is the antithesis of all he stands for. It prevents the offering of a broken heart and a contrite spirit - which offering is the basic prerequisite to the blessings of the atonement.
"On the other hand, willingness to sustain a leader who is less gifted or less knowledgeable than one's self is a mark of genuine humility. It is not difficult to bow before the superior attributes of another, this is the way of the world. But to honestly respect and support those whose endowments are seemingly less than one's own savors of godliness....
"A wife may be better educated, more gifted, and wiser than her husband. This is often a trial to her, but it is for her to manifest a spirit of meekness and to honor him in his station. In doing so, she leaves him without excuse should he then fail to magnify his calling." - pp.96-9
The Robe of Modesty
"Immodest fashions have characterized many different cultures in human history. Nudity and near nudity have been practiced by savage and sophisticate alike with no thought of impropriety. But it is only since the first world war that women in so-called civilized nations have adopted the short skirt. Previously, the exposure of the ankle by women of refinement had been thought most daring; but to display the leg (or limb) was thought absoutely scandalous. Today, the wearing of form revealing attire is common practice. The fact that such styles are widespread does not excuse them. The argument of numbers is fallacious: forty million Frenchmen can be wrong. Morality is not a matter of majority opinion." - p. 110
Chastity: The Lord's Delight
"Woman is 'one of the fairest gems of all God's creation.' She is the epitome of everything virtuous, lovely and praiseworthy. And chastity is her crowning glory, her most precious possession. Its loss is one of the saddest things that can befall her. Death itself is a lesser thing by comparison. Indeed, more than one prophet has considered the death of his children preferable to their loss of innocence. Such an attitude is alien to these times; it reflects the spirit of a bygone era when chastity was a more closely guarded and highly prized endowment than it is now. These days call for more mercy than justice, more compassion than condemnation and more vigilance than unquestioning trust. It is an evil hour; virtue will not triumph by default." - p. 125
"We can hardly overestimate the evil which results from the satanic doctrine that sexual gratification is an end in itself to be sought heterosexually or homosexually - within or without the bonds of marriage - at the rightful discretion of the individual. Male and female homosexuality is reaching epidemic proportions. What was once whispered of in secret is brazenly broadcast before the world. Not only are many of its practitioners not ashamed of their perversion, they express pride in it and demand its social and legal acceptance. The unspeakable vileness of the devils in hell (from whence all things profane and obscene originate) is paraded before us as a legitimate and morally acceptable mode of sexual conduct. Supposedly responsible religious and political leaders defend the practice even to the point of advocating the legalization of homosexual marriages....
"The homosexual is most pitiable. Especially those who are trapped in a psychological nightmare from which they would awaken if only they could find the strength of will to do so. It is far easier to judge such a person than it is to understand them. But they need mercy - as do we all - and should be given all possible support. They are, in fact, deviating from a true principle. For it is intended that men should love men, and women, women. Indeed, a special bond of brotherhood has characterized the relationships of some great men. It is tragic when this righteous principle is defiled and perverted by Satan in his assaults against the integrity of the male and female natures of those who, for one reason or another, have misplaced their true identities." - pp. 140-1
"It is unwise for most young women to leave home for any length of time before marriage unless they are provided with very responsible supervision. Many girls from the 'best' of homes make serious mistakes when finding themselves 'on their own.' Lacking experience, emotional maturity and genuine inner commitment to moral principles, they are unprepared for that much freedom." - p. 158
"We can hardly overestimate the evil which results from the satanic doctrine that sexual gratification is an end in itself to be sought heterosexually or homosexually - within or without the bonds of marriage - at the rightful discretion of the individual. Male and female homosexuality is reaching epidemic proportions. What was once whispered of in secret is brazenly broadcast before the world. Not only are many of its practitioners not ashamed of their perversion, they express pride in it and demand its social and legal acceptance. The unspeakable vileness of the devils in hell (from whence all things profane and obscene originate) is paraded before us as a legitimate and morally acceptable mode of sexual conduct. Supposedly responsible religious and political leaders defend the practice even to the point of advocating the legalization of homosexual marriages....
"The homosexual is most pitiable. Especially those who are trapped in a psychological nightmare from which they would awaken if only they could find the strength of will to do so. It is far easier to judge such a person than it is to understand them. But they need mercy - as do we all - and should be given all possible support. They are, in fact, deviating from a true principle. For it is intended that men should love men, and women, women. Indeed, a special bond of brotherhood has characterized the relationships of some great men. It is tragic when this righteous principle is defiled and perverted by Satan in his assaults against the integrity of the male and female natures of those who, for one reason or another, have misplaced their true identities." - pp. 140-1
"It is unwise for most young women to leave home for any length of time before marriage unless they are provided with very responsible supervision. Many girls from the 'best' of homes make serious mistakes when finding themselves 'on their own.' Lacking experience, emotional maturity and genuine inner commitment to moral principles, they are unprepared for that much freedom." - p. 158
Give Me Children Or I Die!
"The desire for motherhood is a hallmark of the whole woman. No other accomplishment, nor all other successes combined can effectively assuage her hunger for children. Compensate as she will, substitute as she may, the denial of the maternal imperative leaves her heart in quiet pain. A womb never filled is like a house never lived in. It is frustration and futility." - p. 171
Let There Be Life!
"Other elements in society are lending their active support to the political proponents of birth control because it serves their misguided purposes to do so. Chief among these are members of the clergy whose faith in God is over-shadowed by their faith in man. Lacking vision, they are nevertheless volunteering their services as blind leaders of the blind. They constitute the religious camp-followers of an unholy army of men and women who are without God in the world and who, consequently, look to the arm of flesh for their salvation.
"They are fellow travelers with those 'silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' who have distorted the cause of women's rights. These caricatures of womanhood are determinedly leading their naive sisters into a bondage more degrading and more enslaving than any women have known before. What they once endured in innocence, they now embrace in guilt. For in renouncing marriage, motherhood and chastity and in aping the moral practices of their male counterparts, they are not only implicitly condoning the misconduct of men, they are also stripping themselves of that special dispensation which God granted them as the 'weaker vessel' whose salvation lies in motherhood with all that that calling entails.
"Probability of over-crowding, famine, pollution, ecological imbalance and social upheaval are the major points currently cited by proponents of population control. Generally, however, more personal reasons are given for small families: inadequate finances, the desire to guarantee one's children a good education, the better things in life, or more personal attention than would be possible with a large family. Some frankly admit that they simply want to be unencumbered by parental responsibilities. Others, though not opposed to large families, have urged that the spacing of children is justifiable, even desirable. Again, such rationalizations as completing an education, getting situated in one's career, waiting for adequate finances or for a proper home, etc. figure prominently in their reasoning. The advent of more effective and usable methods of contraception, together with recent research into the presumed sexual nature and needs of women, has seen another defense advanced: the right of the female to be as sexually free and fulfilled as the male without the Damoclean sword of unwanted pregnancy hanging over her head. Thus freed, the argument goes, the marriage relationship will attain new heights of enjoyment, significance and stability. Needless to say, this hypothesis is yet to be demonstrated." - p. 196-7
"They are fellow travelers with those 'silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' who have distorted the cause of women's rights. These caricatures of womanhood are determinedly leading their naive sisters into a bondage more degrading and more enslaving than any women have known before. What they once endured in innocence, they now embrace in guilt. For in renouncing marriage, motherhood and chastity and in aping the moral practices of their male counterparts, they are not only implicitly condoning the misconduct of men, they are also stripping themselves of that special dispensation which God granted them as the 'weaker vessel' whose salvation lies in motherhood with all that that calling entails.
"Probability of over-crowding, famine, pollution, ecological imbalance and social upheaval are the major points currently cited by proponents of population control. Generally, however, more personal reasons are given for small families: inadequate finances, the desire to guarantee one's children a good education, the better things in life, or more personal attention than would be possible with a large family. Some frankly admit that they simply want to be unencumbered by parental responsibilities. Others, though not opposed to large families, have urged that the spacing of children is justifiable, even desirable. Again, such rationalizations as completing an education, getting situated in one's career, waiting for adequate finances or for a proper home, etc. figure prominently in their reasoning. The advent of more effective and usable methods of contraception, together with recent research into the presumed sexual nature and needs of women, has seen another defense advanced: the right of the female to be as sexually free and fulfilled as the male without the Damoclean sword of unwanted pregnancy hanging over her head. Thus freed, the argument goes, the marriage relationship will attain new heights of enjoyment, significance and stability. Needless to say, this hypothesis is yet to be demonstrated." - p. 196-7
The Prophets and the Problem
"In spite of all that the prophets have said, there is still division and misunderstanding among the saints over the question of birth control. That it is widely practiced for purposes of 'family planning' or 'spacing' cannot be denied. Thus, it is apparent that some Latter-day Saints are being influenced by the thinking and conduct of the general society. As has happened so often before in the history of Israel's associations with the 'Canaanites,' the chosen people have come under the influence of their faithless neighbors. Times and attitudes change....
"Unfortunately, some, being in sympathy with the mood of the times, are seeking Church approval in following the world down the well-worn path of least resistance. There have always been those whose concern was not how they might do more, but how they could do less....
"While it is true that some statements have been made by certain authorities which seem to justify artificial birth control for family planning, the writer is unaware of a single direct statement from any of the presidents of the Church supporting such conduct. To the contrary, they have consistently opposed the use of contraceptives except where the physical or mental health of mother or child was threatened. This exception would not affect five percent of all women.
"Still, some maintain that the Church has taken no position on the issue and that the statements of various general authorities are simply their own opinions. This is incorrect on both counts. An official statement signed by the First Presidency of the Church was issued April 14, 1969. Then too, the pronouncements of those sustained as prophets, seers and revelators are, by definition, 'the mind and will of the Lord' when they are inspired by the Holy Ghost and are in harmony with the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophet. If no counsel is to be accepted until it is issued by the First Presidency, what is the purpose of having other prophets and apostles - or, for that matter, general conferences? But aside from the right of the authorities to declare the Lord's will on all established doctrines, there is another consideration: the Lord may permit a practice which he does not condone. As in the case of divorce, God may allow his people to do something because of the hardness of their hearts which is displeasing to him and which robs them of precious blessings. If the Lord were to authorize his servants to permit the use of alcohol and tobacco, alcohol and tobacco would still be harmful to the body. Likewise, artificial birth control is spiritually, if not physically, harmful irrespective of the 'stand' of the Church. It is intrinsically wrong." - pp. 217-20
"[T]he Lord's servants do not presume to suggest, much less dictate, the number of children any given woman should have. This decision can only be made by the couple themselves. However, to guide the saints in the implementation of that decision, the Lord's servants have counseled modern Israel to rely upon self-control, periodic continence and the processes of nature rather than resorting to the easy, undemanding, spirit-stifling use of contraceptives. In this way, and this way only, can the saints be a light to the world in this matter." - p. 221
"Apart from parenthood, marriage has no eternal validity. In other words, marriage is not warranted in the life to come if its benefits are limited to husband and wife. It must serve others as well; it must be productive of life. When it is not, it loses its essential reason for being. Pre-marital relations and the unwarranted use of contraceptives in marriage have two things in common: both are self-serving and both are offensive to God. When the seed of life is illicitly planted or unjustifiably destroyed, the union is despiritualized, God is shut out and the act is stripped of its sanctity. We cannot tamper with the fountain of life without offending its Source." - p. 226-7
"Since the natural consequences of intercourse are more immediate and more lasting for the wife than for her husband, it is for her to decide when she is prepared to accept them. There is a due time for everything; only she can know when the time to bear a child has come. When it is born, she should be allowed an adequate period to renew her body and regain her strength before relations are resumed and before entering upon another pregnancy....
"Both husband and wife must exercise self-control if this is to be done without recourse to some form of contraception other than that provided by the menstrual cycle. This may appear unfair to those women who are subject to irregular cycles. However, the admitted inequities of nature's method of birth control are, presumably, to be borne along with all of the rest of life's inequities until a better day comes. In all likelihood, menstrual irregularities were unknown in the beginning and came about over a period of time through the violation of God's laws of health and hygiene. If so, the sins of the mothers of past ages have been visited on their daughters living today. But again, are we to free ourselves of the natural consequences of the race's past sins by resorting to new sins? Or is there a better way? Paul's way was to go to the Lord with his weakness and obtain the strength to transcend it." - pp. 234-5
"Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote: 'As a rule, women who have large families are healthy throughout life... Large families are the most genuinely happy. That is the verdict of human experience.' The writer, whose mother bore ten children, fully concurs. While statistical proof may not be available on this point, there is certainly no real evidence to the contrary. No one can seriously suggest that the smaller the family, the happier, the less lonely, and the less selfish the child....
"While 'man proposes, God disposes.' Those who wish to pre-determine the time and number of their offspring are assuming several things: a) that they will not be separated by death or other circumstances, b) that they can conceive a child any time they choose to do so, c) that their children will not fall victim to disease or accidental death and, d) that God will always be willing to send them one of his children. These assumptions are not warranted by the nature of mortality. The creation of life is essentially a spiritual enterprise. It is for the flesh to be submissive to the spirit, not the spirit to the flesh...."
"The Old Testament notion that God could cause a woman to be barren is considered a naivete by our sophisticated generation. Those who tempt the Lord by expecting him to wait upon their convenience may find that their ancient fathers and mothers were not so naive after all. More than one couple who delayed having a family has learned, to their bitter regret, that they delayed too long. Now, they would give all that they have, all that has crowded life out of their lives, in exchange for one child they could call their own." - pp. 239-40
"Unfortunately, some, being in sympathy with the mood of the times, are seeking Church approval in following the world down the well-worn path of least resistance. There have always been those whose concern was not how they might do more, but how they could do less....
"While it is true that some statements have been made by certain authorities which seem to justify artificial birth control for family planning, the writer is unaware of a single direct statement from any of the presidents of the Church supporting such conduct. To the contrary, they have consistently opposed the use of contraceptives except where the physical or mental health of mother or child was threatened. This exception would not affect five percent of all women.
"Still, some maintain that the Church has taken no position on the issue and that the statements of various general authorities are simply their own opinions. This is incorrect on both counts. An official statement signed by the First Presidency of the Church was issued April 14, 1969. Then too, the pronouncements of those sustained as prophets, seers and revelators are, by definition, 'the mind and will of the Lord' when they are inspired by the Holy Ghost and are in harmony with the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophet. If no counsel is to be accepted until it is issued by the First Presidency, what is the purpose of having other prophets and apostles - or, for that matter, general conferences? But aside from the right of the authorities to declare the Lord's will on all established doctrines, there is another consideration: the Lord may permit a practice which he does not condone. As in the case of divorce, God may allow his people to do something because of the hardness of their hearts which is displeasing to him and which robs them of precious blessings. If the Lord were to authorize his servants to permit the use of alcohol and tobacco, alcohol and tobacco would still be harmful to the body. Likewise, artificial birth control is spiritually, if not physically, harmful irrespective of the 'stand' of the Church. It is intrinsically wrong." - pp. 217-20
"[T]he Lord's servants do not presume to suggest, much less dictate, the number of children any given woman should have. This decision can only be made by the couple themselves. However, to guide the saints in the implementation of that decision, the Lord's servants have counseled modern Israel to rely upon self-control, periodic continence and the processes of nature rather than resorting to the easy, undemanding, spirit-stifling use of contraceptives. In this way, and this way only, can the saints be a light to the world in this matter." - p. 221
"Apart from parenthood, marriage has no eternal validity. In other words, marriage is not warranted in the life to come if its benefits are limited to husband and wife. It must serve others as well; it must be productive of life. When it is not, it loses its essential reason for being. Pre-marital relations and the unwarranted use of contraceptives in marriage have two things in common: both are self-serving and both are offensive to God. When the seed of life is illicitly planted or unjustifiably destroyed, the union is despiritualized, God is shut out and the act is stripped of its sanctity. We cannot tamper with the fountain of life without offending its Source." - p. 226-7
"Since the natural consequences of intercourse are more immediate and more lasting for the wife than for her husband, it is for her to decide when she is prepared to accept them. There is a due time for everything; only she can know when the time to bear a child has come. When it is born, she should be allowed an adequate period to renew her body and regain her strength before relations are resumed and before entering upon another pregnancy....
"Both husband and wife must exercise self-control if this is to be done without recourse to some form of contraception other than that provided by the menstrual cycle. This may appear unfair to those women who are subject to irregular cycles. However, the admitted inequities of nature's method of birth control are, presumably, to be borne along with all of the rest of life's inequities until a better day comes. In all likelihood, menstrual irregularities were unknown in the beginning and came about over a period of time through the violation of God's laws of health and hygiene. If so, the sins of the mothers of past ages have been visited on their daughters living today. But again, are we to free ourselves of the natural consequences of the race's past sins by resorting to new sins? Or is there a better way? Paul's way was to go to the Lord with his weakness and obtain the strength to transcend it." - pp. 234-5
"Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote: 'As a rule, women who have large families are healthy throughout life... Large families are the most genuinely happy. That is the verdict of human experience.' The writer, whose mother bore ten children, fully concurs. While statistical proof may not be available on this point, there is certainly no real evidence to the contrary. No one can seriously suggest that the smaller the family, the happier, the less lonely, and the less selfish the child....
"While 'man proposes, God disposes.' Those who wish to pre-determine the time and number of their offspring are assuming several things: a) that they will not be separated by death or other circumstances, b) that they can conceive a child any time they choose to do so, c) that their children will not fall victim to disease or accidental death and, d) that God will always be willing to send them one of his children. These assumptions are not warranted by the nature of mortality. The creation of life is essentially a spiritual enterprise. It is for the flesh to be submissive to the spirit, not the spirit to the flesh...."
"The Old Testament notion that God could cause a woman to be barren is considered a naivete by our sophisticated generation. Those who tempt the Lord by expecting him to wait upon their convenience may find that their ancient fathers and mothers were not so naive after all. More than one couple who delayed having a family has learned, to their bitter regret, that they delayed too long. Now, they would give all that they have, all that has crowded life out of their lives, in exchange for one child they could call their own." - pp. 239-40
A House Divided
"Husbands may express their alienation by failing to properly provide for their families, by undue attention to their vocations or hobbies, by desertion, coldness, drunkenness, or brutality, by indifference to their calling as fathers and spiritual leaders in the home, by a general unwillingness to guide, sustain and support their wives in their labors, etc. Wives are inclined to reveal their disaffection by either careless or obsessive homemaking, by either refusing to bear and properly care for children or by excessive attention to them, by denial of conjugal rights, by a flirtatious spirit, by fault-finding and derision - especially before children - or by unjustifiably pursuing a career or some other time-consuming interest outside of the home, etc." - p. 259-60
"A woman who has entered into a covenant with Christ is a saint first and a wife second. Her covenant with the Lord, not her marriage vows, should be the ultimate determinant of her conduct. Indeed, she is a better wife because of her covenant. She can be even more faithful in adversity, not less so. She can be armed with a spiritual power which will enable her to transcend adverse situations. If anyone had the right to be disloyal, it would be a slave whose servitude was imposed upon him. Yet the apostle Paul counseled those slaves who had become free men in Christ to use their newfound hope as an incentive for even more faithful service to their masters....
"In other words, they were no longer merely slaves, they were Christian slaves - men and women who served an earthly master well because their heavenly Master asked it of them. They did not do it to please men, but to please God. Their integrity as saints would not allow them to behave in any way but Christ's way. So too, the wife whose husband is less than he ought to be cannot be untrue to him without dishonoring the Lord and herself. She will sustain her husband in truth - without guile - because she cannot dishonor herself as a saint." - pp. 263-4
"The nature of rule, command or leadership imposes obligations on those in authority that are above and beyond those reciprocal duties incumbent upon their subjects or followers. Unequal power produces unequal responsibilities. it [sic] is a matter of noblesse oblige: the more influential the person, or the greater their knowledge, or the more dependent others are upon them, the more essential it is for them to honor their trust....
"Consequently, a husband, having accepted the role of guide and protector of his wife, is obligated to be more patient and long-suffering with her than she might choose to be with him. In practical terms, this means that a wife is at greater liberty to leave her husband than he is to leave her. A man is not justified in abandoning his wife unless she first breaks the marriage covenant through some serious act of disloyalty. Human weaknesses and imperfections should not be equated with infidelity - virtually the only legitimate ground for a husband initiating divorce proceedings." - pp. 267-8
"A woman who has entered into a covenant with Christ is a saint first and a wife second. Her covenant with the Lord, not her marriage vows, should be the ultimate determinant of her conduct. Indeed, she is a better wife because of her covenant. She can be even more faithful in adversity, not less so. She can be armed with a spiritual power which will enable her to transcend adverse situations. If anyone had the right to be disloyal, it would be a slave whose servitude was imposed upon him. Yet the apostle Paul counseled those slaves who had become free men in Christ to use their newfound hope as an incentive for even more faithful service to their masters....
"In other words, they were no longer merely slaves, they were Christian slaves - men and women who served an earthly master well because their heavenly Master asked it of them. They did not do it to please men, but to please God. Their integrity as saints would not allow them to behave in any way but Christ's way. So too, the wife whose husband is less than he ought to be cannot be untrue to him without dishonoring the Lord and herself. She will sustain her husband in truth - without guile - because she cannot dishonor herself as a saint." - pp. 263-4
"The nature of rule, command or leadership imposes obligations on those in authority that are above and beyond those reciprocal duties incumbent upon their subjects or followers. Unequal power produces unequal responsibilities. it [sic] is a matter of noblesse oblige: the more influential the person, or the greater their knowledge, or the more dependent others are upon them, the more essential it is for them to honor their trust....
"Consequently, a husband, having accepted the role of guide and protector of his wife, is obligated to be more patient and long-suffering with her than she might choose to be with him. In practical terms, this means that a wife is at greater liberty to leave her husband than he is to leave her. A man is not justified in abandoning his wife unless she first breaks the marriage covenant through some serious act of disloyalty. Human weaknesses and imperfections should not be equated with infidelity - virtually the only legitimate ground for a husband initiating divorce proceedings." - pp. 267-8
Woman and the Priesthood
"Heaven, itself, bears witness to the proper roles of men and women. God does not send his daughters on errands to this world until it is time for them to acquire mortal bodies. And when they set them aside in death, they do not venture forth again until the resurrection. Claims of females, such as the Virgin Mary, appearing from heaven with message for a church or for the world are false. The voice of the priesthood is a male voice; nowhere in all scripture is there record of any female being heard speaking in behalf of God. The Lord does not send women to do the work of men; it is not for women to receive instructions for the Church and kingdom and priesthood of God. The message of salvation is a priesthood message delivered by male messengers to male prophets. It is all under the direction of the Godhead - three male deities. It is revealed through the instrumentality of the Holy Ghost, an unembodied spirit man. It is validated by the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God and it is the responsibility of men to take the good news of salvation into all the world. Woman's primary role is in the home just as man's is in the fields - the world. Each has proper labors to perform and a proper place in which to perform them. If women do the work of men and men do the work of women the result is confusion, strife, insecurity and a loss of basic identities." - p. 285
"Mother belongs at home during the formative years of her child's life. No amount of sophisticated reasoning can free her of the obligation to be available whenever she is needed. And she is needed when she is needed, not simply when she chooses to be available. The popular argument that it is the quality of the relationship, not the amount of time involved in it which is most important is, to say the least, specious. Motherhood is not an either-or proposition. One might as well argue that a hundred calories of good nourishing food is more important to good health than two thousand calories made up of starches. Starvation on the one hand versus malnutrition on the other hardly makes for a satisfactory choice in either case!
"There is a 'due time' for everything. A mother cannot teach her little ones the lessons of life they need to learn in infancy and childhood if she is absent from them during the bulk of their waking hours. If they are to be learned quickly and well, these lessons must be taught in the natural context of each day's events. It is in the ongoing relationships associated with a child's early development that provides a mother with the natural teaching aids she needs to train up her child in the way it should go. An hour or so at night spent with a child may seem to be sufficient for its well-being, but it cannot replace the moment to moment association God intended that human mothers should provide their small children. A price will be paid - by the parents and by the malnourished child. We are only now beginning to appreciate the psychological damage hidden neglect has inflicted on children in this culture. The moral and spiritual harm done them while perhaps less rapid in its manifestation is potentially of even greater duration and effect.
"In the early days of the Church, every prophet beginning with Joseph Smith warned the Saints against allowing their children to be taught by gentile unbelievers. Eventually, this counsel was ignored and others were allowed to educate them. Now conditions have worsened to the point where some Latter-day Saints are foolishly entrusting even their very young children to public agencies." - p. 293-4
'But few women have a realizing sense of the immortal, invisible, and powerful influence they exert in their sphere.' The greatest social tragedy of our times may well prove to be the exodus of millions of women from that sphere into the world of men. They, and those who abet them, will have to answer for their crimes against their children and their children's children. What does it profit any man or any woman to gain all that the world has to offer, if they do so at the expense of the souls of the innocent?" - p. 296
"But before they [men] can be granted such dominion, they must prove their fitness by being faithful over a few things. Such is the lesson of the parable of the talents. Among the 'few things' the Lord has entrusted to the care of the men of modern Israel, the most important are: their own bodies, the Holy Priesthood, the Gospel of Jesus Christ - with its principles, ordinances and gifts - and their sisters, daughters, wives and children. The men of the priesthood will stand or fall in terms of their stewardships over these 'talents.' - p. 299
"Had Adam failed to honor his stewardship, Eve would have been denied the guidance, support and protection her Father intended she should have. Priesthood and manhood are inseparably connected in the Father and those sons who become like him. A whole man is a fatherhood man even as a whole woman is a motherhood woman. The man who does not magnify his priesthood in the home throws an unnatural burden on the motherhood of his wife. A chain reaction results: the sins of the father are visited on his wife and children. Had Christ failed to fulfill his stewardship, his apostles and prophets could not have effectively fulfilled theirs. In large measure, the success of the lesser is dependent upon the fidelity of the greater. The failure of fatherhood is the chief reason for the failure of motherhood. Similarly, delinquent children are more often than not the product of parents who - for whatever reasons - failed to magnify their callings as such." - p. 301
"Mother belongs at home during the formative years of her child's life. No amount of sophisticated reasoning can free her of the obligation to be available whenever she is needed. And she is needed when she is needed, not simply when she chooses to be available. The popular argument that it is the quality of the relationship, not the amount of time involved in it which is most important is, to say the least, specious. Motherhood is not an either-or proposition. One might as well argue that a hundred calories of good nourishing food is more important to good health than two thousand calories made up of starches. Starvation on the one hand versus malnutrition on the other hardly makes for a satisfactory choice in either case!
"There is a 'due time' for everything. A mother cannot teach her little ones the lessons of life they need to learn in infancy and childhood if she is absent from them during the bulk of their waking hours. If they are to be learned quickly and well, these lessons must be taught in the natural context of each day's events. It is in the ongoing relationships associated with a child's early development that provides a mother with the natural teaching aids she needs to train up her child in the way it should go. An hour or so at night spent with a child may seem to be sufficient for its well-being, but it cannot replace the moment to moment association God intended that human mothers should provide their small children. A price will be paid - by the parents and by the malnourished child. We are only now beginning to appreciate the psychological damage hidden neglect has inflicted on children in this culture. The moral and spiritual harm done them while perhaps less rapid in its manifestation is potentially of even greater duration and effect.
"In the early days of the Church, every prophet beginning with Joseph Smith warned the Saints against allowing their children to be taught by gentile unbelievers. Eventually, this counsel was ignored and others were allowed to educate them. Now conditions have worsened to the point where some Latter-day Saints are foolishly entrusting even their very young children to public agencies." - p. 293-4
'But few women have a realizing sense of the immortal, invisible, and powerful influence they exert in their sphere.' The greatest social tragedy of our times may well prove to be the exodus of millions of women from that sphere into the world of men. They, and those who abet them, will have to answer for their crimes against their children and their children's children. What does it profit any man or any woman to gain all that the world has to offer, if they do so at the expense of the souls of the innocent?" - p. 296
"But before they [men] can be granted such dominion, they must prove their fitness by being faithful over a few things. Such is the lesson of the parable of the talents. Among the 'few things' the Lord has entrusted to the care of the men of modern Israel, the most important are: their own bodies, the Holy Priesthood, the Gospel of Jesus Christ - with its principles, ordinances and gifts - and their sisters, daughters, wives and children. The men of the priesthood will stand or fall in terms of their stewardships over these 'talents.' - p. 299
"Had Adam failed to honor his stewardship, Eve would have been denied the guidance, support and protection her Father intended she should have. Priesthood and manhood are inseparably connected in the Father and those sons who become like him. A whole man is a fatherhood man even as a whole woman is a motherhood woman. The man who does not magnify his priesthood in the home throws an unnatural burden on the motherhood of his wife. A chain reaction results: the sins of the father are visited on his wife and children. Had Christ failed to fulfill his stewardship, his apostles and prophets could not have effectively fulfilled theirs. In large measure, the success of the lesser is dependent upon the fidelity of the greater. The failure of fatherhood is the chief reason for the failure of motherhood. Similarly, delinquent children are more often than not the product of parents who - for whatever reasons - failed to magnify their callings as such." - p. 301
Epilogue
"When he [Adam] accepted the forbidden fruit from his wife's hand and joined her in mortality, she incurred a debt of gratitude toward the Priesthood which she acknowledged by her humble acceptance of God's judgment upon her. And in honoring her husband as her temporal lord, in placing her womanly affections upon him alone, and in becoming the mother of all living, she laid down her life for others as Adam had laid down his life for her." - p. 309
