Gender and Eternal Identity

Unit 2 is, I imagine, the most controversial of the lessons we will be taught in this course, because it focuses on "Gender and Eternal Identity." This unit is comprised of such issues as gender roles in the home, society, and the church, as well as same-sex marriage--both of which are really contentious topics right now due to the feminist and gay rights movements.

So I realize that there are a lot of contending beliefs out there on these subjects, but I'm going to start with what "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" has to say about gender as well as the different parenting roles mothers and fathers have:


"Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

Some more things I learned:

1. We are created in God's image, male and female.
2. Our genders are eternal ("What we call gender was part of our existence prior to our birth."--Elder Dallin H. Oaks) and have critical purposes in fulfilling the great plan of happiness. 
3. Satan is seeking to destroy God's plan by attacking these truths about our gender, eternal identity, and destiny.
4. Men and women were created to be complementary to each other (Their "complementary relationships and functions are fundamental to His purposes. One is incomplete without the other." --President Gordon B. Hinckley).
5. Women are equal to men and not subordinate to them.6. The power of the priesthood is limitless and is shared with those who make and keep covenants.



What other counsel are men and women given?




Juuuust kidding. 

Here is some much better counsel to men from Elder Christoffersen:
"The prophet Lehi pled with his rebellious sons, saying, 'Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men' (2 Nephi 1:21). By age, Laman and Lemuel were men, but in terms of character and spiritual maturity they were still as children. They murmured and complained if asked to do anything hard. They didn't accept anyone's authority to correct them. They didn't value spiritual things. They easily resorted to violence, and they were good at playing the victim. We see some of the same attitudes today. Some act as if a man's highest goal should be his own pleasure... Dodging commitments is considered smart, but sacrificing for the good of others, naive. For some, a life of work and achievement is optional... We who hold the priesthood of God cannot afford to drift. We have work to do. We must arise from the dust of self-indulgence and be men!"



And what do the apostles say to women?
Elder Oaks: "Don't fall for the worldly urging that women should emulate men in various masculine characteristics. This is not what the Lord created you to do. ... Your destiny is to be a wife and a mother in Zion, not a model and a street-walker in Babylon. You should dress and act accordingly."
Elder Holland: "She said the loveliest women she had known had a glow of health, a warm personality, a love of learning, stability of character, and integrity."

I love this quote! Here we see that having children is not something women are only supposed to do if they've got the time and desire for them. It is what we're supposed to do--period. I especially love that last part: "It is what God gave you time for." We're not supposed to squeeze them in around all the other things we've got going on... having and raising children should be our top priority and everything else we should try to fit in around that. After all, it is why we are here in mortality--why God gave us this time.