What does God think about women?
What does God think about women? I have recently read an article that attacked the way the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that God treats women. I want to counter that article with a series of blog posts about how women are essential to God’s plan in the Latter-day Saint perspective.
I met a girl once who seemed devoid of light in her life. She was going through some terrible trials and she was only 16. She had run away from home, probably because she didn’t feel loved there. She fell into the hands of some awful men and was abused sexually, confusing her idea of love. When I met her, she was wearing a black shirt and black leggings. They went along with her black eyes that seemed to reflect no light. She was living with the only other person who had ever given her love, a woman twice her age. She asked about my beliefs in marriage and told me she could never be with a man again without feeling terror. My heart goes out to her and I wish I could have helped her more. I do not know the rest of her story, but it reminds me of a story shared of another young woman, “In order to protect herself, Jane learned to stop feeling. She had no hope of rescue, so she hardened herself to the horror of her reality. There was no light in her world, so she became resigned to the darkness. With a numbness that can come only from constant and unrelenting contact with evil, she accepted the fact that any moment might be her last.”
God’s plan illuminates the lives of all His children. It brings hope where there was despair. It brings true love where there was only lust. Fortunately for Jane, she was later able to feel, “the joy and hope of the restored gospel [penetrate] her heart, [as] she accepted the invitation to be baptized. For the first time, light entered her life, and she saw a bright path before her. She left the darkness of her world…. she felt liberated from an environment of darkness and evil—free to enjoy the Savior’s sweet peace and miraculous healing.” 1
Only the power of God could help Jane feel joy after all that had been done to her. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of hope for all of God’s children, no matter the gender (or even sexual orientation). It can bring joy and peace to our lives. To suggest that women are in some way inferior in God’s plan is to undermine His greatness and His love.
Women in God’s Plan
God empowers women and treats them as divine daughters. Understanding His purpose is essential to understanding His priorities and teachings concerning women. God is our Father. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. He is no respecter of persons and offers all salvation, whether “black and white, bond and free, male and female.” (2 Nephi 26:33). Paul said that in the church, “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) We must understand “that he is no respecter of persons… [so we can] have authority by faith to lay hold on eternal life… and that every[one] in every nation has an equal privilege.” 2 He cannot think more highly of one person over another or we would not be able to trust Him. How could you rely on a god who cares more for a particular set of children?
Each of us can pray to Him. Each can ask for forgiveness. He wants each of us to return to Him and become like Him so we can each have eternal joy. In this life we are meant to learn and to progress. We learn to love like He does and we are put into families so we can learn this love more deeply. God blesses women who strive to obey Him. As the proverb says, “a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30–31)
President Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke to women in 1996. He said, “First let me say to you sisters that you do not hold a second place in our Father’s plan for the eternal happiness and well-being of His children. You are an absolutely essential part of that plan.
Without you the plan could not function. Without you the entire program would be frustrated. As I have said before from this pulpit, when the process of creation occurred, Jehovah, the Creator, under instruction from His Father, first divided the light from the darkness and then separated the land from the waters. There followed the creation of plant life, followed by the creation of animal life. Then came the creation of man, and culminating that act of divinity came the crowning act, the creation of woman.
Each of you is a daughter of God, endowed with a divine birthright. You need no defense of that position.” 3
A woman can be saved and receive the blessings of the gospel without a family, a husband, or anyone else. Her salvation is dependent on her own faith in God. She can work to become the person God knows she can become.
Christ is the Hero of Women
The greatest comfort to a woman is the knowledge of her own eternal worth and destiny. Satan tries to pull her down, demean her in every way. He wants her to think that God’s church is against her so she doesn’t reach her greatest potential. Christ, on the other hand, demonstrates great love towards women by offering them salvation through His eternal sacrifice.
In His mortal ministry, in a time when women were perceived as less and in a place where they had few legal rights, Jesus stood for them. Many women are mentioned among his disciples and friends, including Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:28); Mary, the mother of James; Joanna (Luke 24:10); and Salome (Mark 15:40). He felt compassion for Mary and Martha when Lazarus died (John 11). He appeared first to Mary Magdalene by the empty tomb (John 20:13) and to many women afterwards (Matthew 28:5-10). Christ healed women of long-lasting infirmities and health problems (Luke 13:11). He cast out devils and unclean spirits from women and girls (Luke 8:2, Mark 7:25-36). He cared for the woman who was a sinner (John 8:3-4) and testified to the woman of Samaria (John 4:7). He noticed the widow casting in her mite (Luke 21:2). He taught that looking on a woman to lust after her was a sin (Matthew 5:28). He taught that men should not put away (or divorce) their wives (Matthew 5:32). There were multitudes of women who followed him (Matthew 27:55, Luke 23:27) and who wept for him after he died (Luke 23:27-28). “The world’s greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ.” 4
Women have an essential role in God’s plan. He loves each one of us. As we strive to become like Him, we will reverence and admire women around us. We will illuminate these ideals in the way that we act towards ourselves and women. We will stand up for truth midst the confusing lies of Satan about women in God’s kingdom. We will lift each other up and spread the joyful news that our Savior is here for us.
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