my kind of feminist

This week, former British Prime Mister, Margaret Thatcher, died. She was a women of considerable power and influence, Charles Moore, the authorized biographer for Mrs. Thatcher wrote "She exercised that power in the full knowledge that a woman could and should do everything differently. She was not interested in the doctrines of female emancipation - 'I owe nothing to women's lib.' she once said." Margaret Thatcher rejected the feminist label and chose to create her own defining role. It seems to me that she was confident in her identity and acted in accordance with her own personal values--now that's my kind of feminist!  

So called "Mormon feminists" are emerging everywhere. One LDS woman led a charge to wear pants to church and another lobbied for women to pray in General Conference. The newest LDS feminist movement seeks the Priesthood for women.  I'm married to a two time Bishop, so you can count me out of wanting Priesthood authority, I would never want that responsibility!

I was blessed to have a father who taught me the difference between Priesthood authority and Priesthood power.  In our most recent conference, Elder Ballard taught that Priesthood power comes as a result of personal righteousness.  Sister Dalton taught that "virtue is the strength and power of the daughters of God.". The Book of Mormon teaches that power comes through the Holy Ghost and is "received by faith" (1 Nephi 10:17, Alma 14:28) Certainly if personal righteousness, virtue and faith are the qualifiers for power then women, through their own faithfulness, have equal and direct access to the power of God. 

I sometimes feel that those of the feminist movement want to speak in behalf of all women. I, like Margaret Thatcher, can speak for myself, thank you! If I were to have another woman speak for me I think I could trust Sister Burton, the general Relief Society president. I was pleased by her comment recently published in our local paper. "I don't think women are after the authority," she said, "I think they are after the blessings. And they are happy they can access the blessings and the power of the priesthood.  There are a few that would like both.  But most women, I think, are happy to have all the blessings."

Now I am not completely unsympathetic to the feminist movement, in or out of the church. I have had my own personal struggles with gender issues, but it has never been my desire to be treated the same as men . . . I want to be treated better.