On a website devoted to the discussion of editorial cartoons, something of a fight seems to have broken out over the subject of women's rights, abortion and related Mormon Church doctrines.

One poster wrote:

"Check out the Mormon religion . . . . Mormon women are treated as second class, a baby factory and must obey all males 14 years old and older."

A Mormon believer replied:

" . . . I am not sure where your information about Mormons came from. As a memeber of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I can assure you that your assesment of women in the Church is not correct."

Steve Benson weighed in:

"The actual age you’re apparently looking for is 12, not 14.

"12 is the age when Mormon boys officially receive the priesthood at the 'deacon' level which, according to canonized Mormon doctrine, is God’s authority to run his (meaning God’s) church (meaning the “one and only true” Mormon one).

"I know of what I speak. My grandfather, Ezra Taft Benson, was the president of the Mormon church.

"Women in the Mormon church cannot hold or wield official Mormon male priesthood 'power.' They are ultimately governed by men in a church invented by, and for the benefit of, men.

"In Mormon theology, God rules in a top-tiered heaven called the 'Celestial Kingdom' where eternal polygamy will be practiced by Mormon-men-turned gods, and where non-stop spirit-baby production by the multiple goddess wives of Mormon god men will allow these Mormon god men and Mormon god women to create and populate their own worlds without end.

"I resigned my membership from the Mormon church’s patriarchal, chauvinistic ranks over 20 years ago because of my deep disagreement with its primitive, backwards doctrines on race, women, gays, science, history, politics and education, to name but a few."

Nice response by Mr. Benson....

only in their dreams.

Exactly-12 is the age. I remember when my son was ordained at 12, my ex could not make it to do the honors so the Bishop did it. I was there and after he looked at my son and told him he was head of the home now because he had the Priesthood. Even being uber TBM at the time I set the man straight and said, "I was the mother and what I say goes.As long as I am older, provide food, clothing and shelter, my children answer to me". The Bishop stammered and mumbled, "of course of course that is what I meant"-LOL. I embarrassed my son, but he is out and 27 now. He looks back and said he was really scared that he would have to take responsibility for me.

Wow, that was me that made the comment that started this message.

I read SB cartoons, some I agree with, others I don't, but it's nice to see a tie between the two lines of discussion.

My recall of almost 50 years ago is where I came up with 14, I should have done a little research and got the info correct.

SB- keep up the good work.

Other religions really love twisting the Mormon religion to make it into something people would hate. It's the old game of: My God is better than your God! So there! (Very childish but it never stops!)

Boys that have the priesthood do not officiate in the home unless asked to do so by their father or mother. That's how I understood it. Maybe he'd be asked to ask someone to say a prayer over the food in the absence of the father, for instance. No biggie.

I never, ever understood that a 12 year old priesthood hold was the "head of the home" under any circumstance. That was ridiculous, in my knowledge of the teachings.

Here is the problem with Mormonism. There are as many different kinds of Mormonism as there are Mormons. Every single person interprets the teachings the way they understand them, and often totally screw them up. There was an old joke about that: leave a Ward alone for three weeks and they will come up with a totally different religion!

A huge part of that interpretation comes about by not ever discussing the temple covenants, what they mean, or what the rituals are really about. In my case, I understood, clearly that the rituals were symbolic as it was impossible for them to be literal. Just common sense, in my view. They were symbolic (and strange) to emphasize how important they were. However, with no one clarifying them, anyone was free to interpret the thousands of temple teachings and rituals anyway they wanted, and they did and they still do.

With no real statement, it's hard to know what it all means so we just figured out out for ourselves and didn't discuss it.
ODD!!

I can only imagine my Catholic wife's reaction to some self righteous punk ass kid ordering her around! I could sell tickets for that! That's hilarious.

RB

that a 12-year-old priesthood holder had more spiritual power in his little finger than the Pope.

I remember hoping that he never said any such thing in public.