You equate sameness with equality. Equality is an American idea that posits that a person is free only if he or she is an isolated individual.
Most societies and religions see people as part of a complicated social web, where we rely on family for our wellbeing. The family is grounded on a biological reality, that women have babies and women and children need protection to survive. The LDS are not the only ones who hold these ideas. Confucius pointed out that strong families made a strong society 2000 years ago. True, women are less free than men in families, but blame biology.
Get rid of this idea and you have the need for socialism.
The Judeo-Christian culture we find in the Old and New Testaments likewise highlighted and reinforced both gender distinctivene and strong gender diversity-within-family unity... [for the unity part, see Gal. 3:28: 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.]
Yet what we see in that Scriptural Judeo-Christian culture would have zilcho room for allowance by the Mormon Elite male leaders.
For example, we find female prophetesses in Luke 2:36 (Anna) & Acts 21:8-9 (evangelist Philip's four daughters). Philip and his four daughters would have been frankly ex-communicated in a Mormon culture!
Posters should consider being careful in "faulting" the Holy Spirit for giving this gift to females in those circumstances, or other spiritual gifts that the apostle Paul highlighted in numerous New Testament passages.
I mean, What next? Will posters find fault with with Israel allowing Deborah to be a Judge-leader -- claiming it's some sort of socialistic or communistic conspiracy? Or how about Old Testament Esther serving as an intercessor where no man had the inroad (or seeming courage) to proceed?
Both the Judeo-Christian foundation -- and the eventual Protestant culture that emerged -- reinvigorated the New Testament foundation for the priesthood of all believers.
Does 1 Peter 2:4-9 apply ONLY to males? In verse 4, do...
...only males "come to" Christ?
Are only males "chosen by God"?
Are only males "precious to Him"???
In verse 5, do only males constitute what makes for God's "spiritual household"??? Because whoever Peter is describing as those who come to Christ, called by Him, precious to Him, and constituting God's spiritual household are that "holy priesthood."
4 As YOU come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 YOU also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”[d] They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But YOU are a chosen PEOPLE, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, a HOLY NATION, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a PEOPLE, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
In verse 9 above, Peter again references this "royal priesthood" alongside words such as "people" and "holy nation" and "special possession."
Are only males "people"?
Are only males a "holy nation?"
Are only males a "special possession" of God's?
Are only males the one who "declare the praises of" God?
Hardly.
C'mon. Posters can't be this ignorant of our Judeo-Christian foundation or Protestant culture and traditions, can they? Martin Luther recognized women as part of the priesthood of all believers. So this is no "new" socialistic push.
Btw...see also Revelation 1:6...for there also is a reference to "us" in that passage as the priesthood...does that then mean males only reside in the "kingdom" referenced there...?
Therefore, Vanity just posted: Time for new reformation re: understanding of Biblical priesthood, sainthood, & ordination [Vanity]
Hogwash!