Eyes

The human eye is absolutely amazing.  At birth, most eyes are the same blue color.  But as the child grows, pigment may change those blue eyes to brown, green, or hazel in many different shades.

Our eyes have the ability to to detect light and adjust their dilation to allow us optimum perception of the things around us.  Quite the feat considering the thousands of objects and colors they are perceiving and sending to our brains, which then decipher the world around us.

Our eyes have even been called the windows to our souls.

But despite the capabilities of our eyes to perceive details, they do not act alone.  Our ever processing brains take that information and determine what is worth "filing away for later reference" and what can be "discarded."  It is my belief that this process is heavily influenced by our prior experiences.  Becaues of that, I don't believe two people can ever see things exactly the same way. Even looking at a painting, from exactly the same angle, a person's experiences will influence the perception of what is important about the painting--what is beautiful, what needs to be improved.


In recent months (and perhaps years) gender equality in the LDS church has been circulated in the news--particularly as it pertains to the Priesthood.  Some women argue that without the Priesthood women are inferior to men, therefore we must need to be ordained to it.  Others argue that women are superior to men without the Priesthood and therefore we don't need it (nor should we want it).  Of course, few if any actually state their arguments so plainly, but that's what it seems to boil down to.

The confusing thing is, both sides are looking at the same picture.  The history of men and women in the church is the same no matter what argument you are trying to side with, but your personal beliefs make certain aspects of it "stick out like a sore thumb," possibly even to the point that you can't see the rest of the picture.

In many of these arguments, men's and women's roles in the church and the family are compared and weighed to determine which has the greater value--or which one should be more prized.  Often this is done with the pretense of proving that we are "equal" (though it rarely feels like they have given equal worth to both the men's and women's roles).

In all this debating, I have come to realize there really is but one important question to ask about the equality of men's and women's roles:
  
 Equal in whose eyes?

In my eyes? In your eyes? In some person down the street's eyes? The feminist's eyes? The Chauvinist's eyes?

No.  The real eyes we should care about are God's.  And He has told us through many prophetic teachings that we are all equal in His eyes.  For example:

Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

In the eyes of God, whether in the Church or in the family, women and men are equal, with different responsibilities.

Where spiritual things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit, with reference to the receipt of revelation, the gaining of testimonies, and the seeing of visions, in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness—in all these things men and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord. He is no respecter of persons nor of sexes, and he blesses those men and those women who seek him and serve him and keep his commandments.

So, I guess there is a second question:  Do I believe Him?