Another Father’s Day
Well, here it is. It’s Father’s Day in the United States, a day where the nation recognizes the importance of fathers. Whether your father was a good one or not so good, you’ll probably think about him today.
I think we should maybe rename Father’s Day, Mother’s Day Two. This is the day when I get reminded over the pulpit, in Sunday School, and in Priesthood that I might be important, but my wife is far more important.
If I hear one more time that I’m the head of the household but my wife is the neck and wherever she turns, I have no choice but to go, I’ll puke.
If I contrast the nice flowers mothers got on Mother’s Day after sacrament meeting with the Hershey’s miniatures they’ll pass to the men, I’ll know my place. I’m a second-class citizen, or am I?
In priesthood meeting, I’ll probably hear how women are more spiritual and righteous than men. As evidence, they’ll point out the Relief Society’s better stats when it comes to visiting each other.
They’ll talk about the superiority of the task of raising children over going out and earning a living, as if earning a living precluded one from also getting credit for raising children. Today in church, women will get quite the elegant pedestal to stand on. So why do they call it Father’s Day?
Do we Mormons really think so highly of women? Or is all of this attention they get on a day that’s supposed to be about men some kind of massive consolation prize for not being ordained to the priesthood?
I’m not one to say that the leaders of the Church are wrong about who can be ordained to the priesthood. I don’t aspire to lead the Church. I’ve got confidence in the leaders we have.
It’s the culture that bugs me, the culture that reveals its embarassment about a doctrine regarding women and the priesthood by putting women on the proverbial feminist-hated pedestal. If the doctrine is true, and I have no reason to not believe it, then we just accept it and work within it. I think it’s disrespectful to women and to men to go all out for women on Mother’s Day and give a token nod to men on Father’s Day.