Sunday, June 21, 2015 – Happy Father’s Day!
Thank you again for your responses to last week’s web-log about Kate Kelly! The article that accompanied that post [http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/31/us-usa-mormon-utah-idUSKBN0IK2FN20141031] drew some very interesting commentary. Recall that Kate petitioned the Mormon Church hierarchy advocating the ordination of women within the church. Not only was her petition denied, but she was excommunicated by the Mormon church apparently for “apostasy” – which I had to look up. It means in essence she “abandoned or renunciated the religious or political beliefs” of the church. As of that writing, she had been denied an appeal. More about that in a minute.
The reason this article comes to my attention is that Jesus knew only one Bible – Scripture, the Tanakh as it were. On page 26 of my book, “The Word 2.0″, you will find an extract from Genesis / B’Resheet 1:26 – 27 which reads:
“God said,
‘Let us make humankind in our image – in the likeness of ourselves’…
“God created them male and female in God’s image.”
With respect to God, blessed be all God’s holy names, we begin by considering the possibility that God is undifferentiated masculine and feminine energy, in perfect Divine Balance, neither male nor female, and yet both. If we can accept this as possible, we can begin to imagine God’s creative process. You and I, and indeed all life, was made manifest on Earth in God’s image and likeness. Differentiated as masculine or feminine, we are both perfect and necessarily co-equal. Indeed, could the Divine Balance of God in Heaven be otherwise on Earth were it not so? As this is the pattern of God’s Creation, it surely must also fulfill God’s plan, for God continues in Genesis / B’Resheet 2:24, saying,
“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, that they become one flesh.”
Reaffirming the co-equality of the masculine and the feminine, the male and female – men and women, hear what Jesus said almost 3,800 years later quoting God in a that passage:
“But know and understand that from the beginning of Creation:
‘God made them male and female.’ .
“And did you not read that God, who made them at the beginning of Creation, making them male and female, also said:
‘For this reason a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife.’?
“And that they two become one? So then,
‘They are no more two, but one flesh.’”
See “The Word 2.0“, page 269 (from Genesis and Malachi).
Men and women are co-equals before God, affirmed by Jesus, and yet a church dominated and controlled by men deny this? Consider what the article said: “(Kate’s) appeal was denied by a panel of male church leaders.” Men decided this. In the eyes of the men who made these rules, and set them down for women to obey without question, is it even possible women have no standing before their church? Not even a voice? Is it possible that by her mere act of asking the question about the ordination of women, she violated the rules of men so severe as to warrant excommunication? To dominate and control her behavior? Sound familiar?
Dear Kate, Jesus, and indeed God, are proud of you!
But is Kate’s experience with the Mormon Church unique, or even new? Perhaps we should share and consider other churches or religious institutions wherein men alone have set down rules – invented their own codes of conduct really, for women to either follow or risk their very lives.
Consider too that men have assumed and exercised exclusive domain of the writing down of all Scripture. Men alone have put pen to paper, or whatever – chisel to stone let’s say. Interpreted what it meant. Translated it into other languages. Reinterpreted what that meant. Wrote and enforced whatsoever codes and edicts that served their purposes. Maybe Kate is on to something important?
Love & Light,
Miguel
