See One, Do One, Teach One

Seems legit.

In the medical education system you start out as a medical student with no real power to execute orders, to a resident physician with the ability to make decisions, order tests, and prescribe medications ... so long as your full-fledged attending physician signs off on them. Finally, after board certification and completion of residency you're the real deal. You fly solo, all power and liability is on you.

In medicine we also have a "See one, do one, teach one" motto. When you're a medical student your job is to mostly observe what the doctors do. You might interview patients and write notes, but those things don't really count in the medical record. When you're a resident you have a bit of a safety net under you and this is when you start doing real things under supervision. By the time you're an attending physician the idea, in an academic setting, is to mostly teach the residents and medical students.

So why am I giving you the inside scoop on how the medical field works? It's because I suspect President Nelson, a physician surgeon, applied these academic principles to Church policy creation and that's how we got The Policy (re: gays and their children) and its reversal. Here's why:

In 2015 President Thomas S. Monson had severe dementia. The Church was being run (as is its policy in such cases) by the combination of presidency keys. We see Boyd K. Packer die in July 2015 and The Policy go into effect November 2015. What happened in the interim? Russel M. Nelson became Quorum (of the Apostles) President (QP). For context, everyone at this time knows Nelson is next in line to become prophet and Dallin H Oaks is positioned to become the next QP or higher (as would become the case).

If we view this in terms of:

apostle = med student

QP = resident

Prophet = attending physician

It would be no surprise then if Russell M. Nelson as QP jumped at the opportunity to use executive power for something that he could say was the will of the Lord, but policy only (i.e. not offical doctrine). This would be practice for the big role for which he was slated. And we know he moves quickly, wasting no time. The Policy would be his "do one."

When the Chief strikes down your order.

But what one man wants and what the Lord wants are often not the same thing.

What was supposed to happen is President Eyring and President Uchtdorf with new QP Nelson, along with the sustaining and authoritative power of the remaining apostles, were to turn their keys in confirmation of what was taught to them by the Spirit.

What I think happened is a couple of things. I think Eyring and Uchtdorf, having worked for some time now without a functional President of the Church, slipped into the mode of "I sustain our [future] prophet." They wanted him to get practice as QP and succeed. Also, let's be honest, they knew they were a geriatric heartbeat away from answering to President Nelson for the remainder of their ministry. I'm guessing that factored in.

I suspect something went wrong right away. For starters, why focus on "the gay issue"? Especially right out of the gates? It seems like Nelson saw an obvious problem between homosexuality and Mormon Latter-day doctrine and wanted to fix it. I don't doubt he sought the will of the Lord, but it appears he landed on the side of legalism. And just who persuaded him to choose justice? Who likely pleaded for mercy instead (but ultimately relented)? I'll let you decide.*

*Worth a thousand words

In the end there needed to be apostolic consensus, but my guess is at least one presidency member drew near to The Policy with his lips for the sake of unity, but his heart (and key) were turned away from it. In contrast, I can see Nelson receiving guidance from someone who was close enough and practically there in terms of having presidential keys such that his input was valued more than it was worth. We see this happen from time to time in medicine, too. Senior resident and 4th year medical student start a surgical case without the attending surgeon and the patient bleeds out.

The patient in this case is everyone affected by The Policy. We can never say for sure how many LGBTQ members died by suicide as a result, but my gut and reasoning tells me the blood of this generation cries out.

The Silver Lining to a Large Black Cloud

I think three big things have/will come out of this: 1) We have learned how to discern right from wrong, 2) We now know which members will accept/reject false doctrine, and 3) More women will be brought into policy-making decisions at higher levels in more official ways.

1) I've said it before and I'll say it again, we must look for the tokens and signs Father promised to send us. When the leaders of the Church teach us a principle we should pray on it, consider it, and feel within us a confirmation that it's true. Then, when we act upon it, we should see good fruit. There was never any good fruit from The Policy. Only bad, heartbreaking, rotten products. Moreover, when it comes to church-wide policy, ALL presidential keys need to turn in agreement. This is tricky because The Policy was touted as coming from a unanimous voice, but I recall discussions at its onset about how this just didn't seem like something a certain key-holding apostle would support, at least not in his heart.

So let's say we were early saints and Peter, James, and Thaddeus approached us with new policy... Stop right there. That's not right. Perhaps the next time it came from the original First Presidency (Peter, James, and John), but they had no tokens and (good) signs to give... Thanks, but no thanks.

We need both: The actual presidency and the correct tokens and signs.


2) I remember after The Policy each and every woman I knew had a hard time with it. Even the most "totally believing Mormon" (TBM) types felt sick in the stomach thinking about babies being turned away. But within the same day of its announcement, these women and their male counterparts posted and preached about how, "if you look at it this way," The Policy is actually about love!

These members were wrong. They are dangerous. They need to learn from this and change.

3) I've looked back at my journal of impressions and the letter I gave my bishopric pleading for an end of at least one aspect of The Policy. My feeling is that this episode has made it clear that women need to be involved in policies that affect the family of God. And since that touches everything, I do expect an announcement this weekend during General Conference.


Closing Thoughts

Going back to that image I've painted of the confident resident and eager med student, I know and I hope you know they had no intent to harm. We also know the outcome was catastrophic. As "ancillary staff" did you take orders and facilitate a wrongful practice or did you run things up the chain to a higher authority?

Next time --because humanity assures us there will be a next time-- let's not accept a broken protocol nor leave the operating room; let's do all that we can. Together. Because now, as President of the Church, Russel M. Nelson is teaching us that we can learn from our mistakes and become better. Much better.

#WhataProphetessLooksLike

Huldah was a prophet,
last one that we hear about

In the medical world there's a big push to represent women in the field. Too often people assume a woman couldn't possibly be a MD/DO and defer to calling her 'Miss,' instead. Part of the campaign to change these preconceptions is to show women doctors in their element and share that imagery on the internet under the hashtag #whatadoctorlookslike. (This also applies to doctors of color.)

A while back I posted about roles for women in the Church and I included prophetess among those. I had written a bit about this, but cut a chunk of it out and put it aside because the original post had gotten on the long side. I just came back to this and thought I should bring these ideas back to light with the theme #WhataProphetessLooksLike, because we are sorely lacking their representation today.

So here we go!

What Does Being a Prophetess Look Like?

Here are some examples:

Elder Dallin H. Oaks in his talk, Witnesses of Christ (1990) explained that Anna, a prophetess, had spiritual confirmation that Jesus is the Christ and thus had a "prophetic duty to testify to those around [her]." We can then envision her sharing her convictions with power and authority. Likewise, Mary, the mother of Jesus, shared bold revelations about what was to come into her life as she bore testimony as recorded in Luke.

Rebekah is an interesting case because she prophesied that it was Jacob, not Esau, who should receive the birthright, and she took matters into her own hands --even deceiving Isaac-- to make things so. Similarly, Elisabeth prophesied that her son would be named John, and she came to this conclusion independent of her husband. Keeping this pattern, Hannah knew to dedicate her son, and only child, to the Lord in His temple as he would later become a prophet. In all three cases, I believe it's important to note that when future generations hinge on foretold knowledge, it is woman's distinguished place to set things right.

In the temple account, Eve is contrasted to Adam in the garden as one who has a recollection of many things and has profound insights not afforded to someone who is starting out life from scratch. As a prophetess, she can easily discern who is of the Lord, and who is of the devil. She can warn Adam.

As an aside, I believe we often overlook the term "helpmeet." So often people think this means that Eve and her daughters have a duty to stand out of the way of the righteous "priesthood holder" while keeping things afloat with dinner ready and clothes washed. Such notions miss the point entirely. A helpmeet, as I see it, is like a tutor. And a tutor is someone who has already passed certain tests and can offer her knowledge accordingly. She is lifting up, not keeping up. 

In 2nd Kings and Chronicles, we also learn of Huldah, who is petitioned by the new King of Judah (Josiah) to clarify scripture. At this time, the covenant people had largely become ignorant to the things of God and so it came down to the prophethood of this one woman to get things back on track and foresee danger tied to not keeping the commandments. (Imagine if all women today thought of themselves as preservationists of truth and righteousness while they search the scriptures.)

During times of war, women like Deborah and the mothers of the two thousand stripling warriors could prophesy battle outcomes contingent upon faith. Today, we see men receiving priesthood blessings prior to deployment, but it is unclear to me how many receive prophetic counsel from their mothers, too.

OK, We Have Prophetesses, but What's the Point if No One Acknowledges Them?

Though we casually state that Mary was the first to see the risen Savior, we rarely reflect on the fact that she was charged with informing the Peter and the other disciples about this (see). In most depictions of this moment, we see Peter, James, and John hearing Mary's words and then racing to the tomb to see what's actually going on. It's as though her word means little, so what was the point of her heralding the occasion? And yet, could you imagine a woman today going up to the First Presidency and informing them about the Lord, and being in the right to do so? Having her revelation (which granted is not the same as prophecy, but in the same "presidential package," if you will) confirmed, too?

So often I feel that being female is like being able to see color while the rest of humanity is colorblind. Just because it's hard to explain what it is we're seeing, what it is we've been blessed with, doesn't mean the gift doesn't exist. The gift is, in fact, quite astounding. Now how do we get others to accept that?

I don't have that answer. But I do know what needs to get addressed first...

Can we, as a church, handle nuances? "Capital P versus little p" priesthood. The prophet, not prophetess. If I commend my friend Laura for being a righteous prophetess, will people know that I'm not trying to undermine Thomas S. Monson? Will others say we should be satisfied with being mothers in Zion and not "seek" for something more?

To me it seems that since 1830, Church efforts have been spent on restoring and preserving the priesthood structure. Now that it's settled and fortified, perhaps we can unwrap the untold story of women. I desire this word 'prophetess' to come back into our lexicon, not for the power is connotes, but for the potential it has to raise women from being in the shadows to having a divine role. In this, I believe, the family unit can be glorified with both Father and Mother ruling righteously as a presidency.

What is the Role of Women on Earth?

That's a big question, isn't it? To some, it may even sound insulting. I bring it up because, in the Church, the role of men is well defined, so clear, and very expansive. When we talk of women, however, we get focused on marriage, family life, and nurturing and seem to run out of other things to say.

Earlier, I wrote about viewing the temple endowment as a further endowment for women (not men), which points to gifts specifically given to them prior to coming to earth. What exactly do we do with that? How is that pre-mortal gift to play out in our lives now? What purpose does it serve in our individual lives and as members of the Church?

Here I will outline what I believe are the unique contributions women can make within the (current*) framework on the Church.

PROPHETESS

The Bible dictionary defines the word 'prophet' as he who holds all the keys and is president of the Church or, generally speaking, anyone who has the spirit of revelation.

Additionally, The Guide to the Scriptures specifically defines 'prophetess' as follows:

PROPHETESS 

See also Prophecy, Prophesy 

A woman who has received a testimony of Jesus and enjoys the spirit of revelation. A prophetess does not hold the priesthood* or its keys. Though only a few women in the scriptures are called prophetesses, many prophesied, such as Rebekah, Hannah, Elisabeth, and Mary. (Asterisk added)

[*In my own reading of this, I take "priesthood" to mean Aaronic/Melchizedek, not the broader term or "capital 'P' Priesthood" described here.]  

From this I feel that there are 4 distinct categories:
1) The Prophet (Thomas S. Monson as of 2015)
2) prophets (anyone with a testimony and the fruits thereof)
3) Prophetesses (named as such in the Bible, e.g. Miriam)
4) prophetesses (see below)

To me, prophetess suggests more than female "little p prophet." I base this on the Creation story in which Adam is clearly described as being made from the earth and starting life as a little child, forgetting everything that had occurred pre-mortally. In contrast, Eve is brought to him as a sage counselor who can see much more than what the eyes view in front of them (see also). For revelation, as I deem it, is not just seeing into the future, it's also remembering the past. --Even the pre-mortal existence with insight that can affect mortality. In this, Eve and her daughters are well-equipped. That uniqueness, in my opinion, is what warrants that fourth category for prophetesses.

We see examples of prophetesses (as described above) throughout the Bible and worth noting is that their power is usually on display in matters affecting their descendants. Rebekah for example prophesied that it was Jacob, not Esau, who should receive the birthright, and she took the situation into her own hands (even deceiving Isaac) to make things so. Similarly, Elisabeth prophesied that her son would be named John, and she came to this conclusion independent of her husband. Keeping this pattern, Hannah knew to dedicate her son, and only child (at the time), to the Lord in His temple as he would later become a prophet. In all three cases, when future generations hinge on foretold knowledge, it is woman's distinguished place to set things right. This makes her a prophet(ess) in the most distinct way.

Outside of the scriptures and in everyday life, women act as prophetesses when the veil is made thin to them as a privilege owing to their true and honest hearts. They are to share that insight with their families and one would hope that it is accepted and acknowledged.

ANGEL MINISTER
Angel mother is a term unique to women and is often used among Church members. In As Sisters in Zion we sing "the errand of angels is given to women." Joseph Smith once stated that women who live up to their privilege will have the angels as their associates. What does that all mean?

When asked to speak to the Relief Society, President Faust gave a talk entitled 'How Near to the Angels,' and in it he describes a view of righteous women in their ministry. Pres. Faust added that if women are true to the promptings they receive they will be employed in an angelic cause and live up to their purpose here on earth. Those promptings are described as "intuitive," which I take to mean unique to our gender, and "noble," which to me seems like something more than admirable. I'm thinking more along the lines of nobility, coming from Heavenly Mother even. In keeping with that perspective, Pres. Faust says that women have "feelings planted deep within [our] souls by Deity."--By using that word specifically he allows for the feminine form.

Stepping back, angels are defined in the Bible Dictionary as heavenly messengers. Thus, if women act on their intuition in the service of others, are they letting their actions reflect the heart and mind of God? I like to think so.

MOTHER
I don't feel a need to go deep into this section as so much of our church discussion go on about this, and Sheri Dew has already done a fantastic job of noting Are We Not All Mothers?

I will, however, re-emphasize that motherhood has been declared "the highest and holiest service to be assumed by mankind" and is "the highest place of honor in human life" (Messages of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. (1965-75), 6:178). It is about expounding upon doctrine, teaching life lessons, exhorting others to keep the faith, giving a glimpse into what Heavenly Mother must be like, and, yes, nurturing the talents one perceives in a child.


CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of this post was not just to brag about how awesome women are (though I do enjoy that), it's to provide concrete examples of what Latter-day Saint women have that's worth remarking.

Moving forward, I hope to hear myself, my daughter, and other women say...

• I magnify my callings in the offices of the priesthood.
• I have received or am preparing to receive my further endowment.
• By virtue of my true and honest heart, the veil was made thin to me and I prophesy ____.
• The reach of my ministry continues to grow.

I'd be delighted to hear (more) men say...

• I honor my wife's prophetic revelations
• I sustain woman's ministry
• I respect mothers as having the highest and holiest calling
• I acknowledge the unique gifts given to her pre-mortally, which bless my life now

I can already foresee this happening.

*Did I want to include "priestess" here? You bet your garment-covered bottom.