On the lighter side .... My stab at an SNL routine

Daily "debriefing" at the White House

Obama to aide:  Soooo, got the checklist?

Aide:  Yessir.  Got it.

Obama:  Okay, let's see ..... Has Putin been warned again today?

Aide:  Check.

Obama:  Is Biden still contained ... have you checked the lock on his room lately?

Aide:  Did it myself, Sir.

Obama:  Time to feed the media some more of that "war on women" crap.  Better get on that today.

Aide:  Yessir.

Obama:  IRS emails destroyed?

Aide:  Check.

Obama:  Reid got his payoff?

Aide:  Check.

Obama:  Before I forget, if Hillary calls, I'm not in.  Okay?

Aide:  Got her on The List, Sir.    

Obama:  How about the Obamacare numbers ....are they cooked enough yet?  Gotta hit 7 mil. by Tuesday.  Except remember .... I don't know anything.  Got that?  

Aide:  Yessir.  

Obama:  Be sure to let the networks know I'll want some primetime to crow about our enrollment success.  

Aide:  Yessir.  Except they may not .....

Obama:  Hmmmmmm ...... Didn't we mention sending a plate of those pot-laced brownies over to the DOJ ..... did that happen?  

Aide:  Yessir.

Obama:  Did ya save one for me?

Aide:  Inside piece, Sir.  Just like you like 'em.

Obama:  Good, good.  Oh, and by the way, be sure Michelle doesn't see that case of Marlboros I ordered.

Aide:  Never, Sir.

Obama:  Okie dokie then ..... looks good.  I'm hitting' the greens.  See ya tomorrow.

Aide:  Enjoy, Sir.  

Truth, Feelings, and Baskets ..... Yours, Mine, and Ours

Business and financial gurus wisely tell us to not put all our eggs in one basket, but I violate that advice regularly in other areas of my life.  Marriage: one basket.  Patriotism: one basket.  Religion: one basket.  Favorite ice cream flavor: ..... okay, maybe that one does branch out .... frequently .....   

I'm digressing.  Let's go back to the religion basket.

We might say that in this basket, the eggs are various points of doctrine along with personal life experiences.  My basket is my testimony, or in other words, my time-tested conviction that the gospel, as taught in the LDS Church, is true.  In addition to a lot of logical evidence, woven into my testimony are .... spiritual reinforcements and communication from God in its various forms, via the Holy Ghost who is often referred to as the Spirit of God.  

Plain and simple, it just never stops feeling right.  

(Note: If you adhere to a philosophy, belief-system, or life style that has not exposed you to such feelings of comfort and ... right-ness .... I humbly offer the suggestion that you are missing out and that you take a look here.)  

I know that many non-LDS Christians are dubious at best, about such feelings.  And their argument has merit.

Some say, "I feel that the doctrine which I follow is correct, and you feel that something different is correct .... therefore one of us must be wrong ...... therefore you cannot trust feelings and ALL answers must come from the <Bible>."  (Feel free to <insert> whatever spiritual resource you choose.)

Makes sense.  And we NEED that reminder that those answers usually DO come from something God has already said ..... a lesson we LDS tend to forget and then get impatient when God doesn't just TELL us already!  (As in ... you mean I have to study??)

Therefore, it seems to follow, that all feelings must be suspect.

And I would agree.  Caution definitely has its place.

So should I toss out feelings all together?

Heavens no.  The Bible, which centers on the mission of Jesus Christ, promotes those feelings.  In the Book of Luke, chapter 24, Christ is resurrected, meaning after death his body is again united with his spirit and he rises from the grave.  Word of this miraculous event naturally spread and some time soon thereafter, his uncle and another man were walking along and talking about what had happened.  Unrecognized at first, Jesus joined these two men on their walk and the conversation continued.   Later that day they realized who he was and at that moment, he vanished from their sight.  Their words then say it all as they marveled at not recognizing him sooner:

"Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (verse 32)

Hence ...... feelings.  The Holy Ghost, who testifies only of truth, is doing his job.

So can the Holy Ghost confirm one thing to you, and to me something different?

There are several possibilities here:

1. One of us is wrong and one of us is right.

2. We're both wrong.

3. We're both right.

Numbers one and two are pretty obvious.  They happen.  But number three?  Let's look at it .....

I firmly believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only religion on earth with the God-ordained power to administer the ordinances needed by all for exaltation.  Repeat .... needed by all.  "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." (Ephesians 4:5)  But there may be different roads getting there.

IF the Lord confirms your quest to find Him in another religion then, in my opinion, go with that.  By all means!  We have many, many converts in the LDS Church who came to us from other faiths and they bring an invaluable wealth of freshness and perspective.   Their road was right for them.  I was born into this religion and the Lord tells me to stay put.  That's my road and it's right for me.  Some .... in fact a huge, whopping MOST, will never receive those above mentioned saving ordinances in this life and the Lord in His loving wisdom and mercy, has provided a way for them.  In the meantime, and for now, they may be a blessing to the world right where they are.  There are countless individuals and organizations who set the bar very high by their charity and other contributions to our unsettled world.  Truth can be found in more than one basket and we should never be afraid of finding and acquiring more eggs.  

That said ...... we have been commanded in the last few verses of the Book of Matthew to share what we have, so share we must.   Eternal principles are just that .... eternal .... and there are people who are ready to return to those truths that they embraced before birth veiled their pre-mortal memories.   That "veil", so to speak, keeps us from remembering our past and seeing our future thus causing us to develop our faith*.  (*See previous blog post.)  We must find those people and they must find us.  But again, there are others who, perhaps, still have things they need to do or to experience elsewhere ... on their own road .... before coming home.  And we must respect that.  The Lord is your Father and my Father and He loves us all.  If we turn to Him in full trust and humility, He will direct each of us on whatever road we need to bring us safely to the one and only gate that leads back to Him.  No one wants that end result more than He does.

So back to those feelings.   Are you right?  Or am I?

I cannot speak for you nor for anyone else.  I cannot claim to know what God has told you to do.   I can only speak for me and ....... I am where I belong .... holding the door open, ready to welcome anyone who might want to share my basket of eggs.

"What did you think it would look like .....?"

Recently I listened to a podcast recorded by fairmormon.org featuring an interview (emphasizing Part 2 of the interview) with Bill Reel, a member of my religion, who told the story of his faith crisis.  A faith crisis is when a person begins to question, doubt, and consider leaving his religion.  Reel was a bishop (similar to a minister) at the time and was at a loss where to go, or who to talk to for help.  It began when he started reading things about our church's history that just didn't make sense to him.  

The LDS Church does indeed have a colorful past.  Polygamy, racism, angels, a mysterious gold book, ancient scripture found in mummies, intense persecution, interpreter stones, and the recording of every word that every past church leader has ever uttered.  Thanks to the internet, we have enough information to make almost any devout Mormon shake in their boots.   

Bishop Reel was at a loss.  He talked to trusted friends, his own local church leaders, and even wrote to one of the church leaders in Utah.  He received some comfort, but no real answers.  Some didn't even know what he was talking about because, even though it has always been accessible in the archives and many articles have been written in Church magazines, most of this information is not taught in our manuals.  Reel was almost to the point of leaving, when he turned to some LDS discussion boards online.  And through this resource, he received an email from a stranger, that began to turn him around.  

I searched back through the podcast to find the words of that letter.  I wanted to keep them because with careful reading, they are profound.  Here it is in blue, as best I could transcribe it from the audio version.   

His question:  "Why does the Church ignore these elephants in the room that I perceive and I feel like I am the only one who sees them?"  

The answer:  "There are not problems as you characterize them and the elephants in the room are not the baby elephants you keep hoping are going to trumpet the answer.  In the very back corner, there is a humongous, massive bull elephant who is sitting on his side, resting from all the bellowing he has been doing, hoping to get your attention over the mass of baby elephants making all the racket.  He is obscurred from your view because all you keep seeing are those baby elephants covering him from view.  

There is a work underfoot that you do not grasp yet.  It seems to you to be a work to hide and protect the Church.  That is completely incorrect.  When you think of Bruce R. McConkie’s take on the Ten Virgins and that they represent members (of the Church) and that half of them will fall away ...... what do YOU think is going to separate the Saints from one another?  We do love each other and as a group, we are very tolerant when appropriate, but what is going to drive a wedge between the members to push them apart?  

Faith is the big elephant, lying on its side resting.  The 50% who fall away are those who do not realize that theology is built upon a requirement of faith.  Without it, none can please God.  

One can never overcome theological demands of faith by an appeal to empirical proof.   They are at odds.  One destroys the other.  Proof will only leave you weak and unable to stand, when stand you must. One leads to life eternal; the other leaves one unable to call upon God when the time is ripe for destruction.  The work that is underfoot is the sifting of the wheat from the tares.  In the coming days, and I have no clue how long, but soon enough I am sure, the truth of the history of the Church will save no lives.  The only thing that will, is in those that live, breath, and feel in their hearts and souls the faith that can stand at this moment.  

The beginning of the onslaught against the Church is the same ideological battle that pulled the third of heaven to follow Satan.  It will escalate from there to becoming a physical battle and the world will be arrayed against us.  It will take powerful faith, perhaps Enochian faith to turn against those that would destroy the members of the Church.  You are only in the beginning stages of the battle of the war of words and ideals and you are already falling prey to the efforts.  What will you do when destruction is between you and the powers of heaven to forestall?  

Faith, so few understand it, is a genuine power.  Sometimes I think that members are hell-bent on avoiding, denying, and fleeing away from the opportunities to exercise faith, the power that holds worlds in their orbits and enables the creative effort.  We lip-service it and then ignore it constantly.  This day is a blessing to you.  You are being tossed and torn and beaten and abused in the crucible of faith.  The anxiety you feel is because you are slowly feeling the heat of the flames that will prepare some and destory others.  You acknowledge the need for faith, but it is not impressed upon your soul the power of what faith really is.  

Again I ask, what did you think it would look like when we were in the middle of this sifting?  It looks like what you are seeing.  It is painful until faith provides the healing.  And there is NO faith in questioning the motives of the Church.  They know exactly what is happening and they are stemming it as best they can within the boundaries of agency and teaching correct principles."  

(Back to me.)  There is a finite number of issues that our critics love to circulate over and over.  I have personally become familiar with all of these issues, some more than others, and thankfully, my faith has not been shaken.  Possibly because I was taught most of these things as I was growing up, so very little was a surprise.  I also just don't seem to have a questioning nature.  It has always been easy for me to believe and the blessings of being a Mormon have been obvious to me my entire life.  The few things I don't yet understand, I set aside for now.  

To summarize ....  

We are on this earth to learn faith.  As soon as we have that scientific or physical proof that many of us desire, faith is over.   "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  (Hebrews 11:1)  The lessons on gaining, growing, and exercising our faith permeates all scripture.  We are not here to prove anything .... we are here to believe and to act on our belief ..... without physical proof.  Our only proof for now, is the whisperings of the Lord's Spirit, AKA the Holy Ghost.    THAT, in my opinion, is why we have not yet been given any type of archaeological discovery, or DNA research results, etc., that we can trot out to the the nearest mountain top and yell to the world .... SEE??  WE TOLD YOU SO!!!!!  

Have you ever thought the Lord was unnecessarily cruel when He directed Abraham to slay his beloved son Isaac for a sacrifice?  I have.  How awful!  Why would a loving God put Abraham through such a dreadful ordeal before stopping him?  I don't have all the answers, but apparently there is great value in testing one's faith.  God knows our faith.  He knows our limits.  And He knows our potential.

But we don't.  I need to learn about me and you need to learn about you.  And we learn through being tested.  The Lord always knew that Abraham would be obedient in all things, and now Abraham knows it too.  

My point:  The Lord let all these oddities in our Mormon history happen.  Some He directed, and some He left for his prophet, an imperfect human, to figure out.  He gave us all the freedom of choice and in our humanness, some mistakes were made, along with the inherent clumsiness of restoring a religion that the world had not seen for centuries.  There was no template, nor pattern, from a neighboring church and God let those things BE for our own modern-day Abrahamic test, so to speak.  At the same time, I think He kept a firm hand on those parts that affect eternity.  The doctrine of Jesus Christ, the saving ordinances with the keys of administration, and the Plan of Salvation are rock-solid and everlasting.  THAT is our gospel.

The Church has wisely taught us all along that the most important thing is to develop our faith and our ability to recognize the voice of the Spirit.    Regardless of whatever form the vexatious wedge that seeks to divide us may take, our faith will keep us firm.  We will have our iron rod to anchor us.  In other words, if God tells you it's TRUE and through faith you believe Him .... then nothing else matters.  And eventually, we will have all the answers ... and the proof, after our test is done.

Thus we are buffeted and sifted, separating the wheat from the tares.  This is just the beginning and it will get worse.  We knew it was coming because the prophets have told us.    

We just didn't realize what it would look like. 

  

Fight or Flight?

What do you do if you have been taught to avoid contention, but also to defend something in which you passionately believe?  My beloved church, or more specifically its doctrine of male-only ordination, has come under fire.

This is nothing new.  We have experienced everything from violent persecution to mild curiosity, since the beginning.  But this time it's from within.  Members ..... faithful members are "agitating" as they say, for change.  They say it's time for women to be ordained.

I wrote about my feelings on the ordination of women in this post.  Until recently, I had no idea other faithful members of my religion believed differently.  I guess I was wrong.

For clarity, it helps to differentiate between policies or practices, and doctrine.  Policies and practices can be and often are, influenced by societal customs and traditions.  What we wear to church, who speaks or prays in our meetings, or how some church funds are spent, for example, are policies which sometimes shift and evolve over time.  Circumstances change.   Whereas, our belief in the Godhead, repentance, the Atonement, ordinances .... are all doctrine, and unchanging .... at least in this lifetime.  And for reasons unknown, God organized his church with different roles for men and women.  Men are ordained to the priesthood, and women are not.

The ordination of women would be a major change.  It would be a first.  There are hints in the scriptures and in our church history, that some women may have been given some priesthood responsibilities outside the temples in the past.  But we believe in living prophets, and our current prophet supports his predecessors who all taught that men only are ordained.  To change this would take much consideration, prayer, and an absolute confirmation from God.  In other words, it would take revelation.  As far as I know, that revelation has not happened.

So back to my original question ..... what do you do when you are in opposition with fellow Latter-day Saints who publicly campaign, organize, and recruit others to pray, ask, push, and pressure our church leaders to take it to the Lord?  Do you stand up for your belief that they are out of line, and possibly cause hurt feelings, contention, resentment, and let the media feed on disunity in the Mormon Church?   Or keep the peace and look the other way? Do you defend the doctrine and risk losing the person?  Or keep quiet and remain friends?

The answer, of course, is to defend and explain with love and patience.  But when the disagreement is online ..... it's tough.   No matter how soft-spoken your words may be intended, you cannot  control their perception.

So that's the dilemma.  I believe that these people, who are actively and publicly pushing for female ordination, have over-stepped their bounds.  That's my personal opinion.  This is the Lord's church and a change of this magnitude must come from him.  They have created a forum and an audience for people who are actively fighting against our church.  Feelings are running high.  We will lose members over this.  We will lose families over this.  And with those families, generations of God's precious children will be lost to gospel blessings.  And in those homes ...... there will be no priesthood at all.

Why do they do this??

You never know when inspiration for another post will hit, and this one zinged right out of the blue.  

I was preparing a lesson for a church class and decided to include a story about my great, great grandfather, Allen Joseph Stout.  A snapshot of his life is in green, in case you're wondering.  (The rest of my post continues below.)

He lived in the 1800's, and had it rough.  Really rough.  He was only nine when his mother died leaving eight young children who were then shuffled here and there.  Allen and his siblings endured some not-so-pleasant environments.  He also dealt with poor health most of his life.  As an adult, he learned of the newly organized church called the Mormons, and after some months of study, decided to be baptized.  He wrote about restored health immediately upon rising out of the baptismal water,  and was able to serve a brief mission.  

He returned to Nauvoo, Illinois, then the head-quarters for the Church, because he heard that its founder and leader, Joseph Smith, was in danger.  Allen served for a while as Joseph's bodyguard.  He wrote of an interesting experience when he and Joseph were out walking and saw a stranger a short distance down the road.  Joseph told him to wait there and he went on ahead to talk to the stranger.  After a while, Joseph returned, but Allen was upset at himself for letting Joseph go off without his protection.  Joseph reassured him that he was safe.  He said the stranger was John the Revelator, who was blessed by Jesus to remain on the earth until the Second Coming.  (John 21:23)

Joseph eventually was murdered when he was supposed to be in the protective custody of the law.   Allen later went west with the Mormon Saints and was then sent by Brigham Young, the new church leader, to help settle southern Utah, an area nicknamed "Dixie" for its hot and dry weather.  If you study the history of those poor, bedraggled people who first settled what is now the thriving city of St. George, Utah, among them you will find my ancestors.  These courageous people nearly starved, yet gave it their all.  

A temple was eventually built in St. George, and Allen, who was then nearing the end of his life, lived about 39 miles away, and would travel that three-day journey in, I assume, a horse-drawn buggy and spend days in the temple doing by proxy, saving-ordinances for people who died without the chance to do their own.  He wrote about the difficulty of the journey due to age and poor health, then having to walk 12 blocks to and from the temple each day after he got there.  He would stay for weeks, spending every day in the temple, then endure the journey home.  He died leaving a large posterity, including Yours Truly.  And I am honored to be the descendant of this nineteenth-century Job.

  

***************

So I googled his name for my lesson, and up popped an anti-Mormon site.  I am familiar with online discussion forums, so in I went, curious to see what they had written about him.  

The thread (topic of discussion) opened with something like (paraphrasing) .... No wonder Joseph Smith was assassinated, with such inept bodyguards.  Then ..... get this .... apparently one of my distant cousins, who has dropped out of the Church, piped up with insulting comments about Allen Stout and his family in general.  

In spite of this online conversation being two years old, I spoke up.  

Because I do that.  

"I am descendant of Allen Joseph Stout and don't appreciate your flippant insults regarding my heritage. Such remarks speak of blatant ignorance and if you and I are related, then I am ashamed for you. Allen Joseph Stout was a man of sacrifice, much suffering, dedication and integrity. I am honored to be part of his family. Your attitude, which apparently drove you out of the LDS Church, places you in cynical company, as evidenced here in this forum. You probably don't see it, but your comments are a disgrace and show how far you've fallen. Please excuse my abruptness, but this really pisses me off."  

Yes, I used the P-word.  

I was addressing one of the comments in the thread, but it was then when I saw who had started the thread.  One of our deceased prophets, a Godly man who was revered by millions, is survived by a grandson who decided that the great church and gospel that his grandfather loved and to which he devoted his life, was a fraud and a cult.  This grandson apparently takes great pride tossing his big name around.  I've never met nor encountered him personally, but I had heard of him.  And here we were in this forum, face to face, or rather ... keyboard to keyboard.  

He immediately gave me a hearty welcome before he invited me to read the gossip and twisted historical "facts" concerning that which I hold dear.  He also made it clear exactly WHO had descended down from deity to speak to little me, by promptly stating his name and family ties.  I said:

"I know who you are and am unimpressed. Your grandfather was a great man to say the least, whom I greatly respect and you, most assuredly, broke his heart. You are free, as you well know, to choose your way, but stay away from my ancestors. Do not besmirch the names of those who are not here to defend themselves. I came from people who sacrificed their all, and I am eternally grateful for the blessings I have had every day of my life as a result. My life-long membership in the LDS Church has been the source of every happiness I have ever known and has given me a wonderful life, and I give much credit to people like my great, great, grandfather, for my heritage. I look forward to meeting him and thanking him for his sacrifice and example. You, on the other hand, may have a different experience when you face your own grandfather some day."

I also included some facts about Allen Stout's life and some of his own words from his journal.

Then Mr. Big Name said, 

". . . about Allen J. Stout.

So far, all she (referring to me) has produced has been a smelling-salts woe-is-me Shakesperean-drama death scene, delivered with typical TBM (True Blue Mormon) testimonial passion and fervor--i.e., long on faith, short on facts.

Earth to Kolob Brenda:

This is not a LDS fast-and-testimonial chant-fest. This is the real world.

Deal with the history; dispense with the histrionics.

By the way, my grandfather died of congestive heart failure. There was no broken heart. Thanks for trying."

Then me:

"Oh my goodness. Listen to you! You are really full of yourself, milking fame amongst this embittered crowd with your grandfather's good name. What a tragedy. And to say your grandfather, along with many others of your family, was not saddened and hurt by your choices, is saying he did not care about you. I don't buy it for one minute."

The conversation may seem a little choppy, because I didn't include everything.  Comments were rapidly firing into the thread from different people, but hopefully, you get the gist of it.  

The responses descended into crudeness and profanity after that, from the minions who have nothing better to do than to disparage someone's religion.  And then the thread that had sat dormant for two years, was promptly closed.  Just as well.  

I have been in similar forums defending my faith, but never have I had to defend my own humble, little-known ancestors!  Who ARE these pathetic people who find pleasure in insults and crudity?  Who are these disaffected former members of my faith, who cannot move on?  Who must stay and stir up strife and ill feelings?  Who twist and smear and try to do damage to something that has blessed my life beyond measure?  Why do they do this?   They are free to leave and to live their own lives.  But they don't.  Why is that?  

They cannot see the hatred that shouts from their words.  They cannot see the ugliness in their attitudes.  They justify themselves, thinking they are helping others to leave ...... but to go where?  Into depravity?  Into nothingness?  Into bitterness and contention?  Do they think I'd be tempted to leave that which is uplifting and good and fills my heart with comfort, and be attracted to their behavior?  Really??

It's so profoundly tragic and needless ..... and illogical.   And my heart aches for his grandfather.

**********

Update:  I looked back at the site.  A new thread is started and now they are going after me, and taunting me to respond.  Nice.  

 Instead, I think I'll go for a run.  

Are YOU on a list?

I don't have a clear grasp yet, on this newest arrival in a growing crowd of government scandals, but as I understand it ... our federal government has been collecting data on our phone calls, credit card usage, and internet surfing.  This mind-boggling-sized cache of info is stored somewhere, and only accessible through a court order.  As dangerous as this world is and the fact that there are nations of brain-washed people who will do anything to kill us, I can understand the necessity of strident security and the need for tools to track and block terrorists.  None of us like removing our shoes and submitting to body scans at the airport, but we see the point.  We want to be safe.  And if ever there is a reason for the existence of a federal government, it is to protect us from foreign threats.

Originally, the Patriot Act, enacted by President Bush after 9/11 and heavily criticized by then-Senator Obama, tapped into phone calls to and from suspect countries in the Middle East.  But somewhere down the line, that surveillance expanded to all calls, including MY calls to my pharmacist, to my mechanic, or to my husband.  And again, I can understand the reason.  I don't like it, but I get it.

I am willing to forfeit some freedom and privacy, in exchange for safety.  But here is the problem ... I must be able to trust the people gathering and holding my personal records.  And on the heels of the IRS scandal, which followed the Benghazi lies, the targeting of the press, added to the overall disingenuousness of the current administration .... what little trust I had, has been snuffed out.  Our president has lied to us.  Now he's asking us to trust him.  Really??

So in my opinion, the problem isn't the intrusion, it's the violation of trust.  My president has twisted the truth, evaded facts, smeared good people and backed bad people, covered his tracks, made secret deals to further his career, broken promises, and lied.  All, while he furrows his brow at us as if it's our fault and scolds us for being so uncooperative.  How do we know that some "obscure government paper-pushers in Cincinnati" won't tap into our calls because our political leanings don't jive with their's?  At which point the POTUS* feigns ignorance, saying, "Golly, I only learned about it on the evening news like the rest of you!"  Yeah, right.

"If you can't trust us, then we're going to have a problem." says Barack Obama.  Well, Mr. President, we already had a problem.  We don't trust the IRS.  We don't trust Eric Holder.  We don't trust Joe Biden, Susan Rice, Lois Lerner, Hilary Clinton, Jay Carney, Harry Reid, and we don't trust you.

For all I know, this little blog of mine possibly has landed ME on some watch-list.  It's a ridiculous thought, since my sphere of influence barely exceeds the walls of my own kitchen.  But nowadays, even the ridiculous is becoming less .... ridiculous.



*President Of The U.S.

Ordination of Women

Some say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is run by men.  

In truth, it is run by Jesus Christ, under the direction of God the Father, via the Holy Ghost.  

It is not headed by Thomas Monson, nor by any preceding prophet.  Prophets serve as God's mouthpiece to his church and to the world.  (Amos 3:7)  The power by which this church runs is called the priesthood, which is the same power through which God operates.  Men receive the right, or the authority, to use this power, or in other words, act in God's name, in graduating stages beginning at age 12.  Historically, God has given this right only to limited groups and currently it is not given to women. 

But it's important to remember that it does not come from, nor belong to, mortal men.  It is not the power of men.  They can only use it upon strict conditions of worthiness.  If they lose this worthiness, including through unrighteous dominion, they lose their authority.  (D&C 121:37)

This priesthood power is used to administer necessary ordinances for salvation, such as baptism.  It allows that which happens in mortality, to be valid in immortality.  It is also used to give blessings of comfort and healing, available to us through the Lord's Atonement.  (Alma 7: 11-12)   It is not the only access to God's power.  Any and all of us can call upon God through prayer.  He hears ALL sincere prayers and especially, in my opinion, those of a mother.

Gender is part of our eternal identity and God has given each similar and differing roles.   The highest and most far-reaching role was given to .... women.  We can bear children.  This most important function in all of God's infinite realm must be protected and preserved.  Everything else revolves around it!  This world, mortal and immortal, was created through the priesthood to provide for the bearing of children, both spiritually, and physically.  It is the premier ... the highest form of creation that exists.  And God gave that profoundly important assignment to women.  In other words, exalted male deity create worlds, but exalted female deity create the bodies for the souls who rule those worlds.  Therefore, IF a hierarchy exists, women occupy the top.  

God shares his power with men to use as a divine tool to protect and support the creative power given to women.   And as is everything God does, or ever has done, it is all a form of serving us.  Through women, God creates mankind and through men, God serves mankind.  And we all must in turn, assist and support each other in our respective roles of serving, honoring, and obeying the Lord to further his great plan.  

Marriage and family are the God-given avenues in which women are to create.  Families must be protected, preserved, and assisted, and again, this responsibility falls heavily upon men.  Both husband and wife, father and mother, support each other and lead the family equally, but in their different roles.  And I do not mean laundry or lawn-mowing.  

Some people think it's time that women are ordained to receive the priesthood just as men are, and until this becomes part of our doctrine, women are short-changed or under-valued.  I disagree.  And since I am an LDS woman, I also claim the right to express my opinion.  Only if and when God wants this to happen, will it happen.  And if so, God will reveal it to his prophet.  It is our responsibility to remain humble, worthy, and open, for whatever God has planned for us.  And I suspect that he has much more in store for us than we realize.

Something to consider:  It could be that women are not currently ordained with priesthood power so to strengthen marriages and in turn, families.  If men and women were given identical roles, then they no longer need each other to become one, because they would be so ... in and of themselves.  (Matthew 19:5)  It is not God's plan to be alone.  Just as we are each given different spiritual strengths and gifts to edify and share with others to complete the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12: 7-14), a husband and wife are given different roles so that they can compliment and cleave to each other to then become one whole perfect unit. "... neither is the man without the woman, neither the women without the man, in the Lord."  (1 Cor. 11:11)  ....... Therefore, his priesthood is her priesthood.  

For women who cannot bear children, remember Abraham's wife Sarah who gave birth long after her "child-bearing years" and long after she, herself, thought possible.  This mortal life is just a sliver of all eternity, and every worthy woman will eventually experience her divine creative privilege.  If not in this life, then in the next.  And how this will be done, I don't know.  We also ALL have the same promise regarding marriage.  No blessings will be denied to anyone who faithfully does his/her best to obey God's commandments which exist for our benefit.  Anything we ultimately lose, will only be that which we willfully reject.  

Satan's influence has cheapened the sacred creative process through disregard for chastity, absent fathers, tampering with God's definition of marriage, and anything that weakens families.  And the claim that women are "second class" in this great church of God, is wrong.  In my opinion, these are also Satan's whisperings to lessen the value of the pinnacle creative power entrusted to women, and to pridefully place one's own wisdom above God's.     

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The LDS Church's Proclamation to the Family:    https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation