Mormon Land Podcast: What LDS Women Want—in the wake of a controversial ‘priesthood power’ speech
I was a guest on the Mormon Land podcast discussing a recent quote about women in the LDS Church from J. Anette Dennis during her March 17 talk.
J. Anette Dennis Quote On Women in the Church
A decade after the Ordain Women movement stirred conversations within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, another feminist issue has come to the forefront, attracting significant media attention. During a gathering on March 17 commemorating the establishment of the church’s Relief Society, J. Anette Dennis, serving as the first counselor in the global women’s organization, emphasized the unique empowerment of women within the faith. She highlighted that the church distinguishes itself by providing extensive power and authority to women, a rarity in religious organizations worldwide.
Dennis said, “There is no other religious organization in the world that I know of that has so broadly given power and authority to women.” Dennis added “other faiths ordain women to roles like priest or pastor, but those individuals represent a small minority when compared to the total number of women within their congregations.” In the Utah-based church, all women “who choose a covenant relationship with God in the House of the Lord are endowed with priesthood power directly from God.”
Although similar sentiments have been expressed previously by prominent figures such as Dallin H. Oaks and Sheri Dew, the church's decision to share Dennis' statement on Instagram prompted an overwhelming response from women, generating over 15,000 comments. In an unusual move, the church's social media team pledged to relay these comments, along with the associated thoughts, feelings, and experiences, to the faith's leaders.
Response to and Discussion About Dennis’ Quote
Listen to this Mormon Land podcast episode discussing this recent quote and the outcry from thousands of LDS women below.
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