Female role parallel to priesthood

During our elders quorum lesson on Sunday, we were discussing women in the church, and specifically the different roles men and women hold in the church. Eventually, we established that men hold the priesthood; someone indicated the role of women different from that was motherhood.

Everyone seemed to be content with that comparison until someone mentioned men in the church also have the role of fatherhood.

It would seem that fatherhood would be more directly related to motherhood than priesthood is. If that is so, then what female role would be parallel to the male role of priesthood bearer?

5 thoughts on “Female role parallel to priesthood

  1. What about sisterhood, in the sense of ye old giving-blessings-by-the-laying-of-hands to women about to give birth and as a role in the blessing of others via the service of Relief Socity?

  2. I taught that lesson in my Elder’s Quorum last Sunday, and took pains to point out the comparison that President Kimball’s quote actually makes. I don’t have it in front of me anymore, but it said that men have priesthood and fatherhood and women have motherhood and sisterhood. I liked how priesthood wasn’t equated with motherhood and that fatherhood wasn’t ignored in his quote. Still, it’s unclear what “sisterhood” means and whether there is an equivalent brotherhood.

  3. I agree that priesthood=brotherhood, as it appears, does Rudger Clawson:

    “The Priesthood is a great brotherhood, held together by the eternal and immutable laws that constitute the framework of the Gospel. The feeling of brotherhood should permeate the quorum. It should be the first concern of a quorum to help all members who may be in need temporally, mentally, or spiritually. The spirit of brotherhood should be the directing force in all the plans and operations of the quorum.” (quoted by L. Tom Perry in his Oct 04 conference address)

    This quote is interesting because it downplays the role of the priesthood as holding the keys to ordinances and, with a few minor word changes (brother to sister, quorum to some word to usefully describe the local Relief Society unit), it’d sound pretty close to what you hear is expected of the sisters.

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