Sheri Dew Doesn’t Think Priesthood and Motherhood Are Parallels
Posted on Jan 16, 2014 by Trevor in Religion
Motherhood and Priesthood have often been held up as parallels in conference talks and other official church publications, much to the discomfort of many Mormons who struggle with the position of women in LDS theology. Many adult women don’t have children (whether by their own choice or not), and young women are certainly discouraged from having children, so the parallel falls apart there. And I won’t even attempt to summarize the millions of hours of discussions in Mormon circles online about other problems with this comparison.
Enter Sheri Dew, a prominent LDS voice, particularly in matters related to women, due to her previous service as a counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency and current position as CEO of Deseret Book. She’s recently written a book about women and the Priesthood that, among other things, ostensibly addresses questions raised by groups like Ordain Women. Despite not addressing the motherhood/Priesthood parallel explicitly in her book, in a recent podcast interview she clarified her views on the oft-made comparison. At about 48:18 into the podcast, the interviewer queries:
You talk a lot in your book about motherhood. Do you see motherhood as the parallel to Priesthood? Do you think they go opposite each other like that? “Men get Priesthood, women get motherhood, and that’s that, that’s the equation, that’s how it goes.” Do you see it that way?
While Dew clarifies that she doesn’t think it’s possible to talk about women in the church without talking about the amazing gift and experience that is motherhood, she emphasizes:
I’ve never looked at it quite that way. I’ve always been a little uncomfortable expressing it that way. It doesn’t feel like an equation. It doesn’t feel quite parallel to me.
…
I’ve never thought of it as, “Well, men get to hold the Priesthood and women get to have babies. I don’t really feel comfortable with that kind of a parallel.
