By Common Consent

A blog by members of Dialogue’s editorial team and friends that’s spirited, spiritual, wide-ranging, and thought-provoking.
Recent offerings:

• Why I don’t like the priesthood-motherhood analogy: Part one of a million partsby Rebecca J
• Reaching the Isolated by Guest poster Amira
• The Astonishment of Redemption by Jacob
• If We’re Gonna Do This…by Brad
• General Conference Infographic in Pink and Blue by Cynthia L

In a nutshell Rebecca J. asks everyone to please stop comparing motherhood to priesthood and explains why “I have nothing against using motherhood as a metaphor for priesthood. Anything that helps us understand the Atonement or the priesthood or any gospel principle is just jim-dandy fine with me. What I don’t like is framing the priesthood-motherhood analogy as explanation and justification for ordaining only men to the priesthood—because while there may be lovely and poetic similarities between priesthood and motherhood that make for fine metaphor, there are substantial differences that render the metaphor inadequate as a means of doctrinal explication. (Man, I think I hate myself a little bit for typing that last sentence. Make that “render the metaphor full of crap.” I’m not cut out for this much politeness.)”
What about those women who are isolated from the church? They are unable to bless and pass themselves the sacrament since they do not hold the priesthood. As this guest poster says “So no, I can’t agree that women aren’t limited because we don’t hold the priesthood.  I  don’t necessarily think that means we need the priesthood to overcome the limitations I’ve mentioned, but I do think we as a Church need to do a better job at making sure all members have access to the same blessings and the same leaders.  Even more importantly, I hope we can be sure that all women in the Church have a voice.” Click to see more examples of what she means.
Just a snippet of this absolutely astonishing post: “And thousands upon thousands of other stories written and unwritten, tales of forgiveness, reconciliation, repentance, humility, and, perhaps, above all, the astonishment of redemption through the utterly unanticipated surprise that one’s fellow beings often visit upon us, people whom we have pegged with precision accuracy as the ward gossip or the condescending bishop or the superficial relief society president, or the judgmental brother or sister what’s-her-name. Do such bewildering acts of grace come too infrequently? Probably. And undoubtedly we too often act and think in ways that are all too predictable to others. But when it does come–the replenishing waters of life and joy. And often that’s enough to sustain us for a time. In the end, personal and institutional brokenness are permanent features of our individual and religious lives, to varying degrees. We still work to heal and be healed, and we patch up wounds here, mend shattered relationships there, and it’s never enough, and it’s never going to be enough. By hopefully (maybe more often than we realize because we haven’t been paying attention) every now and then we experience an act of overwhelming grace visited upon us, when we’ve lost our strength, helping us to go on for at least a while longer. Sometimes its a pure act of God. But more often it’s the surprising love of others, acting out of character, extending themselves in vulnerability and openness, inspired by something beyond them yet within them.” Oh, please go read.
As a bonus, Brad Kramer has a little fun making a “Bingo” card of excuses you here regarding Mormon Patriarchy. Have a look, then have a go.
And what do you think of this reinterpretation of a recent LDS Newsroom infographic that spotlights the gender divide in General Conference addresses.