Wearing Pants, Really?

Wearing Pants, Really?                                               http://burst.to/2b3

Last night I noticed that two of my Facebook friends said they were attending “Wear Pants to Church Day.” It really is in an effort by feminists to make the leaders of the church pay more attention to them. Here’s the first paragraph on the page:

LDS Women Unite: Wear pants to church in solidarity for women's equality. If you already wear pants to church (we're talking to you men!), we invite you to show your support by wearing a purple shirt, tie, socks, or ribbon, purple being a color historically associated with the suffrage movement. This is the first act of All Enlisted, a direct action group for Mormon women to advocate for equality within our faith. 

So, many have jumped onto the band-wagon, not realizing that they are supporting a rebellious movement. In fact, many have just thought that this is only about a woman’s right to wear pants to church and making people feel comfortable who do not have nice clothing, when really it is a feminist group trying to gain sympathy for their misgivings about not holding the Priesthood and not being the main leaders of the Church. Whether they think that the Lord cares what a person wears to church or not is really not the issue, but a mask for the issue; and who gave them the right to speak for Latter-day Saint women and issue a call to action?

Last night I wrote this on Facebook:

I find it highly disturbing that during a month when we should be focusing on the birth of the Savior and all the wonderful things He has done for us, there are those who think that it is more important to bring division and politics into our Sunday worship, taking the focus off of Him and putting it onto themselves. 

I will gladly wear a dress to Sacrament meeting, and if the Lord (or His servants) ask me to wear sackcloth and ashes, I will do that, too.

I wish that people would come to understand, that you cannot legislate right and wrong with the Lord. He is the Lawgiver.

Some people think that right and wrong fluctuate from person to person and time to time. One could generally argue correctly that the wearing of pants is a norm for women now. But their post does not just represent the wearing of pants, unless you mean that so figuratively. Because there are women who are seeking to receive ordinations that are the same as the brethren of the Church hold. If that is not the order of the Church on the earth, I think that we should accept that. After all it is Christ’s Church, and I trust Him to know what He is doing. So while I believe that there are some secular variations that are necessary and good in society, and that this has always been so, I also believe that there are eternal truths that never will change, meaning that God has the power and right to set His own laws and expectations. But that does not mean that I can force my opinion on anyone else, nor do I take kindly to them trying to do so to me.

Some women just feel so inferior, and that is pretty sad. No one dictates that we have to wear dresses; in fact, women go to the temple in pants. But if some want to wear pants, do they really need everyone else to follow? I guess that I have always known I'm pretty important. I don't need anyone to tell me that I should feel inferior because I'm fine with the culture of the church that says to wear a dress. I'm not too great about wanting to dress up, so it seems nice to have one day in the week that is set apart from the rest, where dressing up is one way that I show respect and reverence for the Lord.

But why at a time of year when we should be looking for unity and peace on earth, are some people within the Church suing for division? That is not of Christ (and you can find that in the scriptures, both ancient and modern) no matter how you dress it!

I have seen so many judgments made by Latter-day Saints concerning other Latter-day Saints. Do they really believe that all of the congregations in this world are so shallow as to not be accepting of those who dress or act differently? I think that some might need to leave their little cubbies for a while and get out and see the world. Not everybody is preoccupied with dress and outward appearance. But when we choose our dress as a political statement, then it becomes a part of our inward battle, and we are unable to focus on true worship or service.

Truly Jesus cared for the poor and the needy. This is part of the mission of our Church. I think that the best way to feel comfortable ourselves is not by drawing attention to ourselves, but by reaching out to others to help them feel comfortable. The majority of the wards in the world are like that, because the Church is a worldwide church. Not all areas are affluent. Some are down-right dirt poor. If our wards are falling short in this area, we all need to look inward instead of always pointing the finger at someone else; spiritual change comes from within, one individual at a time. If we are preoccupied with ourselves, how can we reach out to others and make them feel comfortable and at home? So instead of worrying about the wearing of pants, or the prettiest dress, or the fanciest scarf or hat; or a purple tie, or white or black socks, or whatever; we should worry about receiving the Lord’s image in our countenances. We should come to the Sacrament table with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Jesus was required to conform to the social and religious customs of his time. Though he is the Son of God, He respected Jewish law and, therefore, did not begin His ministry until He was 30. Nor did he at any time ever follow His own social agenda, but submitted most humbly to the will of His Father in all things. Jesus taught and did those things that His Father commanded Him to do.

The Lord's sacrifice for all of us is beyond comprehension. He loves us all so much. For me, Sacrament meeting is about honoring His sacrifice and seeking to align myself to do His will. It is a time when we are to seek edification and fellowship. It is not a time to draw attention to social agendas that distract from the purpose of the sacrament.

Joseph Smith said that it was important for us to all understand the nature of God and our relationship to Him. Jesus knew who He was and, as a result, He could follow God's will and skip the temptations to try to have to prove who He was. He lived within the Law of Moses until He fulfilled the Law. It seems like there are still a lot of people who are bothered by Him and ashamed of Him, or trying to get rid of Him in one way or another. The focus of Sacrament meeting should be the Atonement of Jesus Christ; pushing a political agenda in His chapel is neither worshipful nor respectful. Puts a new light on the Lord saying that He received His wounds in the house of his friends, or even at His own dinner table. (see Zechariah 13:6)

The Pharisees were apostates, and they were jealous of His power. They did not like to see the authority that He carried or the miracles He performed. Sound familiar? The question that I see resurfacing again and again is, “Do you or do you not believe that we have modern-day prophets on the earth today?" The Pharisees did not like what Jesus had to do or say, much like some members of the church do not like what the leaders that Jesus has called have to say.

There are women who do wear pants in our ward, and they are accepted and loved. This Wear Pants page has nothing to do with wearing pants. This page has to do with seeking power. We are still waging the same war as we did with the War in Heaven. Satan thought He knew better than God how to conduct our Heavenly Father’s estate. He was jealous of Jesus and of His power, and he sought to usurp that power. It isn't much different than the Pharisee's jealousy of Jesus or some women’s jealousy of the Priesthood. But the difference is that we were all on the Lord’s side then, every one of us. I think that most of us still are, but many are misdirected. None of us will be able to progress to nobility without humility. We need to seek to do things the Lord’s way and in the Lord’s timetable. There is not a necessity for women’s suffragists within the church. Our voices have always counted. We sat in our Father’s councils. We need to look both heavenward and inward and try to recognize and remember who we are and who our Father is.

Post Script: 

Please attend your Sacrament meetings knowing that the word Sacrament means sacred memory. What we need to wear to Sacrament meeting is a broken heart and a contrite spirit; as we do so consistently, we will receive the Lord's image in our countenances. 

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