Man and Woman. Created Equal?

A friend made a post- and it got me thinking.. So, rather than argue or anything (because that is not what I'm aiming for) I figured, I'd like to put my thoughts in a blog... So here goes.

Man and Woman. Are we created equal?

In today's society it is hard to say something without offending anyone.. But I'll do my best. Currently, there is a huge feminist movement going on- that women are equal to men. Some religious groups do not believe this. They believe that women were created for the sole purpose of supporting men, and that men are - in all ways- superior. So, what is the truth?

Let's turn to doctorine.

In "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", it first covers ALL individuals. It states:


"All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

Later, it states:

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

 So, according to this piece of doctrine, it is pretty clear that men and women are equal- that they were created for one another in order to help one another in their different responsibilities. Honestly, this entire article below I found fascinating- but this woman quoted something from "Priesthood and Church Government" by John A. Widstoe-


“Women of a congregation … may be wiser, far greater in mental powers, even greater in actual power of leadership than the men who preside over them. That signifies nothing. The Priesthood is not bestowed on the basis of mental power but is given to good men and they exercise it by right of divine gift, called upon by the leaders of the Church. Woman has her gift of equal magnitude” (Priesthood and Church Government, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954, p. 90).

And finally, plain and simple, let's take it from the bible.. I don't think we can get more basic than Genesis, so that is where I'm going to pull from. In Genesis 1:26, it states "... and let them have dominion", in 1:28 it states the same thing. If men were meant to dominate over women- why would he have stated (more than once) this simple, yet overlooked, detail? Not to mention, let's be honest- a lot of times in the bible when it says "man" or "men" it means "the human race". That is common sense, and we should all be careful to not over think it.


Anyway, these all make an important point. Heavenly father looks upon all of us equally- that is fact. Equal does not mean the same, however. Men and women are given different responsibilities, in the mortal existence and after. Men were created to lead and provide for their families. Women, on the other hand were created to nurture and help her family. If men and women are not equal- is this to say that providing for the family is more important that nurturing them?

Personally, I think that Heavenly Father does view men and women as equals. Men and women were created to be a team- to support one another, to care for one another in every way possible, and to love one another. I don't think that being smarter or stronger has much to do with it in the eternal perspective, if you ask me.. Cause it isn't really what is important. Is it?