"...therefore he sent his proclamation throughout the land unto his people, that the word of God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land, that his people might be convinced concerning the wicked traditions of their fathers.." (Alma 23:3, emphasis added)
Today in Sacrament Meeting, we enjoyed the phenomenon known as "High Council Sunday." For those unfamiliar with this day, the High Council consists of a group of 12 High Priests in an area of the church called a Stake. These High Priests have a variety of important responsibilities. One of the duties is to travel to each unit of the church and give a talk. I do not recall ever meeting some one who served on a High Council of a Stake in which I lived that I found to be anything but friendly, sincere, and courteous. These are qualities that no doubt qualify them for the most important aspects of their calling... however, these qualities do not make them good public speakers. Some of these brethren serve for quite some time, and acquire a large amount of speaking experience... yet the number of good high council talks I have heard can be counted on one hand... and not even one with five fingers... the hand of a ninja turtle would have extra fingers...
I am not alone in my assessment. Many people in the Mormon community refer to High Council Sunday as "Dry Council Sunday". It is almost impressive how some of these gentlemen are able to go on and on for so long without saying anything of substance.
Today was not typical for a High Council Sunday in that I was not subjected to life stories and repetitive affirmations of affection from the Stake Presidency... Today, our High Councilman was genuinely nervous. That does not mean his talk was any good; it was horrible. It just means I felt sorry for him a little bit.
I could probably go on for quite some length about this awful tradition... but the true subject of my rant is the subject which was assigned: honoring women. Please do not misunderstand me; women are of immeasurable value, and they are worthy of praise and respect. The subject of my rant is the wicked traditions of our fathers with respect to honoring women. It is the wicked traditions of our fathers that teach us that what women need is a man to open the door for her, stand when she enters the room, remove our hats, purchase floral arrangements, and insist they enter buildings first. Cries of the need for men to dawn shining armorand mount white steeds in defense of the convenience of a woman are not doctrine... in fact, they amount to a steaming pile of you-know-what.
Let me continue by making a sweeping generalization: the type of woman that demands these foolish traditions are the same femi-nazi type that represent the reason chivalry is dead. In the days when women were encouraged to be nothing other than a teacher, a secretary, or a stewardess if they needed work, society softened the blow by offering them courtesies that we call chivalry. When the femi-nazi's declared that women could do anything men could do better, that was the day men no longer needed to open the door, remove their hats, purchase floral arrangements, or insist that the ladies should enter buildings first. You can't have your cake and eat it too...
Some women may honestly appreciate these gestures of stupidity. That is fine to appreciate. It is not fine to demand. There is nothing quite as ironic and irritating as an angry femi-nazi rudely demanding that a man should treat them courteously. They can open their own door.
Good women don't need the door opened for them to be good. Their value does not diminish if a man remains seated when she enters a room. A good woman does not require bouquets to know she is loved. Preaching these practices as doctrine may spring from good intentions... but we all know where that road leads...
Goodness is not born of foolish traditions or demanding unearned respect. Good women become good the same way that good men do... by following the best of us that ever lived... Jesus Christ.
