Another Big Hmmmmmm (See previous blog post)

I ran across this article and found it to mirror my beliefs exactly. With my daughter turning 12 in 7 months, these thoughts have crossed my mind and I have wondered what to do about them. Do I really want any man in a room alone with my daughter, questioning her about chastity at age 12? The answer to that is a resounding NOOOOOOOO. I have already told her that she is not obligated to answer any questions that make her uncomfortable no matter who it is or what authority they have. What do you think??

Current Priesthood Stewardship Over Women’s Sexuality
By: Guest - August 26, 2009
By: Julene Humes

I am the mother of five sons and two daughters. It wasn’t until my daughters reached an age to be interviewed by their bishops on sexual worthiness issues that I began to question the practice. I had always had very positive interactions with my leadership but had heard of others with quite troubling stories to tell about encounters with priesthood leaders whether in routine interviews or as a result of a moral indiscretion that required priesthood involvement for the repentance process.

Recently, while traveling through Europe I had the time to give it some serious thought and determined that the practice needed to be questioned. It’s quite simple, really. The Church affirms repeatedly, through the Proclamation on the Family and elsewhere, that gender is eternal, that gender differences are necessary and to be protected. With that as a logical foundation, how can a man or group of men in the case of a disciplinary counsel, inspired or not, be able to bring wisdom and proper sensitivity to the issues of female sexuality? It is recognized that men’s sexuality is so different from women’s.
I believe that this applies in all relevant spheres of present priesthood jurisdiction:

1) counsel to women who have committed sexual indiscretions,

2) questioning women about chastity for temple worthiness, and

3) regularly interviewing the young women, beginning at the age of twelve (!), about their sexuality.

In the case of the latter, I am especially committed to raising the issue, because these girls have no voice. They are required to submit to private, sometimes very uncomfortable interviews (uncomfortable for both, I might add), and without understanding (temple recommend interview–Bishop: Do you keep the law of chastity? Young woman: What’s the law of chastity?). Now let me be clear–most bishops are extremely sensitive, and many women can witness to the gentle handling with which these matters were discussed and can also describe spiritual experiences they received from unburdening themselves of their guilt in the case of a moral indiscretion. Those experiences are valid. I am firmly committed to sexual purity and the role confession can pay in the event of a misstep, but the young women are still children, really, and children, as is stated in the Proclamation, are the primary stewardship of women. I am a mother; I have daughters, and I intend to use my efforts to raise awareness on this issue. Moreover, sexual issues for adult women require a different environment than men can provide.

So much more can be said on this subject, but the bottom line is this: women have stewardship over women’s sexuality.