"The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever."
This reminded me of a talk by President Ezra Taft Benson in 1987 speaking "To the Mothers in Zion" in a fireside for parents. At the time I was a young mother at home raising two small children. It was the most shocking thing I ever experienced. He dared to tell mothers to come home to their children and not work outside of the home. Here are some of the quotes.
"The Lord clearly defined the roles of mothers and fathers in providing for and rearing a righteous posterity. In the beginning, Adam--not Eve--was instructed to earn the bread by the sweat of his brow. Contrary to conventional wisdom, a mother's calling is in the home, not in the market place.
Again, in the Doctrine and Covenants, we read: "Women have claim on their husbands for their maintenance, until their husbands are taken" (D&C 83:2). This is the divine right of a wife and mother. She cares for and nourishes her children at home. Her husband earns the living for the family, which makes this nourishing possible. With that claim on their husbands for their financial support, the counsel of the Church has always been for mothers to spend their full time in the home in rearing and caring for their children.
We realize also that some of our choice sisters are widowed and divorced and that others find themselves in unusual circumstances where, out of necessity, they are required to work for a period of time. But these instances are the exception, not the rule.
He quoted President Kimball and said: "Too many mothers work away from home to furnish sweaters and music lessons and trips and fun for their children. Too many women spend their time in socializing, in politicking, in public services when they should be home to teach and train and receive and love their children into security" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 319)."
Now the reason this talk was so shocking to me was not at all what he said. I agreed with him. It was instead the reaction of the mothers in attendance. They were angry at the words coming from the prophet. I remember the women in our meeting later saying how the prophet didn't understand the reality of life. That they needed to work to help develop their children's talents and such things. I sat there as a young mother looking at these older sisters and wanted to cry. To me these were words of apostasy. I left that meeting trembling and have thought of it often over the years.
I have witnessed what became of my generation not heeding the prophet's counsel and warning. With two parents working we raised the standard of living and with that the cost of housing, etc increased. Now instead of two parents working providing luxuries in the home, it has become a sad fact of life that the majority must work. We are in bondage now, and the mother's in Zion that were in opposition to the prophet did it. This is the legacy from my generation and it still makes me upset.
Day 1470
No comments:
Post a Comment