F. Enzio Busche, the
first resident of Germany called as a general authority of the Church,
recounted the following experience he had while serving as a temple president,
which is important today in light of the “ordain women” movement in some
circles and the attempt to ignore basic biology of there being only two genders
and how complementary they are to one another:
One day, not long after I had begun serving
in the temple, I met a woman in the American military service who came for her
own endowment. She was accompanied by some sisters from her ward, as well as a
priesthood leader. As Sister Busche and I began teaching her about the temple,
I felt that she had a somewhat unsettled spirit and saw a little of that in the
sisters who were with her, who were all officers in the military. When the priesthood
leader inquired as to when I thought the Church would receive revelation giving
the priesthood to women, I was at first so shocked that I felt a strong desire
to give a stern response and even question his worthiness to be in the temple.
However, as I momentarily withheld my answer
and sought guidance from the Spirit, I was witness to something more
remarkable. A calmness from someplace else entered my heart, and I heard myself
saying things that were somewhat new to me. As I remember, my remarks, in an
abbreviated form, were approximately as follows:
The
priesthood is neither male nor female, although it has a male part and a female
part. Through
the eternal bond of marriage, built on the diving gift of love, the priesthood
becomes complete. The roles of the two parts are, of course, vastly different.
Heavenly Father has given the female the role
of bringing new life to this world. She does so in a physical dimension—by nurturing,
tutoring, training, and teaching—and in the wearing of the very eternal virtues
of chastity, loyalty, and wholesomeness, which are essential for the very
existence of humankind. Our Heavenly Father has given the male the role of
providing, protecting, and admiring. Male and female are in many ways mysteriously
different and, because of that, there is a natural desire to love one another in
harmony with the divine laws as they have been reestablished by the restoration
of the gospel.
The best way to gain an understanding of the
male and female part of the priesthood is to be reminded of a tree. As we look
at a tree, it appears to be complete with its trunk, branches, leaves, and
blossoms; but we know that another, equally important part of the tree is
invisible. The roots—which, quite unseen, lie deeply embedded in the soil—are constantly
nourishing and strengthening the visible parts of the tree. The roots do not
argue with the trunk. They both enjoy oneness.
The temple is the Lord’s essential instrument
used to reestablish a true understanding of the male and female parts of the
priesthood. In the temple, both men and women were the robe of the priesthood
and are given the garments of the priesthood. Righteous men and women learn that although women are not physically
involved in conducting the affairs of the priesthood, no man can excel in his
priesthood callings for long without the blessing and care and guidance of a
righteous woman. When we listen very carefully in the temple and learn to
understand and accept our male and female roles, we will soon see ourselves in
our limitations. Those who concentrate their efforts in developing the purposes
and virtues of their own gender will build tender, bonding bridges between men
and women on the basis of natural respect and admiration, inspired by the
divine, miraculous power of love. A society
that fails to accept the eternal concept of this godly design must pay an
unbearable price of confusion for the individual, which can, potentially, lead
to chaos, destruction, and the unhappiness of the soul. (F. Enzio Busche, Yearning for the Living God [comp.
Tracie A. Lamb; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], 213-15)
