Women and the Priesthood: What One Mormon Woman Believes

by Sheri Dew

The fact that women are not ordained to the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is for some a sticking point, a hot topic, even a potential media controversy. Others aren't troubled by the issue at all. But wherever you fall on that spectrum, you'll be fascinated by this doctrinal exploration of a topic that is crucial for both women and men to understand.

In Women and the Priesthood, Sheri Dew discusses the varying responsibilities of men and women in the context of key doctrine of the Church, including the eternal truths that women are vital to the success of the Lord's church, that God expects women to receive revelation, and that both men and women have access to God's highest spiritual blessings.

This enlightening book shows how studying the doctrine of the priesthood will help you find the answers you seek about women and the priesthood, about women in the Church, and about the vital influence righteous women can have in the world.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, Church, Inspirational, Spirituality, Lds Non Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2013

About the author

Sheri Dew graduated from Brigham Young University. She served as second counselor in the general Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1997 to 2002. In March 2003 the White House appointed her a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. In 2002, Sheri Dew became president and CEO of Deseret Book Company.

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I find myself in a peculiar situation as a Moderate Mormon Feminist against advocating for the priesthood, in reality I find peace in waiting patiently for the further revelation regarding what it means to be a priestess etc. So I really don't feel like I have a dog in the actual fighting going on around the "Ordain Women" movement, and obviously this book is in response to that.

Even though I don't believe in advocating for the priesthood, I'm still a feminist who wants to be a part of positive change regarding policies in the procedures of the church to eliminate gender inequality. Men and women are not the same and shouldn't be treated equally, but they should be treated equitably.

I will attempt to summarize the whole of Sheri Dew's book in a paragraph: She doesn't understand why people think women don't have anything to do in the church: LOOK! We pray and speak and lead our own organizations! The doctrine of Jesus Christ holds equality in women and men, but quit trying to be treated the same! If you understand who you are as a daughter of God you will stop being confused!! Be rooted in the gospel and quit worrying about these things, or else your roots will be weak! If you understand the plan of Salvation, you understand that women are to have children and men are to have the priesthood. We don't know why, we accept it with faith. We have our gender roles and that's what we're supposed to do. And Christ is at the head of the Church so STOP questioning it! I will provide no discussion at all about the mistakes and infallibility of human leaders of our church. Quit asking for the priesthood, we are already doing a lot: we are praying and leading organizations and teaching and stuff - and some churches don't let you even do that. So why are we complaining again? We are so vital to the work. We have all the access to every blessing the Lord has promised us. She has access to priesthood power as a single, endowed woman in her home, please stop telling her she doesn't. As for women having power in the early days of the church to lay on of hands, well, it's likely it all could have just been a mistake - or we were doing it wrong until we locked that practice up exclusively in the temple. She explains in a really awesome way the difference between keys, authority, and the power of the priesthood. We don't talk about Mother in Heaven because we're protecting her. Motherhood is a doctrine and you don't need kids to be a mother. If you just immerse yourself in the Gospel, you can change the world and be saved.

Now here is my response: Wow, what a mixed bag for me. I actually did learn a lot about the priesthood. In fact most of the book was very uplifting to me. She had some pretty insightful discussions about how women's path in life are ambiguous in the Church while men's paths are set. About how our goal in finding out our purposes in life may not include the Sunday School answers. But near the end I felt like she was really negative about people who disagreed with her, regardless of her earlier quotes of it being okay to have different opinions. She implied if you don't understand it her way you won't qualify for the celestial kingdom, that if you are confused you are ridiculous and 'absurd'. The main reasons women have questions about ordination are quickly dismissed or not even discussed at all. I disagree that if someone has a different opinion that they don't understand the plan of salvation. I very much don't agree with her opinion about celestial silence being necessary for Heavenly Mother, especially since it's not based in scripture or any leader ever of this church. It's a myth debunked. BUT I respect her with all of my heart. Her beliefs and interpretations are the product of her life and experiences - just as mine are.

I have a much more in depth Summary of my notes on the book and my responses to points made over at my blog. All in all I'd say there is insight to be gained in this book, but by in large it reflects the traditional beliefs in the Church about gender roles and our places in the organization. I certainly understand this perspective. She stuck to her own script about how to explain away Ordain Women, but I wish she would have spent some more time on their actual concerns and questions - and not just why she thinks they are wrong doctrinally. I spend a lot of my time defending OW as not being apostate against really mean people - and this book doesn't help my case, because in a round about way she implies that herself. I'm not sure if this does anything to help the dialog about women and the priesthood than to reinforce people's already held opinions and interpretations. There just doesn't seem to be any attempt at understanding that it is possible to be a mormon feminist and faithful at the same time. And if you are, well - you're just all caught up in Satan's distracting influence.

I actually am grateful for the OW movement, even though I disagree with them because I think they are prompting a conversation we should be having. A real and hard look at gender and the church and the priesthood. I know I've been more sincere and earnest in my study this year regarding this topic, especially inside the temple, because of it - and I'm grateful for it. I don't want to focus on what we're doing wrong, but what could we be doing better?

I recently told my husband the reason I am a feminist is because I am a mother and because I cherish that role. Because I care so deeply for my daughter and her experiences in life, I do feel prompted by the Spirit to try to change gender inequalities. And because I am a faithful Mormon feminist, there is nothing any human can do on this earth to take me away from the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know He lives and loves me. I know that all things will be made right in the end. I know I will see my Father and Mother in Heaven face to face and every question I have now will be answered in the next life.

p.s. Can I just say Sheri Dew is my hero, and long for the days of her exhorting and expounding over the pulpit, even if we do disagree sometimes.

p.p.s. I submitted a portion of this review to be published on DeseretBook.com, and can I just say - I guess I'm not surprised they chose not to publish it. Heaven forbid :-)

ppps another excellent review can be found HERE! Seriously, such a great review!! <---

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am almost done, and so far all I can say is: Deseret Book, you have the worst ebook reading app I have ever used in my life. AWWWWFFFUUULLL. Seriously so much info technology in the church that this is embarrassing :-)

[Mturney1010 · Rating 5 out of 5]

About 7 months ago I started writing a manuscript as a gift to my daughters that I titled, Understanding Our Stewardship. When I found out that Sheri Dew was coming out with a book titled Women and the Priesthood, I thought it would make for good source material.

People. It was the same book I endeavored to write. Only more eloquent, more experienced, and all around better.

It confirmed to me what the spirit already had. Doctrinal truths are eternal, and whether they are being written by my simple hand or beautifully expounded by Sheri Dew (I'm an unofficial member of her unofficial fan club) they are the same.

This book was so beautiful. It spoke to my spirit and helped me to understand my nature in a more poignant way. It helped me understand my relationship with God, with my family, and as a willing participant in the plan of happiness. It helped me to articulate my own feelings with my relationship with the priesthood.

If I could purchase this book for every woman I know, I would. As it is, I'll slowly have to collect books and gift them to my family and friends over time. This book is incredible, and I thank Sister Dew for writing and articulating my feelings in a way I never could (though not for lack of trying.)

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm feeling the Mormon woman guilt for only giving Sister Sheri two stars! I do like her, but this book just didn't engage me, nor inform me. As a Relief Society lesson, great. However, it just had no new ideas, nor new enlightenment on women and the priesthood. I'm not seeking to hold the priesthood. Quite frankly I'm just too lazy and it seems like a lot of work. I know there are some women that really grapple with this and I don't think this book would satisfy struggling member's concerns. I do feel like she wrote for a pretty broad audience and that perhaps a nonMormon, curious about the LDS woman and her role in the LDS church, might find this interesting. For me, it was nothing I hadn't been told or heard before. For now we don't know why men have the priesthood and women don't. I think it has much to do with a patriarchal society that has existed since Adam and Eve. For now, I'll just count it as one less thing on my to-do list.

[Cecily · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we swing into a new year, I began the navel gazing that always comes with that and decided that the bottom line is, I need to be closer to God. I've spent a couple or three years maybe moving along in parallel with him. He wasn't TOO far away, but I certainly wasn't making any effort to connect. But I felt strongly that this could be a focus of my 2014 and, honestly, it HAD to be the focus if I want to be happy.

And so, I got this book for Christmas from my mother. As the inflammatory title suggests, it's about the 'ordain women' issue that's getting some attention in the LDS church these days. I really like that the subtitle is 'What One Woman Believes' just to clear up any confusion. She does not represent the church, nor does she have any authority to make policy statements. HOWEVER, if there is anyone in the world whose opinion I would like to hear on this subject, it's hers. Here's why:

* She's a faithful woman. She's strong in the church and remains so to this day.
* She has held really visible callings in the general auxiliaries in the church. She has worked with more church leaders than a lot of members of the church ever will.
* She has held really visible callings in the Relief Society which have sent her around the world to speak with, train, listen to, and counsel with women from every background and nationality you can think of. She's actually been there with us. I myself have heard her speak in person on a couple different occasions.
* She is SINGLE and has never been married. If there is anyone in the church who might have the right to feel marginalized by the actual doctrine, it's her (and ME). She has given her life to service in the church and, according to the doctrine which she lays out in no uncertain terms in this book, she cannot achieve the highest form of exaltation because she is single. She could be seriously bitter about that, and for some reason, that makes me more inclined to listen to her. Plus, of course I myself feel a kinship.
* She studies and reads and studies and reads. This book is full of so many end notes that I actually went through them all at the end and made another reading list of talks, poems, and books just for myself.

Anyway, this is such a worthwhile read. It took me a few weeks to get through it simply because I kind of had to chew on each chapter for a few days (sometimes a week!) after reading it. However, her order of operations is brilliant. She begins by laying the issue down and, in my opinion, includes enough of both sides of the argument to make it clear what is being discussed. And then she moves into talking about our own personal relationships with God. Before she even gets into the men/women thing, she talks about being faithful and cultivating our own worthiness and spirituality. And THEN she hits it with chapter three, which is about receiving personal revelation. Yowza, that was a good one. It laid me out for a couple weeks.

After a few chapters that focus your attention on yourself, she then turns the spotlight onto the issue at hand. She claims several times in the book that she's studied this so thoroughly herself because she has also had so many questions, and it shows. She also claims that she's only laying out what is WRITTEN in the scriptures and by prophets and apostles. And man, she lays it out. I learned a lot and honestly, the depth of some of the topics (motherhood, priesthood, marriage) was pretty astounding. It's all so much heavier than I acknowledge that it is in my day to day life. And thank heavens Sister Dew is a single woman. I don't think I could have stomached this coming from someone happily married. Call me petty, but there you go.

Of course, if you don't believe that prophets are prophets or that Joseph Smith was the real deal, this book won't mean much to you. She relies heavily on modern revelation to teach the topics in each chapter. And I can imagine if a woman has been badly treated by men in the church (it totally happens, I know it) and made to feel
like less because of her gender, this is a rough topic anyway. I would hope that the loving and practical way that Sister Dew shares her thoughts would at least invite more folks to listen to her than normally would, but I will never know. I do know that I'm really glad that I read it.

[Kerstin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggle with how much to say in my response to this book. I learned nothing new. It was very disappointing. There is this strong assumption among many Orthodox members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that those who question are just not "fully immersed" in the gospel. And, if they were, they would immediately change their views and be Orthodox like them. It has been my experience, that those who question are MORE immersed in gospel learning than the average member. These questioners are regular scripture readers, often are regular temple attenders, regular prayers; and they agonize at times over the things with which they struggle. Sheri Dew's book says we as women are expected to seek and receive revelation, and yet, when that personal revelation goes contrary to what Orthodox members believe, the questioners are criticized, belittled, judged. We are told to stand up for what we believe, for the "ground we have already won." Does that also apply to those questioners who have diligently studied, pondered, discussed, and prayed about their concerns? Are they also supposed to stand up for what THEY believe?

The author also offers quote after quote from high-ranking church authorities who claim the equality of men and women. I agree that that is what is taught, especially recently. However, in actual practice, the church is FAR from achieving this goal of equality of the genders, and I am not even referring to the priesthood issue. And, I am also not talking about the oft-quoted philosophy of women and men having different, but equal, roles. I don't want to get into the long list of ways in which the practice of the church is inconsistent with its teachings.

This book is just a repetition of the company line again and again. I found myself frustrated with the sameness, and I struggled to slog through until the end. But I did endure. 2 stars.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book!
Highly recommend it. It doesn't answer the question "Why don't Women have the Priesthood?" as much as it discusses what a woman's role is in the eternal scheme of things. I admire Sister Dew's frankness in admitting things she doesn't understand. She shared wonderful insight into the divine nature of women. I felt better about myself after reading the book and more motivated to become the best woman I can be.

I myself have never wished for the priesthood, but this book does help resolve areas where I have felt not as important as men. Definitely a book to make you proud to be a woman. Our role is not lesser. Our role is not greater. It is different and complimentary to man's role. We are both needed.

Love the discussion on priesthood holders does not equate the priesthood. No more: "We thank the Priesthood for setting up the chairs." The Priesthood didn't set up the chairs, but members of the priesthood quorum did. :-)

I laughed several times in the book, especially when she mentioned that Utah was the first state to have a woman in its state legislature. The woman, was a democrat, and beat her husband, the republican for the seat. Ha! I would loved to have heard their dinner time discussions.

Content: Very clean, obviously!

[Breanna Olaveson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book would teach me about women and their relationship to the priesthood. And while it certainly covered that, I got that and SO much more.

This book didn't change the way I viewed women and the priesthood as much as it shaped the way I viewed the priesthood, period. I have priesthood power in a very real way, independent of my husband, though only he and I together have the fullness of the priesthood. I learned that from this book.

I learned about personal revelation. I learned more about the temple endowment. I learned to differentiate the keys, authority and power of the priesthood in a way that empowered me and increased my reverence for priesthood bearers.

Read it. You'll love it. It was the perfect companion to my personal study and even shaped the things I chose to study. Any book that leads you back to the scriptures is always a good one, right?

[Ali]

I just started this book so I can not yet give a full review, but one little quote from her book seems to sum up what I think is the most important part of this topic. Here is what she said, "Although I can see ways in which the participation of LDS women in the Church could be further enhanced, if nothing changes in my lifetime in this regard, it won't affect my testimony one whit. I've had far too many witnesses that the gospel is true and that the keys, power, and authority of the Savior's kingdom have been restored to let organizational issues discourage me."

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about the role of women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Sheri Dew does a beautiful job of talking about women's influences in the church, in families, and in the world. I found many of her thoughts and quotations inspirational.

The book didn't discuss the controversy of women and the priesthood as much as I expected. She did express her perspective and discuss the power and authority of the priesthood. I appreciated her discussion of personal revelation and God's revelation to women.

[Michelle Llewellyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited when I saw the Deseret Book ad for this in my inbox and went out the very next day and bought it. This is an important book that all women should read. Sheri Dew hasn't published anything significant for Mormon women in four years so it's about time.
With the growing media presence of Ordain Women and same sex marriage, I have been yearning for Sister Dew's thoughts on these matters and how they pertain to single, never married women in the church. She almost delivers but there was so much more I was hoping she'd address: Why did she never marry? Now that she's sixty, and most likely the oldest living virgin on earth, how did she deal with menopause? How is she dealing with her recent breast cancer diagnosis? Why did she choose treatment instead of letting it take her life? Who does she ask when she needs a priesthood blessing? Does she hope for dating, courtship and marriage opportunities in the next life? What's her advice to women married to non-members or divorced women who don't have the priesthood in their lives? These are the women clamoring to be treated "equally" with men, I bet. Why is there only one story about modern day LDS women in Tonga doing something to battle the growing numbers of inactive priesthood holders? (see page 95) How many of her nieces are nearing the "traditional" age to marry but are growing frustrated over the shrinking number of worthy young men in the dating pool? How are they dealing with the ambiguous flexibility of what the life script of an unmarried Mormon woman should be and what advice does this sage woman have for so many of us who may never have the priesthood in our homes? Inquiring LDS female minds want to know!
Instead we have an older manuscript that Sister Dew admits she put off sending to the publishing house of which she is CEO. There are numerous shout outs to the late President Gordon B. Hinckley (whom I miss just as much as she does) and only two references to any remarks from our modern day prophet. She shares many inspiring stories of pioneer women, many I've already heard before. Her title is a little misleading as half of her thesis is generalized to both men and women leading Christ centered lives. We get a lot of "This is what I believe, that's all I got." It's obvious she supports church doctrine on marriage between man and women and the importance of women being mothers over having a career but nothing as to how she herself feels stuck on the outside looking in, as I often do.
There is much to take away from this book. I like the additional blank, lined pages, at the end for readers to jot down their own insights and notes. Over and over, Sheri Dew emphasizes seven key points which can be easily condensed into these three: women matter very much to the Lord and his church, motherhood is our highest privilege (so how does Sheri Dew deal with that?) and in the end the only thing that matters is "neither the man without the woman." (1 Cor 11:11) I hope this book stirs up lots of discussion about the role of women, especially single women, in the church and where we fit in as second class citizens.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much to glean from this wonderful book. What a treasure. I was inspired, learned, and was filled with fresh purpose.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Sheri Dew and read this book in the hopes that she would shed some light on the priesthood. In that respect, the book was pretty disappointing. She didn't directly address any of my concerns, although I did appreciate her testimony and encouragement to immerse ourselves in the Spirit and seek personal revelation. My faith and understanding grew from reading her personal experiences.

At the same time, I found her premise, that women are equally valued in the Church, to be greatly undermined by this actual book. Almost all of her quotes about how equal and valued women are come from...men. Isn't that ironic? Sheri Dew wrote a whole book on the worth of women and yet couldn't escape the reality that women's voices bear little weight in the church. She constantly, unrelentingly, quoted men to prove each subheading of every chapter. That was disheartening.

I found her treatment of history to be completely unsatisfactory, and the paragraph on polygamy was astoundingly concise. If she hoped to argue that gender equality is found in the Church, surely she had to realize that polygamy warranted more than a paragraph of explanation.

In short, I read this book hoping to be convinced that, in spite of indisputable structural inequality, the Church views women as spiritually equal to men. I closed the book with the sad suspicion that this may not be the case.

[Sleepless Dreamer]

I feel mildly sad that this book is over. Review to come!

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Linda K. Burton said "We are blessed to live in this season of Church history when questions are being asked about the priesthood. There is great interest and desire to know and understand more about the authority, power, and blessings associated with the priesthood of God."

Never before has so much information about women and their responsibilities in the the Church and in society at large been so widely publicized. In August 2013 during BYU Education Week President M. Russell Ballard in his speech "Let us Think Straight" admonishes us: "Do not spend time trying to overhaul or adjust God’s plan. We do not have time for such. It is a pointless exercise to try and determine how to organize the Lord’s Church differently. The Lord is at the head of this Church, and we all follow His direction. Both men and women need increased faith and testimony of the life and the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ and increased knowledge of His teachings and doctrine. We need clear minds so that the Holy Ghost can teach us what to do and what to say. We need to think straight in this world of confusion and disregard for the things of God."

Then at the April 2014 General Conference Elder Dallin H. Oaks in his talk, "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood" said: "We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be?.... Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds the priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties.... Whoever exercises priesthood authority should forget about their rights and concentrate on their responsibilities."

In the June 2014 Ensign "Priesthood Power - Available to All" Sister Linda K. Burton invites us to prayerfully study the scriptures, she gives specific verses to study that reveal important truths about the priesthood. She also invites us to memorize the oath and covenant of the priesthood which can be found in Doctrine and Covenants 84. Then invites us to ponder D&C 121: 34-46 and ask ourselves questions such as "Is my heart set upon the things of this world? Do I aspire to the honors of men or women? Do I try to cover my sins? Am I prideful?" Etc.

And most recently, Michael Otterson managing director of LDS public affairs wrote a five page letter to feminist bloggers addressing three criticisms that have surfaced in the social media. He reassures us that the brethren are striving to keep themselves abreast on all current events and are deeply concerned about the women of the Church.

So it is no surprise that Sheri Dew decided to publish a book about women and the priesthood. I am impressed at the speed at which she had this book published. She is obviously at the top of her game. She added the subtitle "what one woman believes", however, everything in this book is consistent with the doctrines of the Church. Each chapter is filled with quotes by prophets and apostles as well as her own testimony, personal experiences and insight.

I thoroughly enjoyed pouring over my copy, underlining, highlighting, and writing notes in the margins. I have learned much. I have been inspired much. I especially enjoyed the chapter about personal revelation. "Studying the scriptures is the key to learning the difference between FEELING the spirit and HEARING THE VOICE of the spirit." (page 59) "When the Holy Ghost is operating with us, we're smarter, wiser, kinder and more filled with charity, the pure love of Christ." (Page 61)

In her last Chapter, Converted Women can Change the World she says: "It is about immersing ourselves in the gospel of Jesus Christ so that the Spirit testifies to our spirits in such sustained, penetrating ways that we no longer question, no longer doubt, and no longer entertain temptations to hold back from full commitment to The Lord and His work." (Page 170)

Her love, respect and support for mothers and motherhood is so refreshing. My heart aches for her in her righteous desires to be a wife and mother. In spite of the disappointments in her life her devotion to the Lord remains unwavering. "There isn't much about my life that I expected or that I have hoped and prayed for. But there is one thing I've learned through life's ups and downs: the only things that really matter are the things that matter to The Lord." (Page 169)

This book has been very helpful to me in my search for truth and answers to questions about women and their rolls and responsibilities in the Church. I feel that this book will serve to reaffirm those who already have a testimony of the doctrines of the Church and the traditional roll of women and will also serve to encourage women to stand steadfast and immovable.

[John B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife read this book. A couple of chapters into it she insisted that I needed to read it too. Every chapter she finished she insisted that I needed to read this book. You might say that this was assigned reading/companion study. The author is writing to a female audience, but I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in understanding how the Priesthood is an integral part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I would recommend this as a husband and wife study project, where the two of you read and discuss each chapter.

The presentation is solidly grounded in the fundamentals of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. At the end of the book is a section of well referenced footnotes for each chapter--allowing the reader to dig into topics of interest. I listen to a lot of General Conference talks and devotional talks by the Apostles. I was amazed at how thorough and recent many of the references were. The publication date was 2013, and yet I found quotes and references to 2013 conference talks and devotionals. It is clear that the author knows many of the brethren she quotes personally, and her arguments benefit from this. I would be curious to know how many great conversations she had as she did her own research into this topic and shared it with others. There is the occasional note to personal conversations (she keeps a journal). If you regularly study this topic you may not find anything new, but you will gain some insight from having many related themes woven together in one location.

I enjoyed her discussion of the pre-existence. Here is an excellent 21st century presentation of a timeless doctrine. And if you want to know more you can dig into the footnotes. I appreciate that here is an author who is writing about the blessings of the priesthood from the perspective of someone who has a lifetime of receiving, recognizing, and using those blessings. Her faith in and testimony of the priesthood is inspiring. One key point that was raised in the book is that there is no "Priesthood Manual" that one can consult and get the how-to info. Instead, knowledge of the priesthood is received through revelation. This knowledge can be received by both men and women. When this knowledge is sought after, it comes line upon line, precept upon precept, as the dew from heaven. The author makes no pretense that her book is a substitute for divinely appointed sources of inspiration--but this book will inspire you to pray, seek, ponder, and apply the power of the atonement to your everyday life.

There is one aspect of the book that I did not like. The book design incorporates block quotes on every single page. This device is most often seen in newsstand magazines to capture the casual reader and pull them into the text. It took many pages for the annoyance factor generated by these pre-selected quotes to subside to a background level, but even two-thirds into the book I still found this design feature distracting. I like to mark my own books and highlight passages that have personal meaning without the intrusion of an over-anxious editor presuming that I have the attention span of a casual shopper in the mall.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this book for a while, but always put it off because I had "fun" books I wanted to read first. Luckily, my book club picked this for our October read, forcing me to move it to the top of my to read list. I know that the purpose of this book was to help women understand their role in the priesthood,but I don't know that this book would convince the women who are fighting for women to hold the priesthood authority. However, the words in this book solidified my testimony of the priesthood, my role in it, and how the priesthood is for my benefit and use. I've never highlighted so many passages in a book, and it's been a long time since I felt the spirit so strongly from a book (other than the scriptures). I really enjoyed Dew's message and it's something that will stay with me forever.

[Ryceejo]

This was really good. I enjoyed the overall picture Dew paints about women in the LDS church, what the Priesthood is, and how the two relate. It is, however, a LARGE, broad picture, and I definitely would have preferred a more condensed book. Some chapters didn't really needed to be included, and much of the overall writing was more akin to the essays I write in my classes: fluff to fill pages so I can reach my minimum count. That being said, Sheri Dew is an excellent writer with more wisdom and experience than any of us combined can boast, and we would be wise to read her perspective on this delicate church topic.

[Amonson0412 · Rating 2 out of 5]

You'd think Ms. Dew would've done a little more research on the perspectives of LDS feminists bc she really doesn't address their issues hardly at all. She highlights her own extremely rare experience of participation in church leadership as if that were representative of the majority of women in the church. There is a chapter or two in which she actually addresses the nitty gritty but mostly with that she just says there are no answers, have faith, etc. I found it extremely unsatisfactory.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Sheri Dew. She is no-nonsense and smart as a whip. This book was fantastic. In a nutshell, she says that the Gospel has always required the faith of its members and that this is an issue that requires our faith that the Lord knows how to run His own church. Also, women and men have different roles and neither has a more important place in the Lord's kingdom. She says that if anyone has questions about points of doctrine, they need to seek their own personal revelation. Exactly.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sheri Dew. It was a great book, but lost a star for her long tangent in the beginning reviewing basic doctrine (which I understood why, but I was wanting her to get to the point ie talk about women and the priesthood), and that sometimes she tends to repeat stuff that she has already written is her other books/speeches. Besides that, it was still a really well laid out book discussing a current controversial topic, and was done so well in Dew's straight-forward and logical voice.

[Cathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, which reinforces my gratitude for the blessings and promises I'm given as a woman. There is nothing in here which I didn't already believe, and that's okay. (In fact, it's more than okay!) It was good to be reminded of truths I hold dear and to see things from another person's viewpoint, one who has had very different life experiences from mine yet who cherishes the gospel and motherhood just as I do. I would like my daughters to read this book now.

[Ashley Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a few chapters that were empowering and insightful, but for the most part it was obvious knowledge. Things I have learned my entire life as a member of the LDS church. In that sense, I think it was a great compilation of the things we know as a church and something I would recommend to someone interested in that. For my purposes, it meant that I read a lot of it very quickly and only dug in to some of it.

[Terral Shrewsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and intend to buy it and pull it out to read ever so often.

[Gabriela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sheri Dew starts the book off by saying she's not a feminist but then writes a whole book about why she loves womanhood and how men and women are equal.

There were cool and eye-opening gospel insights, but I was expecting to understand more about women and the priesthood not just read a feel-good book about how women are special.

This book is filled with various LDS tropes about women being more important than men because they are mothers (and therefore not needing the priesthood) and obvious statements such as God loves women and women can receive revelation.

I expected more from this book.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sheri Dew. Her words speak to my soul. It took a few chapters for me to get into this book, but by the end I enjoyed this uplifting message about who we are as women of God, what is expected of us, and how we fit in the bigger picture.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting doctrinal read. I think there are cultural practices and internal attitudes (that are not based on doctrine) among Church members that aren't addressed (and I feel like that is a missed opportunity) but overall I really enjoyed it.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Men and women have complimentary, not competing, responsibilities. There is difference but not inequality.”

[Lisa Moncur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the power in this book. I went into this book with a lot of questions but I felt the truth of what Sheri Dew was testifying of. I had a lot of questions answered and ultimately gained a better vision of what my role is as a daughter of God, mother to my children, wife to my husband, and a woman today. I would highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to find their divine purpose in life.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheri Dew did a brilliant job in this book. She doesn't dodge difficult questions, nor questions for which she has no answers. Her research and personal revelation, and study on this topic are extensive. And unlike the blogs and posts I've read for the "Ordain Women" movement, I felt the spirit the entire time I read this book. This is a book that I'd like to go back and read again, and study some of the concepts she introduced to me.
I have resented being implicated in a movement of women who want the priesthood; I do not want the priesthood. I understand that it a trial and a source of anguish for a few women, but I've felt like the negativity surrounding the way they choose to make their questions known has been really defeating to their goals and purpose. And it really drains me--I can scarcely bear reading the contention.
Several positive results from this question and this protest is books like this being written, opportunities for women to study the issue of the priesthood like they never have before, to listen to the talks given in the Priesthood session and desire to learn from them, and to inform themselves about God's plan for them and for His church. If this issue spurs you to seek for personal revelation, then that's awesome!
I've learned a ton already from my study and plan to continue to learn more on this topic.
Let us not confuse the priesthood with the men who hold it. We're operating under keys--not just leaders.
Also I really liked the section about referring to the holders of the priesthood as just that, holders. Not THE priesthood.
Lots of other good stuff. My book is so highlighted and written in that I've practically written another book in the margins.
Sheri Dew is the perfect person to write a book like this--she's single and childless, so she might have logically wished to have the priesthood since she doesn't have it in her home. A woman with an active husband might not have been as good a voice for this topic.
Sheri has worked for many, many years with the upper levels of the priesthood leadership of the church. I have no doubt that she's seen negatives and been offended. She could easily have chosen to write a book about the negative side of dealing with the Priesthood leadership, but she didn't. She chose faith. She chose this book.
Thank you Sheri Dew for handling this in such a sensitive, spiritual, researched and thoughtful way.
Required reading for all members of the church, male and female.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reluctant to read this book. I imagined that I might be angered by this perpetual notion floating around the LDS community that women are somehow less than men because they don't administer the Priesthood or Priesthood power is held back from them and it's the Church's fault somehow. I wasn't angered though. And I learned a lot about the Priesthood that I didn't know. So much so, I feel like my husband and my 2 sons should read this book too. So they too can understand their Priesthood and all that goes with Priesthood power. It truly wasn't just about women but also about really understanding the Power of the Priesthood. It clearly defined Priesthood keys and the difference between "priesthood" and "authority." I really liked learning about a teaching of Elder Dallin Oaks about how "priesthood keys are not given to the Relief Society. They are given to individuals, not organizations". There are so many things we need to be mindful of when we hear the world say women in the Church are treated as second class members. I reject that foolishness and am glad to see Sherry Dew put into words how I feel about my role as a woman in The Kingdom of God and my divine role as a "mother". Back to the book and my review, there are some things I have heard Sis Dew say many times before, and I kind of thought she needs some "new material" so to speak. But then I realized, I am one of the lucky ones to have heard this before. So many women in our Church have not had the opportunity to hear Sis Dew speak. And I thought back to how I felt the first time I heard her say this or that....it was powerful words to me the first time I heard it. So with that in mind, I am giving Sis Dew a pass on her retelling things I have heard her say before. There are women who have never heard some of her cherished and awesome experiences. I think she is great at compiling and putting all her points together, smoothly and easy to read.
I recommend this read to all members of the Church actually.