199 - Priesthood & Women in the Early Church | Church History Matters I Women & Priesthood Series

Church History Matters

Scripture Central

Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2026

⏱️ 97 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, hosts Scott Woodward, Casey Griffiths, and Lisa Olsen Tait explore the vital ecclesiastical presence of women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how their roles have developed alongside the history of the priesthood. Drawing on historical records and doctrinal context, they examine how women have actively participated in the work of the Church through leadership, service, and organization, even as priesthood offices have been held by men. A special focus of this episode is the development of the Relief Society and Young Women organization and its significance in shaping the spiritual lives and leadership opportunities of young women in the Church. From its 19th-century origins to its modern global influence, the hosts highlight how this organization reflects broader patterns of women’s involvement in ecclesiastical structures. Through insightful discussion, they illuminate how women’s contributions continue to be central to the growth and strength of the Church today.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I have desired to organize the sisters in the order of the priesthood.
0:04.0	It mirrors the structure of the priesthood forums that already exist in the church.
0:07.0	Relief Society, I'm sorry to burst anyone's bubble, was not the first women's organization in the United States.
0:15.0	Relief societies are going to, quote, relieve us of our best men.
0:19.0	Joseph Smith believed the Relief Society to be a part of the priesthood as much as the elders'
0:25.1	quorum.
0:26.1	And if you're not equal in temporal things, you can't be equal in spiritual things.
0:29.6	I think it's fair to say that she's kind of the engine that recreates Relief Society, that
0:34.2	really starts it going.
0:35.6	The Relief Society puts women in a position to exercise
0:38.4	every virtue and give scope to the benevolent feelings of the female heart. The Relief Society
0:44.1	has no legitimacy in the church without being sanctioned by the first presidency. This organization
0:50.4	then takes a different trajectory.
0:57.6	Hello, Lisa, hello Scott.
1:00.5	Hello, Casey, and Lisa.
1:08.1	Nice to see you again, and we're continuing our series on women and the church and priesthood and all kinds of things.
1:11.0	Mentally, I was trying to capture what we've done, which I feel like happens with every topic,
1:15.6	which is that old scene where a guy opens, you know, a door and just stuff pours out on him more than he anticipated.
1:25.4	But the only place I can think of where that applies is in that episode of Star Trek
1:29.4	where Captain Kirk opens the door and the tribbles all fall out on him.
1:33.5	But that's too nerdy for a podcast that is already pretty nerdy.
1:37.5	So the point is we have opened a can of worms.
	...

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