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| + | #REDIRECT[[Plan of salvation/Sons of Perdition]] |
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| − | {{question}}
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| − | ==Question==
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| − | Are there women who would be among those cast into outer darkness? Are there female 'Sons of Perdition'?
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| − | ==Answer==
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| − | The idea that women cannot become "sons of perdition" likely comes from {{s||DC|84|40-41}}:
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| − | :40 Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.
| + | [[es:El plan de salvación/Hijos de Perdición/Pueden las mujeres ser "Hijos de Perdición]] |
| − | :41 But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.
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| − | Some interpret this to mean that to become a "son of perdition," one must first hold the priesthood. It does, in fact, state that if one knows the priesthood and denies it, it is unforgivable. However, it does not suggest that that is the only way to become a son of perdition. {{s||DC|76|31-32}} lays out the criteria for being a son of perdition:
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| − | :31 Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—
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| − | :32 They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;
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| − | Therefore, the criteria for becoming a "son of perdition" are:
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| − | #Know God's power
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| − | #Deny that power
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| − | If we argue that women are not capable of this, which of these two things are we saying that women are not capable of? Obviously they are capable of the first and if they aren't capable of the second, then that completely flies in the face of agency.
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| − | There is also the following Joseph Fielding Smith quote which leads many to believer that only priesthood holders can be sons of perdition:
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| − | :''I think I am safe in saying that no man can become a Son of Perdition until he has known the light. Those who have never received the light are not to become Sons of Perdition. They will be punished if they rebel against God They will have to pay the price of their sinning, but it is only those who have the light through the priesthood and through the power of God and through their membership in the Church who will be banished forever from his influence into outer darkness to dwell with the devil and his angels. That is a punishment that will not come to those who have never known the truth. Bad as they may suffer, and awful as their punishment may be, they are not among that group which is to suffer the eternal death and banishment from all influence concerning the power of God.'' {{ref|smith1}}
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| − | In fact, W. John Walsh, in the ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'', uses this very statement to declare that "Church leaders have authoritatively taught that one must hold the priesthood in order to be a son of perdition." Of course, the quote seems to only be referring to men to begin with. Also, it says that no man can become a son of perdition without receiving the light ''through'' the priesthood, not that one must personally ''hold'' the priesthood. Women do receive the light through the priesthood. The Church is built up on the power of the priesthood, but far be it from anyone to suggest that women are not equal participants.
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| − | In addition, {{s|2|Nephi|2|11}} states clearly that there is opposition in all things.
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| − | :For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
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| − | For every evil, there is an equal and opposite good and vice versa. It seems logical that if women are capable of exaltation, they are also capable of perdition.
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| − | Indeed, Joseph Smith's father--in his capacity as Patriarch of the Church--warned against becoming a "daughter of perdition" through apostasy. (H. Michael Marquardt, comp., ''Early Patriarchal Blessings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' [Salt Lake City: The Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2007], 106).
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| − | It is possible that the idea that women are not capable of perdition is part of a phenomenon of so-called "woman worship" that sometimes goes on at church. The men put themselves down, praising the sisters, saying their wives are more righteous than they are, that there are "more women in heaven", mothers are all angels, and so on. It's a nice sentiment, but it's incorrect and it doesn't do justice to the female mortal experience. Men who think that women are, as a whole, better simply don't know enough women or don't know the women they do know well enough. Women are social networkers and are naturally more concerned with the social consequences to their actions (i.e., hurting someone's feelings, betraying someone, being embarrassed, etc). The reality is that women are just as human and flawed as men, and capable of good and evil to the same capacity as men. They are simply different and therefore prone to different behaviors.
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| − | It seems, therefore, that one could draw the conclusion that women ''can'' become sons of perdition. Perhaps "daughters" is more accurate, but this is purely semantics. There is a chance that daughters of perdition are fundamentally different from sons of perdition, but one could suggest that the difference is not in ''degree'' of transgression, but rather simply ''different'' as it pertains to their genders.
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| − | ==Endnotes==
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| − | #{{note|smith1}}{{CR1|author=Joseph Fielding Smith|date=October 1958|start=21}}
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| − | ==Further reading==
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| − | ===FAIR wiki articles===
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| − | *[[Fate of the Sons of Perdition]]
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| − | ===FAIR web site===
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| − | ===External links===
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| − | *W. John Walsh, [http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/basic/afterlife/perdition_eom.htm "Can a woman become a son of perdition?"], ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism''
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| − | ===Printed material===
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