Women in the Restoration

The Appearance of Christ, by Alexander Ivanov

With a new milestone for Latter-day Saint women in the news this week, I thought it would be instructive to look at the progress of women in the LDS church, at their cousins in the Community of Christ, and in early Christianity.

Sealings to concurrent, living wives

• LDS: Abolished 1890 (sort of)
• CoC: Never practiced polygamy
• Primitive church: Never practiced polygamy

Sealings to multiple, sequential wives

• LDS: Still practiced
• CoC: Never practiced polygamy
• Primitive church: Never practiced polygamy

Prayer in Sacrament Meeting / Communion

• LDS: Allowed 1978.
• CoC: Always allowed
• Primitive church: probably not allowed

Speaking in General Conference

• LDS: intermittently in the 19th and early 20th century, but after 1929 not until 1984
• CoC: Always allowed. (Delegates to the CoC World Conference are chosen by local congregations; the only requirement is to be a member in good standing. At the conference all delegates are welcome to participate in discussion)
• Primitive church: n/a

Prayer in General Conference

• LDS: Allowed 2013
• CoC: Always allowed
• Primitive church: n/a

Ordination to the Priesthood

• LDS: Not yet
• CoC: 1985
• Primitive church: no concept of ordination in the Mormon sense, or priesthood hierarchy

Called as Apostles

• LDS: Not yet
• CoC: 1998
• Primitive church: probably Junia, by 55–57 AD