War on Women

If there is ever a civil war again, I will have cousins on both sides.  It kind of makes me sad.
This post stems from their reactions to this event:
Zerlina Maxwell, a beautiful young liberal pundit went on Hannity (a conservative talk show on Fox) to discuss women's protection and gun rights.  No matter how well mannered the host or the guests, any show like this from any 'news' organization quickly descends into a yell fest fueled by something other than concern for mankind.  It happened again.  During the midst of the civilized arguing, Zerlina said something like "Why should women have to carry guns?  Why don't we tell the men not to rape." 
Ho, ho!  Did that set the comment sections ablaze.  How could she be so naive?  Why hasn't anyone ever thought of something like this before?  Bad things should happen to her for saying this.  On and on.
But she's right, in one of those 'it's not as simple as it seems' ways.
Because in order for her to be right, in order for men to just not rape because they are asked not to, the world, society, has to change.  We all have to become disciples of Christ.  We all have to give up our sins.  We all have to be better--  men AND women.  We all have to be moral. This behavior cannot be forced.  It cannot be legislated.  It has to come from within.  I'm not sure that that is what she had in mind when she made her comment.  It's always nicer to think that someone else should have to change to make the world a better place for me.
So that's my opinion on that particular talking point. 
What sickened me the most about this whole thing was how Zerlina was treated.  Humanity can be seriously cruel and disgusting at times.  The thing is, though, that Liberals cannot run to their Rhea Silvia and cry "Mom!  They're picking on me!" when words just as foul fell from their tongues and scampered from their fingers as they attacked  and still do attack Conservative women. 
As we sat in the adult session of Stake Conference on Saturday night, I tried hard to listen to the talks which were so amazing.  Unfortunately these thoughts kept coming to me.  I wrote them down instead of taking notes from the talks.  Here they are:
Satan's war on women is powerful.  He doesn't have to choose sides.  He works within both 'sides' of any issue.  He works in the midst of all, sowing his seeds of destruction.  He wins whenever women are derogatory, spiteful, and cruel to each other.  Whenever women misunderstand or deny the important role they play as mothers and nurturers.  Whenever women throw off the effects of their choices on their posterity for what they want now.  Whenever women choose the world over the Lord.  Whenever women allow depression, disappointment, and sorrow to stop them from serving each other.  Whenever women stop making and keeping covenants.  Whenever women allow their own voices to become so strident that they cannot hear the peaceable whispering of the Spirit. 
No matter their position on earth, no matter their family, no matter their in goings or outgoings, all women are sisters.  We are above all the sentinels of creation.  We have been given the amazing gift of bestowing life regardless of worthiness.  We can obtain eternal rights to this through our obedience to God's laws. 
Satan hates us.  He reviles us.  He wants us to rue the day that we decided to come to earth and not only get a body, but make bodies within our bodies.  He thought that if he could trick Eve she would be his to govern.  He was wrong.
I want him to continue to be wrong.  I want to go to heaven and meet again the women that I love here on earth.  I want to rejoice in their salvation.  I want us all to laugh and hug and see our families gathered around us, safe and secure in the bonds of our sealings and obedience.  Women can do that.  They have the power to do that and to be that.  To uplift those around them so that they want to be and do.
And maybe that's why Satan does hate us so much; because he is afraid-- no, terrified-- of the power that we can wield.  As daughters of God. As sisters in Zion.  I want to be that.