*Blacks, Women & Priesthood in LeBaronism (Jacob Vidrine 13 of 13)

Can women hold priesthood in LeBaron Mormon fundamentalism? Jacob Vidrine from Church of the Firstborn surprised me with his answer about women & priesthood! We also finish our conversation about the race ban in Brigham Young & Joseph Smith’s time. Check out our conversation, but it is only available to newsletter subscribers. Sign up at https://gospeltangents.com/newsletter!

Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine

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Nuance in the Priesthood Ban

The discussion explores the often-simplified views of Brigham Young’s stance on race and slavery. While Brigham Young did articulate strong, lineage-based priesthood restrictions and opposed interracial marriage, he did not support slavery in the Utah Territory. Historically, it is argued that Young wanted to enact a form of gradual emancipation, aligning with Joseph Smith’s earlier ideas about compensating slave owners by selling public lands. For fundamentalists, this nuanced view helps frame Young’s motivations for restricting the priesthood not as personal hatred or bigotry, but as a form of “benevolent racism,” rooted in a belief in lineage-based restrictions.

The conversation addresses the theological challenge presented by the Second Article of Faith (“men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression”) when discussing generational restrictions like Cain’s curse. This is often reconciled by fundamentalists who argue that the denial of priesthood is tied to actions in the pre-existence (citing Alma 13), or by noting that the Bible and Doctrine and Covenants contain references to both generational blessings and cursings (D&C 121). Ultimately, they view priesthood primarily as a responsibility conferred by God, rather than a right or privilege earned solely in mortality.

Matriarchs, Eldresses, Women & Priesthood

Perhaps the most unexpected element of LeBaronite theology is the authority granted to women. Contrary to many fundamentalist groups, the Church of the Firstborn tradition believes that women hold priesthood authority.

This authority stems from Nauvoo temple rituals, where Joseph Smith was seen as bringing women into the priesthood, often leading to the belief that the Relief Society was intended to be a parallel priesthood organization.

Ross LeBaron ordained women as matriarchs, granting them temple authority similar to kings and priests (queens and priestesses).
Fred Collier advanced this idea, believing women could be ordained to lower priesthood offices. For instance, Jacob Vidrine’s wife was ordained an eldress at age 16.

While men typically bless and pass the sacrament, women are authorized to bless by the laying on of hands (blessings of faith), a practice continued from early Mormonism. Furthermore, if circumstances require it (such as the death of a husband), a wife could administer the sacrament to her family. This entire structure emphasizes the patriarchal order as a family organization, requiring the full, active participation of both men and women.

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