Hi, I’m Chris.
I’m a Mormon because I believe that the Church has great power to change people and do good in the lives of its members. I love the Mormon trait of constantly evaluating yourself, and making necessary changes in order to do better. I grew up in a traditional Mormon household, and the Church was a huge part of who we were and what we did. I met my wife at the age of 18 and we married shortly after we both returned from serving missions, and we now have two beautiful children. I work as a full-time teacher in a local high school which serves an underprivileged area.
Growing up Mormon in the UK meant standing out from the crowd. There were never more than four or five people in my high school who were members of the Church, and I was constantly aware and proud of being different. I loved learning about the Church, especially its history and doctrine, and that thirst for knowledge continues today.
As I’ve studied and matured, I’ve taken a less literal approach towards some areas of church doctrine, and I’m now comfortably in a place where I recognise the need for change in the Church. I once again feel the need to stand out from the crowd and speak up on issues I feel strongly about, such as harnessing the power of great women.
I grew up around intelligent and capable women, and eventually married one! It pains me to see people like this under-utilised and treated differently in the Church by being given secondary roles. I would love to attend a sacrament meeting organised and planned by a woman, or participate in a Sunday School class where the curriculum and teachers were overseen by a woman. There’s no practical reason for women not to do these things. The most obvious area of mistreatment is in rules regarding temple marriages. This ceremony underpins everything we do in the Church, and promises great eternal blessings for those who enter into it, yet when wishing to be married for a second time due to death or divorce, the rules are completely different.
I would like to see women given more say in the Church, especially when speakers are selected and meetings are planned. I would like to see capable women put in leadership roles for teaching and curriculum planning. I would also like to see women given roles in counselling, interviewing and discipline in the Church – key areas that are currently handled exclusively by men.
I believe that we will not see full equality in the Church until women are given the priesthood. This is why I believe that women should be ordained.