Posted by on Jan 5, 2014 in , | 0 comments

I’m an active and believing Mormon who just graduated from BYU with a degree in Middle East Studies and Arabic. I first learned of the movement to ordain LDS women in January 2013. At first, I was floored. I found it downright audacious that LDS women would aspire to hold the priesthood. However, my view abruptly changed when, in a BYU course on contemporary Islam, I listened to Khaloud Muhammad Ahmad Faqi, one of the first female sharia judges in the world. As she discussed the opposition she faced in her home state of Palestine, a light bulb turned on. I wondered, “Why do we celebrate the spiritual authority of women in other religions as a victory for equality, but in our own religion, it is not the divine design?” I don’t believe inequality is divine. I believe in continuing revelation. I believe our leaders have divine power to receive revelation that will give women full membership in Christ’s church. I believe women should be ordained.