Posted by on May 30, 2015 in , | 0 comments

Hi, I’m Randall

I am a 43-year-old husband and father who loves traveling, being outdoors, music, and bicycling. My vocation is being a father and a husband, and I am employed in the IT field. I have served in various youth leadership positions and in Primary, Young Men, a Bishopric, and as a High Councilor.

I am married to an unabashed Mormon feminist, and while I started our marriage as a very conservative person, I have significantly changed my views over the years. As I have become more aware of the institutional injustice prevalent in the church, I have been more uncomfortable with the leadership structure and with the differential in treatment of men and women at all levels of the church. I find it especially troubling to hear current male leaders state that “women are equal with men in the church” when that is demonstrably false. I have seen the negative impact of the inequality that our current church structure perpetuates on my sisters, my mother, and women in the many wards I have lived in. I don’t want my daughter to feel like a second class citizen if she chooses to remain in the church, and I wish for a safe and comfortable place for my wife.

I feel that the church, its members, and especially the local congregations would greatly benefit from having women ordained to the priesthood. So much talent and experience are wasted because women are not allowed to hold certain callings. In addition to seeing women and girls pass the sacrament, I would love to see women presiding in a Sacrament meeting, counting tithing as a clerk, attending weekly PEC meetings, counseling youth and fulfilling many other important callings in the church. Many leaders in the church maintain that “all callings in the church are equal.” However, when only men make ultimate financial decisions, determine worthiness of members, and decide policies, clearly some callings hold more weight in the eyes of the church. I believe women should be ordained.