Hi, I’m Stephen. I’m a musician and record producer in Provo, UT.
I was brought up in the LDS church. Some things I learned–the Beatitudes, the concepts of forgiveness and mercy, the promise of eternal friendships–brought me peace and comfort. Other things I was taught, that women and men have different intrinsic qualities, that I should fear my own body, that God condemns queer love and that friendships can be torn apart eternally, caused me confusion and shame.
The teachings of Jesus Christ–that we ought to be kind to everybody, that we ought to value people as individuals, that we ought to be merciful, that we ought to seek righteousness, that we ought to make peace, actively, as he showed by example, not by passively complying to the status quo–I believe conflict with the structural inequalities in the LDS church. I do not see Jesus Christ in the current acts and threats of church discipline toward those few people passionate and brave enough to make efforts to align the structure and culture of the LDS church with the teachings of Christ.
I stand up for the things I feel and believe are right, and I feel and believe that women should be ordained.