Hi, my name is Alex. I was raised in the church since the age of two and remained very faithful until the birth of my son two years ago. When my Oliver was born, I really started to think about the inequality in the Church. Having a child really makes you think about the future even more and for me the injustice of inequality came sharply into my view when I became a mother.
For all the great things the Church has going for it, and there are many wonderful things about the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the true inequality between men and women is something that I can no longer even begin to pretend is ok. I grew up being told over and over that the ability to have children was equal to the priesthood. I no longer see motherhood equal to the priesthood. It’s not equal. Not at all.
A woman may be able to give birth but within the Church she’s not even allowed to bless her child or even stand in the circle when her child is being blessed. All because she is a women. How is that ok? I no longer believe in a God who would so deeply undervalue his daughters that he would ban them from holding the same power to act in God’s name as his sons.
Members talk about how the Church is perfect but the people are not. I believe that the Church won’t be close to the perfection it claims until women are given the same rights and opportunities as the men–until the priesthood is no longer just a power held only by males but a power all of us are able to claim.
The ability to act in the name of God should not be dictated by gender, but by the strength and intentions of the heart. Woman who want the priesthood should be given the opportunity to have it, but as it stands, many are afraid to even ask that question out loud. That has to change. It must.
I want the church to be a place where men and women can truly work together in building the kingdom of God. I believe women should be ordained.