I’m a super-senior at Brigham Young University, studying Comparative Literature and Women’s Studies. My prospective graduation date is sometime before the Millennium. I’m studying Turkish, French, Hindi, and slowly losing my grasp on the English language. I love cats, especially my own – Major Tom. I drink a lot of water and listen to The Meters.
I’m a Mormon.
I joined the Church in 2008, the same week I graduated from high school. I loved the egalitarian gospel of Christ, and found myself reading the Book of Mormon with growing enthusiasm, despite the reservations instilled in me by my Baptist upbringing. I have served as a ward missionary and as a Young Men’s adviser. My favorite calling is that of a home-teacher. I served in the Texas Dallas Mission where I learned the value of tireless effort and the life-changing impact of centering my faith on Christ above all else.
Why I Believe Women Should Be Ordained:
On my mission I finally understood the day-to-day work of men and women within the Church as they work to build the kingdom of the Lord across the world. I also understood the power of unwritten rules, cultural pressures, and how our church sometimes fails the people who need it most. As I’ve come to center my faith on Christ alone, I’ve found my faith in the institutions of the Church strengthened, even though, at times, I’ve grown to disagree with the ways they are organized and run. I’ve seen the ways in which women within the Church are denied full participation in building spiritual communities, as well as the direction and governance of their own spiritual lives. I’ve seen women denied blessings of the gospel due to power imbalances in the Church, which are justified by the priesthood. I believe women receiving the priesthood would be a major step toward equitable participation by both men and women in the building and maintenance of God’s church. The relative silence on the matter from church leaders in the past, as well as from Christ himself, gives me hope that this is not a matter forever closed to discussion.