My name is Booker and I believe women will one day soon be ordained to the priesthood. I am the father of three spirited children and the eternal partner of an astonishingly brilliant woman. I was raised in a LDS household by a praiseworthy mother who expected excellence from her children and equipped each of us with the capacity to achieve it. Although many of her life’s lessons were composed in standard LDS rhetoric that clearly pictures women as subordinates, it was her encouragement of critical thought that initially led me to question the Church’s position on gender roles when I was missionary serving in South Africa nearly a decade ago. Since that time I have devoted countless hours to the study of the history of religions with an especial emphasis being placed on the politics of the construction of social identities within religious communities.
While I believe Joseph Smith’s version of Christianity is the most correct religion on the earth today, there is clear, undeniable evidence that the prophets of the restoration have instituted policies of prejudice based solely on societal norms without scriptural, whether ancient or modern, support. This injustice is not endemic to Mormonism and indeed pervades most, if not all, of the world’s major religions. However, it is no longer the nineteenth or twentieth centuries and it is no longer acceptable in our society or our religion to deny individuals equal membership rights, whether temporal or spiritual, based solely on the colour of their skin, their ancestry, or their gender. Organizations and discussion groups such as Ordain Women and All Are Alike unto God bring a much needed awareness to these issues from within the Church itself and despite their current minority status their desire to follow the admonition of the Lord will hopefully inspire the prophets to do the same: “Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for [s]he that asketh, receiveth; and unto [her/]him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”
It is my prayer to the Lord that He will impress upon the hearts of the Brethren the challenge to recognize the errors of past authorities and to seek the wisdom of our Heavenly Parents in guiding this Church towards the Millennium. It is my sincerest desire to raise my two daughters and son in a church that not only recognizes but also utilizes the full potential of each individual member regardless of their gender. Through prayerful study of the gospel of Jesus Christ I know this is also the will of the Lord and that someday soon all of my children will have the opportunity to serve all of God’s children by worthily bearing the priesthood.
Booker’s wife Krystal is also a profile-holder. Read her profile here.