About me:
I’m a sociology student at Brigham Young University. I love to crochet, run, and blog – but my real love is human rights – specifically the plight of women worldwide. My entire life, I’ve been taught to view women as potential mothers, future wives, helpers – tools in the hands of others. But first and foremost, I believe women are people. I am not a means to an end in the lives of others. My life is an end in and of itself.
Why I’m Mormon:
Jesus Christ, above all else, taught love. That’s the backbone of the LDS doctrine. Through a tumultuous childhood, church was my sanctuary. It was one of the only places where I ever felt safe, and the people I met there helped me start to gather the skills I needed to build my own sanctuary for myself. That is what the gospel of Jesus Christ, when applied correctly, can do for people.
Why I believe women should be ordained:
The church’s patriarchal structure causes wounds many people never see. Many members – especially disadvantaged women – face trials without adequate help from their church leaders. Our all-male clergy often has no idea how to counsel women with regards to abuse, poverty, sexual violence, or other gender-related trials. Some priesthood leaders have no idea these problems even exist, because there are no women in the upper levels of management to inform them. Half our population isn’t being represented, and that means our entire church population is selling itself short. I think it’s time to ask for more. As President Spencer W. Kimball once said, it’s time to “lengthen our stride.” In order to accomplish that, I believe women should be ordained.