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I am a lifelong Mormon and I believe in our mission to build Zion, the kingdom of God on the earth.
I believe that our mission is much more important than our roles. And our mission is in jeopardy, due in part, to an over-emphasis on roles. The women of this church, represent the kingdom’s most under-utilized resource, and we are losing too many young women who feel that the part they are expected to play is forever limited to wife and mother. Showing appreciation for Mormon women’s strength is not the same as utilizing it.
Jesus Christ is our example in righteous attitudes. Our Lord never looked for ways to hold women back. He revered, trusted and loved them. They were the first witnesses of his resurrection.
I don’t need my ordination to be exclusive, to make me love and serve God. Characterizing men as slouches is a harmful stereotype. Casting women as delicate, sainted creatures above the mortal fray is equally problematic. The women in my life never asked to be placed on pedestal. They only want to stand beside me, and work to build the kingdom. We have much more in common, than we have differences; and what unites us is always more important than what divides us.
I find no authoritative scriptural or prophetic injunction to preclude the ordination of women. There is even some evidence to suggest that women may have been ordained in past dispensations. The temple makes clear that priestess-hood is a part of women’s work in eternity. Righteous women ought to be able to begin that sacred work in mortality, just like men.
I am Jared. Mormonism is a vital force in my life. I believe in the grace and gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe in equality. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Temple and the Holy Priesthood; and I believe that women should be ordained.