I’m committed to the Restoration tradition and to the goal of empowering all individuals within our shared faith community. I was raised in the LDS Church, but I broke off my affiliation in 1988 because of what I saw as the church’s unrelenting and pervasive institutional sexism. Twenty-six years later things within the LDS Church are no better; indeed, I feel they’re much worse. Given society’s forward momentum at better recognizing the giftedness of everyone regardless of gender, stasis within the church would by itself be regressive in a relative sense. But I feel there has been actual retrograde motion as the church becomes ever more focused on leadership and authority and all leadership and authority remains a male monopoly.
I support the cause of friends and allies in the Ordain Women movement who have sought simply to open a dialogue on this subject. Unfortunately, the LDS hierarchy’s response to them has been disappointing. Reform, however, is possible within the broader faith tradition because the second largest institution within the Restoration — Community of Christ, the former RLDS Church — has already ceased priesthood discrimination on the basis of gender over a quarter century ago. Today, women’s leadership giftedness is recognized at all levels in Community of Christ from the First Presidency and Council of Twelve to a majority of congregational leaders (“branch presidents” or pastors). It has been a blessing to me to experience an egalitarian faith community that promotes and embraces the worth of all persons.
Of course I would welcome a day when the LDS hierarchy rejects authoritarianism and discrimination. But in the meantime, I feel called to help empower members of the Restoration tradition who are disenfranchised because of their gender, their sexual orientation, or simply because they are progressive thinkers. To this end, I’m committed to building bridges within the broader Restoration community.
I know women should be ordained.