Hi, I’m Katherine. Posting this is not something I do lightly and after much reflection and consideration. It is very difficult and personally agonizing to challenge something that I grew up my whole life believing. But I have also grown up seeing change in the Church. In fact, in spite of many quotes and teachings reiterating the eternal nature of the gospel (“Truth is Eternal”, “The world changes but God doesn’t), there has been MUCH change in the Church in practice, principal and policy. The Church once taught a strict and literal belief of polygamy as being fundamental to attaining exaltation (D&C 132:4) whereas today it excommunicates members from following this strict adherence. God, in the Book of Mormon, said that He “denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). Nevertheless, black members were still denied saving ordinances of the Temple for 130 years.
There are also many examples of important modern day changes in the Church. From the correlation of church materials in the 1960’s to changes in the temple ceremony in 1990 (women now needed to veil their faces among other changes). Changes in temple garments (1906-2010), to changing the age of women missionary participation from 21 to 19 (2012), women now being allowed to pray in General Conference (2012) to the Church’s recent change in policy which excludes children of gay parents from the blessings of the Gospel (2015), to name only a few.
The 9th Article of Faith states, “…we believe that God will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God”. Church precedent does not support, nor do I believe, that “many great and important things” will be revealed in a vacuum. These changes do not come unexpectedly from on high but rather are the result of the Church identifying a perceived problem area that needs to be changed. We have already witnessed important changes as both church policy and doctrine, large and small, have already changed in our own lifetimes. Change comes when we ask, when we organize, when we challenge and when there is no toil nor labour that we fear.
We know that the Lord is no respector of persons and yet church policy allows for only men to govern the church in spite of the fact that there is no doctrinal precedent for this. This is not doctrine. This is policy. This is practice (even if it was doctrine, we know that doctrine itself changes within the Church). Many members regard this difference as part of an “equal yet different” philosophy, yet equal is the last thing women are in the Church with no ability to govern, make decisions, handle money, participate in baby blessings or lead independently of men. Holding only roles of subordination to the men around them is not a position of equality but of…subordination!
It should not need to be stated nor defended that women are of equal importance to men. They should have equal opportunity to lead, preside and bless accordingly. While motherhood has a partner in fatherhood, there is no female equivalent in name or practice for holding the priesthood. For these reasons (and many others) I believe that women should be ordained.