I am a lifelong Christian Scientist. I have always felt connected to the Mormon church as another religion that was founded in the United States and also encourages its adherents to refrain from alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. Sometimes Mormons were my only colleagues in the room who weren’t drinking! I appreciate the strong family values and respect for human dignity the Mormon church promotes. Christian Science was founded by a woman, Mary Baker Eddy, which was always very influential on me in my own journey toward spiritual strength and independence. It meant a lot to have a woman as a role model in such a male-dominated world. Half of God’s human creation is female, and all of us were created in His image and likeness. Therefore I believe He meant for all of His children to express Him fully, not just the male half. No one would deny that men can be nurturing and creative. Likewise, no one should deny that women can be strong and intelligent. Leadership is an individual quality of God not assigned to a particular gender. Since I believe every person is equal in the eyes of God and that the world needs the collaborative and compassionate strengths the feminine mind can bring to leadership positions, I believe women should be ordained.