I was born and raised in the LDS Church, but I never fit in. I never liked being told I couldn’t do something because I was a girl. I remember when I was four, I noticed there weren’t any girls passing the sacrament and I told my parents I would be the first. I didn’t appreciate being told to find a husband and become a mother, and I would be more blessed if I gave up my education to do those things. The Young Men were never told that. They were talking to professionals in different fields, rafting, camping, and preparing for whatever their next adventure was. The two times I convinced my Young Women’s group to go camping, we stayed in someone’s backyard and they cooked for us. I realize now we probably didn’t have the budget for a real camping trip which just seems to make the situation more sad.
To me, the ordination of women just makes sense. I don’t believe Christ would hold blessings back from a person just because she is a woman. As in all organizations, it’s important to have a diverse representation of people in order to understand things from everyone’s point of view. Women can bring so much to the table that no man ever could.
People tell me this is how the Church is, has always been, and will always be so I need to stop asking questions. “Wouldn’t it be strange for a church which claims to have all the answers not to allow questions?” (Menlove, The Sober Lessons of History). We should be encouraging people to ask questions. The Church came about because people asked questions. Now is not the time to stop. I believe we have a prophet on the earth and he continues to receive revelation. Policies and doctrine have changed in the past and they will continue to do so. But I do not believe they will unless we ask. In defense of freedom of thought and belief, Joseph Smith said, “It sounds too much like the Methodist, and not like the Latter-Day Saint. Methodists have a creed which a man must believe or be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of thinking and believing as I please. It feels so good not to be trammeled” (History of the Church 5:340).
Women were called prophetesses (Deborah, Miriam) and apostles (Junia) in the Bible. In the early days of the Church, women were ordained. In the Relief Society minutes, Joseph Smith said that the Relief Society would be a “Kingdom of Priests.” He also literally ordained its first female leaders. In the same minutes, Emma Smith was set apart but not ordained, with an explanation by Joseph that Emma had already been ordained, so that day she was set apart for this particular calling.
Yes, women were ordained and slowly those gifts were taken away. Now, the only way to get them back is through revelation from God. It makes me really sad to see how easy it is for men to take and how hard it is for women to receive. It is time for women to stop being pushed aside.
I believe women should be ordained.