My name is Phil, and I was born in Salt Lake City in 1951. I was raised in the church, and had good friends and positive experiences through my church membership. But in the late seventies and early eighties I became disillusioned with Mormonism and questioned church doctrines. I was later confirmed into the Episcopal church by Carolyn Tanner Irish, the first woman to be ordained as Bishop of Utah in the Episcopal tradition. I now call myself an Anglican, but I still have many friends in the Mormon faith and continue to be blessed by my association with them.
Here is why I think women should hold the priesthood:
In “The Mormon Hierarchy, Origins of Power, p. 36”) Historian D. Michael Quinn asserted that the priesthood was given to women in 1843 through a special endowment ceremony for women, though not to a particular office. Included were Leonora Cannon Taylor, ordained by Hyrum Smith in 1843, and one of Brigham Young’s daughters, ordained by Joseph Young in 1878.
Furthermore, The New Testament supports the idea of women holding the priesthood. In Romans 16, a woman named Phoebe is explicitly named as a deacon, and Prisca & Aquila are praised for their leadership. Mary, Andronicus, and Junia were related to Paul and counted as apostles. Corinthians 1:10 addresses Chloe’s people, as if Chloe were a priest. 1 Timothy, 3:2-12 gives instructions for Priesthood holders, and makes no distinction between men and women.
I believe women everywhere should be ordained.