Posted by Kristy on Jun 12, 2014 in Female, NOWpodcast, Profile |

Listen to Isabella’s NOW podcast here:

My name is Isabella, I’m 15 years old and the current Mia Maid President in my ward. I am an IB student at East High School, and enjoy being active in theater, tennis, and soccer in my free time. Next year I will be an official group leader of the GSA, Gay Straight Alliance, at my school. I have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all of my life, and I have always questioned why women are not allowed to be ordained with the priesthood. When I was baptized, I wondered why my mommy couldn’t help my daddy baptize me. When I turned 12, I wondered why I couldn’t be up with all of my guy-friends passing out the sacrament. Since age six, I‘ve been questioning why only males are allowed to conduct major meetings.

My mother has always taught me that everyone should be treated equally. Through my experiences in GSA, I have built on this idea of equality. Many would argue that while men have the priesthood, women have motherhood. But don’t men have fatherhood, too? Why is it that being a father isn’t considered as important as being a mother? Why is it that being a leader as a woman isn’t considered as important as being a leader as a man? The reason I want women to be given the priesthood is because I want the priesthood, or by definition, the power of God, to be shared with everyone. I would like to see the day where if you say priesthood, people think of the power to act through and with God, not a group of men who are ‘in charge’. I believe women should be ordained.