April Young Bennett has resigned her position on the board of Ordain Women, the group that advocates granting Mormon women priesthood authority within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On her blog at Exponent II, Bennett says her new stake president made resigning from Ordain Women a condition of renewing her temple recommend, which is required for Church members to participate in temple ceremonies. Bennett says she gave in so that she could attend her brother’s wedding.
“I needed to be there for my family,” she said. “I decided that there were lots of people who could replace me on the board of Ordain Women. There are lots of other advocates who will write blog posts, but I can’t be replaced as my brother’s sister.”
But Bennett also expressed concern about the policies that forced her to choose between her beliefs and her family.
“I think it’s unfortunate that the policies allow this at this time. I hope that someday the policies will be adjusted so that people can freely share their opinions without worrying about being kept away from important family events like weddings.”
Bennett was also compelled to remove 11 posts from her blog, which discussed women’s ordination. Her departure from Ordain Women comes as John Dehlin, founder of the Mormon Stories podcast, was summoned by his stake president for a disciplinary hearing, and possible excommunication. Officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints could not be reached for comment.
