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cbayer

(146,218 posts)
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 11:47 AM Jun 2014

Mormons Embracing Gays — Even When Their Church Won't

http://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/mormons-embracing-gays-even-when-their-church-wont/31478.article



June 05, 2014. By Lorena O'Neil

Why you should care
LGBT equality is being fought out not only in the courtrooms, but also in churches around the United States. Here’s the underground way LDS members are stretching out their arms to welcome LGBT youth.


Mormonism isn’t exactly the most understood faith group in the country. Especially if all you have learned about Mormons comes from Big Love or South Park. Or if you look outside of the entertainment world, you may have heard about Mormons fighting vigorously for Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in California.


In 2008, Mormons spent approximately $20 million and countless hours making sure Prop. 8 passed, in an extremely vocal fight against same-sex marriage equality. The amendment has since been ruled unconstitutional, but the consequences of the LDS Church’s actions still affect Mormons around the United States. Now Mormon groups are uniting to reset their image, not just for the general public but for LGBT Mormons and allies.

“We branded ourselves as a hateful group in the eyes of the LGBT community and in the eyes of Mormons who are compassionate to LGBT individuals,” says Mitch Mayne, an openly gay Mormon who just completed a calling as a priesthood leader in his Bay Area congregation. He calls the Church of Latter-day Saints’ support of the amendment “un-Christlike.” “We flew in the face of what we stand for,” he says. “We drove division within the family unit and pitted father against son and brother against sister. The family unit is the reason we exist.”

Spencer Clark, a straight Mormon living in Maryland who volunteers as executive director for Mormons for Equality, says he felt like Mormons in disagreement with Church leaders on this issue had to defend themselves, particularly to gay friends, and say, “Hey, I’m not a bigot; this is not how I feel.” He adds that the public “blowback” from Proposition 8 was so big, he heard rumors from the Church office that leaders proclaimed, “We are never doing that again.”



Read more: Mormons Embracing Gays — Even When Their Church Won't | Fast forward | OZY
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Mormons Embracing Gays — Even When Their Church Won't (Original Post) cbayer Jun 2014 OP
Their church will eventually adapt. AtheistCrusader Jun 2014 #1
Agree, they have shown the capacity to evolve. cbayer Jun 2014 #2
For many groups there will be changes, there will still be the old hang outs Thinkingabout Jun 2014 #3
Agree, there will be holdouts, but LDS is about numbers cbayer Jun 2014 #5
The LDS has been bigoted and sexist for a very, very long time skepticscott Jun 2014 #6
Any adult Mormons who continued to belong to and support the LDS church skepticscott Jun 2014 #4
follow the $$ nt msongs Jun 2014 #7
It is telling that the reason Promethean Jun 2014 #8
Telling and not entirely surprising. cbayer Jun 2014 #9

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)
1. Their church will eventually adapt.
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 11:55 AM
Jun 2014

They have done it before, when they realized their flock was restless and no longer held the same values. (1978, for instance)

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
2. Agree, they have shown the capacity to evolve.
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 11:57 AM
Jun 2014

I would like to see that happen and happen rather quickly.

Thinkingabout

(30,058 posts)
3. For many groups there will be changes, there will still be the old hang outs
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 12:26 PM
Jun 2014

Just as we see in the racial bias, hopefully this will fade out in generations to come. Glad to see the Mormon church is changing.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
5. Agree, there will be holdouts, but LDS is about numbers
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 01:13 PM
Jun 2014

and they are unlikely to continue to exclude a group from which they can recruit.

We shall see, but it might happen relatively quickly.

 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
6. The LDS has been bigoted and sexist for a very, very long time
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 01:30 PM
Jun 2014

Mormon men treat women as second-class citizens as a matter of routine. It is endemic in Utah, and anywhere else that Mormons are abundant. Mormon men will always be able to find women that will go along with it, though.

 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
4. Any adult Mormons who continued to belong to and support the LDS church
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 01:11 PM
Jun 2014

While and after it supported Prop 8 so vigorously IS a hateful person. The money to promote that kind of bigotry came right out of there pockets. They knew how hateful it was, and they just smiled and stayed put.

Promethean

(468 posts)
8. It is telling that the reason
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:24 PM
Jun 2014

they "are never doing that again" is because bad PR and not out of some actual sense of decency.

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