Religion
Related: About this forumMormons Embracing Gays — Even When Their Church Won't
http://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/mormons-embracing-gays-even-when-their-church-wont/31478.articleJune 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. Heres the underground way LDS members are stretching out their arms to welcome LGBT youth.
Mormonism isnt 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 Churchs 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, Im 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
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)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)I would like to see that happen and happen rather quickly.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)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)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)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)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.
msongs
(67,496 posts)Promethean
(468 posts)they "are never doing that again" is because bad PR and not out of some actual sense of decency.