Mormons Set to Quit Church Over Policy on Gay Couples and Their Children

[Thorolfr]

From today’s New York Times:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is facing a growing backlash from Mormons upset about a new policy that bars children of same-sex parents from baby-naming ceremonies and baptisms, and declares members in gay marriages to be apostates subject to excommunication.

The policies have hit hard in a church that considers family bonds central in this life and eternal in the afterlife. While church members are pouring out their pain and confusion at family dinners and on Mormon blogs, critics are planning a “mass resignation” in a park adjacent to the church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Even some local church leaders have conveyed their objections up through the hierarchy, said Benjamin R. Hertzberg, who serves in his Atlanta congregation, or ward, as second counselor to the bishop in a three-person leadership team known as a bishopric.

nytimes.com/2015/11/14/us/mormons-set-to-quit-church-over-policy-on-gay-couples-and-their-children.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

 

[Padres1969]

From today’s New York Times:

nytimes.com/2015/11/14/us/mormons-set-to-quit-church-over-policy-on-gay-couples-and-their-children.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Wonder if the Community of Christ is about to pick up a bunch of new members?

 

[Padres1969]

From today’s New York Times:

nytimes.com/2015/11/14/us/mormons-set-to-quit-church-over-policy-on-gay-couples-and-their-children.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Also interesting to read that the new rules were not supposed to be made public. Rather they were simply to be implemented by the bishops of the various wards that were sent the new rules. Seems like that one got away from them real fast…

 

[Deus_tecum]

I seriously doubt the so called “backlash” is very large. The media loves to hype “gay” things up. Due to media and general population ignorance a recent survey found that the majority of people think 1 out of every 4 people is a homosexual.

 

[Padres1969]

I seriously doubt the so called “backlash” is very large. The media loves to hype “gay” things up. Due to media and general population ignorance a recent survey found that the majority of people think 1 out of every 4 people is a homosexual.

Well much of the backlash appears to be more from people who are the Mormon equivalent to lapsed Catholics (lapsed Mormons?). But the church has clarified slightly in that now the policy will not apply retroactively to children who have gay parents but were already baptized. And it will only apply to children living primarily with one or both gay parents. Still find the who idea perplexing and self defeating…

 

[Starwarsfan2]

Wonder if the Community of Christ is about to pick up a bunch of new members?

Possibly , at least they are brethren .

 

[Tarquin]

Somewhat unfair to children whose parents are willing for them to be baptized, and intend to support them in the church regardless of one parent’s sexual orientation. I have known, and still know, non-heterosexual Mormons. They are not all against the Church, even though most if not all object to some Church policies. I don’t know if there is a doctrine about baptizing children of gay parents; that, too, seems to be a policy decision. I haven’t heard of a new revelation being added to the Doctrine and Covenants or another buried book being dug up to clear the issues up for the leaders of the Church. Apparently they are just guessing what’s right to do. The children (up to age 17 years, 11 months, 29 or 30 days) who want to be baptized, suffer.

 

[gazelam]

Here is a single instance of someone resigning her LDS membership. I can’;t say it’s illustrative of the whole because I haven’t done an exhaustive search - just found it at realclearreligion.com. But she hasn’t darkened the LDS doorway in years.

religionnews.com/2015/11/10/leaving-mormon-church-rolls-cruel-policy-gays-kids-commentary/

 

[Padres1969]

Looks like over 3500 Mormon quit the LDS Church in a mass resignation in Salt Lake City on Saturday. 1500 did so in person and another 2000 had lawyers file resignations for them in their absence.

 

[RebeccaJ]

Looks like over 3500 Mormon quit the LDS Church in a mass resignation in Salt Lake City on Saturday. 1500 did so in person and another 2000 had lawyers file resignations for them in their absence.

Everything I’ve read, is that this was a participation of former Mormons, already disaffected Mormons, or in Catholic lingo, lapsed Mormons.

I haven’t read or seen anything form a faithful Mormon, about resigning. That would be pretty shocking. I’ve seen some FB posts, from faithful Mormons, along the lines of “what the heck is going on?” but no resignations.