A lot of traffic was sent this way because of my post about the letter read from the stake presidency. That was unexpected. I’m grateful for the words of support from people both in comments here and messages via facebook and email. Thank you.
Some told me it took courage to post. I guess I would agree if I had anything to lose but I don’t. If anyone I know from church shuns me, that’s their problem. I’ve defriended people on social media sites before who revealed their true colors (which were decidedly not rainbow friendly). They’re welcome to do the same.
I don’t have a temple recommend I’m afraid of losing. Someday I might like to go back to the temple but that’s a long ways off and a whole other post. I don’t come from pioneer stock. There’s no Mormon family to embarrass. However, there is a bishop and a stake presidency who may indeed feel I’m “speaking ill of the Lord’s anointed” by criticizing the church’s opposition to the rights of the lgbt crowd. I believe in personal revelation and I don’t believe the prophet is infallible and I believe the church has made mistakes in the past, too. The stake president and bishop, both great guys, are well aware of where I stand on this issue. So I’m not even sure they would have a conversation with me about the post unless pushed to by someone else. If they do, well, you’ll hear about it here.
Also, I’d like to clarify something. Some sites who linked to the post said it was all wards or stakes in Minnesota who had the letter read to them. I only know about mine. I don’t know if other stakes have had similar letters issued or not. But I find it particularly sad for my stake because it includes Anoka, a school district which has had a suicide epidemic due in part to bullying of gay students. Michele Bachmann is the US congresswoman for that district. Bachmann has been very clear in her feelings about homosexuals and gay marriage. Our stake doesn’t need to be yet another voice contributing to a hostile environment towards lgbt teens.
The Mormons have been restrained in Minnesota thus far. The Catholic diocese, on the other hand, sent out 400,000 dvds against gay marriage to Catholic Minnesotans. This was not well received, particularly in the twin cities. It’ll be interesting to see if LDS leadership is restrained the rest of the year leading up to the vote or focuses their efforts on the red parts of the state. Stay tuned.
I am horrified by the rhetoric coming out of so many religious institutions that claim to believe in a book that says “God is love.” I don’t understand how so many people can willfully ignore the death of so many children, not to mention the countless indignities suffered by LGBT people of all ages every single day. I am comforted though by the fact that, in this day and age, such intolerant religions will find their pews empty on Sunday if they insist on perpetuating myths and stereotypes that have been categorically debunked by science and simple observation.
Hey Key Lime!
First of all, thanks for your words in support of gay families, among which my family is numbered. My husband and I have shared a loving commitment to one another for over 18 years. We got legally married as soon as the option of legal marriage was open to us — in California, in July 2008. But we have lived in Minnesota since 1987, and we would very much like to be able to be legally married in our home state.
I am also an active/excommunicated member of the LDS Church, and attend Church regularly in my home ward in Minneapolis. The key points of the letter read in your ward on this issue sounded strikingly similar to a letter that was read in Priesthood Meeting in our ward a few weeks ago.
I guess my take on the letter — both the one read in your ward and the one read in mine — was a bit more positive. The fact that neither letter openly urged members of the Church to vote one way or another, and the fact that they were urged to study the issues out and make their own decision about how to get involved, I saw as essentially taking a politically neutral stance, and opening up the possibility for members in good conscience to support gay families.
At any rate… Given your strong feelings on this subject, and given how articulate you are, I strongly encourage you to consider getting connected with Minnesotans United for All Families (http://mnunited.org/), and find out how you can support the campaign… And get your friends to go there too… I posted recently on my blog about my own experiences having conversations with folks both for and against the amendment… I think you’d have a great time getting involved in that way as well!
Hi, John. I’m aware of MN United and have donated to them. Great group!
The letter I heard, while not coming right out and saying to vote Yes on the ballot, did imply that’s exactly the decision a good latter-day saint would come to after reading the Proclamation on the Family and praying about it. That it is being brought up in January for a vote in November makes me suspect this isn’t the last we’ll be hearing.
Ultimately, more members are becoming respective of lgbt rights or at a minimum, tired of the church’s involvement. Change comes slowly to the church. But more are speaking out. I’m glad for that.
Hey Ren! Thanks, we (MN United) can use all the support we can get, and probably more donations before this is all through.
The fact that the letter could have explicitly asked members to vote and work for the amendment but didn’t is important. It seems to me like a recognition that faithful Latter-day Saints may study the issues and come to different conclusions on what is, essentially, a political matter. Whatever the biases of those who wrote the letter — however they expect “good” LDS to react to the amendment — this seems ackowledgment, however grudging, that good LDS may oppose the amendment.
Many LDS have studied the Proclamation on the Family and other Church teachings on the family. But they also know gay and lesbian friends, neighbors, and family members. They know us, and they see how we are blessed by our loving, committed relationships, and they know that our loving Heavenly Parents intend more for us than lives barren of intimate companionship. They know that life is hard enough without a loving partner there to support us, and they support our relationships because they love, respect and care for us. Also they have seen the negative impact of amendments and laws that make GLBT folks second class citizens in their own states. They know that one of the central teachings of Jesus was to do unto others as we would have others do unto us, and they would never want somebody passing an amendment to outlaw their families. And so Yes! Despite the social pressures brought to bear on them to vote in favor of such amendments, increasing numbers of LDS are rejecting anti-same-sex marriage laws. I’m grateful to know that you are one of them.
But you are by no means the only one. During the whole prop 8 brouhaha, my devout Mormon family quietly rejected and voted against prop 8. My dad had just 4 words for me on the subject: “They just don’t understand.”
I look for good news where I can find it. If my local Church leaders have stopped short of demanding support for the amendment, and have chosen instead to allow for some diversity of opinion on this very difficult issue, I accept it with gratitude, and pray for more light and understanding among my fellow Saints on this subject.
Good luck with the November vote. I have not been to church for years so I don’t know what may have been said about Amendment 1 here in NC. The one news story I saw was low key, but the church did not need to expend resources here – other churches carried the ball, some to the extreme, such as the pastor who suggested “smacking out the gay” if parents saw feminine behavior in their sons. Sad day in NC last week – Amendment 1 passed by 60% in the state and 80% in my county.