I am fascinated and excited as I watch the battle between the gay community and the Mormon Church and their respective supporters. When Prop 8 first hit, you will all remember my outrage and tantrums sprinkled with grape Kool-Aid metaphors. More recently, as I have tried to sit back and watch with whatever objectivity I am capable of – which, admittedly, is not always that much – my anger has shifted a bit towards more of a calm determination and I have finally been fairly successful at one thing: Separating the general leadership of the Mormon Church from the general membership of the Mormon Church.
While I absolutely disagree with the average member’s across the board obedience and beliefs, I actually do remember what it was like to be counted among them. I think of the handfuls of family and friends I have that are still believers. I love them dearly. They are good, solid and kind people and they deserve far better than their leaders are giving them. I am guessing they would disagree with that last statement because they really, honestly believe that their leaders do represent God. And even I believe that when one does believe fervently in something one has the right to fight for whatever that thing is.
Many Mormons are beginning to take a look around and are seeing that things are not right. Many are questioning and opening their hearts and shifting and softening their once hardened positions. They want things to change. Even members that aren’t, while cruelty and ignorance cannot be overlooked, are only doing and believing what their leaders tell them to. My personal focus is not on the members of the Mormon Church it is on the leaders of the Mormon Church.
Those of us that are fighting against The Church are also fighting for something we fervently believe in. We honestly no longer believe that LDS leaders represent God, nor do they speak for God. Their position on homosexuality hurts people – deeply. It devastates gay individuals and their families. It rips families apart. Countless gay children grow up in the LDS church certain that they are evil and worthless. The streets of Salt Lake City are littered with homeless gay kids that have been kicked out of their homes after coming out to their righteous LDS parents. It makes gay members wish they were dead and causes many of them to follow through with that desire. And, just as heartbreaking, it causes ignorant individuals that claim to love and follow Jesus Christ declare that gay people should go ahead and kill themselves – that the world would be far better without them in it. [See comments left on video posted below.] The LDS Church’s position was softening a bit, they were slowly making progress, but back tracked a thousand miles when Elder Hafen opened his mouth at Evergreen. Big mistake.
Because, here is the thing – they have finally just hurt too many people. Too many members that gave them everything they had are not taking it anymore. Too many people that never even thought about the Mormon Church until they took away their civil rights – those same people that, truth be told, would fight on behalf of the Mormons if their rights were being taken from them – are not taking it anymore. Too many people that have taken their abuse for far too long are not going to rest until they have stopped – until things are different.
It happened before. There was enough social pressure, like other universities boycotting BYU sports, to force the “revelation” that, despite the violent reaction of hundreds of thousands of bigoted Saints, gave blacks the priesthood. It will happen again. Pressure will not ease up until it does.
And when that day comes, the membership of the Mormon Church will once again be left peacefully alone to believe and worship however it wishes, because that is the way it should be.
5 comments:
The Church will never change its position on homosexuality. Neither will most of the other conservative Christian churches in this country. The concept of same-sex marriage can never be squared with the LDS doctrine of eternal progression where a man is exalted to Godhood and procreates with multiple wives to populate their many worlds of eternity. This is a bedrock doctrine that The Church could never alter to accomodate a homosexual component, for how could two men (male Gods) procreate to give birth to spirit children?
Accepting and solomnizing same-sex celestial marriage In the temple would not only require an Earth-shattering
"revelation" announcing such, but would require a massive "revelation" to rework the entire Plan of Salvation. And President Hinkley's much-admired Proclamation on the Family would have to be quietly filed away if not chucked entirely.
Politically, the Gay Right issue is not as difficult for The Church as was the Civil Rights movement merely due to numbers. There were/are far more blacks worldwide than there are gays and lesbians. While there may be
more homosexuals than we realize, they are not the size population-wise as blacks. They had Martin Luther King, the Kennedy's and President Lyndon Johnson firmly and openly supporting full Civil Rights. The political pressure on the Mormon Church was too great to resist.
The current gay community has no such single charismatic leader preaching their cause in churches like King. Too many political leaders today who may privately support same-sex marriage are hesitant to speak up for fear of being eaten alive by the radical right-wing or losing re-election. The courage of conviction still trembles in the
dark.
In 1978 it was actually beneficial for The Church to extend the Priesthood to blacks. It allowed Mormonism to more fully spread in Africa where they were eager to gain ground. And it meant more membership potential worldwide. There is no clear upside for The Church to accept gays and lesbians today. There will never be the same pressure there was in the 70's.
Until the gay community worldwide comes out of its closet more fully, until its populations swell dramatically and a gay Martin Luther King rises, we will not see the church blink on this matter.
Even if gay marriage becomes the Law of the Land, churches will not be forced to solomnize gay marriage in their sancutaries.
Love you Em
AW
The day will come, but like the "revelation" on blacks and the priesthood, it will be 50 years too late. :(
Mormon Leader: Prop 8 Backlash Like Intimidation of Southern Blacks In 1960s
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13552589?source=email
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/10/13/15538
It's amazing what an organization will do to survive when pressure is steadily applied in the right places. Gentle voices who consistently speak up saying "this is not Christian, this is not loving, this is wrong, there is no place in this church for me anymore" - these voices DO influence the Mormon church. Change happens slowly, but the Mormon church, above all - is all about survival and success as an organization.
Actually, if you look at the responses overall of the Mormon Church, it ain't about doctrine or politics, it's about crass brand management and brand protection. When you believe yourself to be an Ensign to the nations--a huge collective narcissism going on here--then protecting the brand becomes paramount. Once they realize Dallin Oaks is trashing the brand, they'll rein him in as they have done with others, then send out the PR machine to reposition the brand in all its squeaky, shiny cleanliness to spiff up the brand. The "revelation" about gays will not be received from Kolob until it is considered brand-enhancing--until it positions them to the nations as an Ensign to the nations. Except these folks are not leaders in final analysis, but followers...they follow the market. And right now the market says it's brand-enhancing to persecute the gays. It proves as Hinkeley said that, "we do not aspire to be middle America, we are middle America." Mormons have finally become that which they were supposed to replace. Following the market will do that to ya. Hi, Em.
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