Whenever the sons and daughters of God weep, for whatever reasons, we weep. Nelson claimed the original policy was motivated by love and a desire to prevent friction between the beliefs of gay parents and their children. Nelson became president last year but was a member of a top governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles when the policy took effect.
The comments marked the latest attempt by the Utah-based faith widely known as the Mormon church to carve out a more empathetic stance toward LGBTQ people while adhering to doctrinal rejection of gay marriage amid widespread societal acceptance. As stated on its website, "The experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is.
They may be 1 placed on probation for those desiring to change their behavior , 2 "disfellowshipped" excluded from participating in the sacraments for a finite period of time while they correct their behavior , or 3 excommunicated.
Members who face a disciplinary council and refuse to repent—or insist that their feelings are integral to who they are—almost always are excommunicated.
They lose their membership and cannot participate in any way other than attend meetings. They also lose the eternal ties that bind them to their families and their church. Same-sex marriages are not allowed in the LDS Church and sexual activity is grounds for being denied access to the temple, ordination and other aspects of church membership.
The Church has a history of campaigning against marriage equality since the s and the issue has become one of the church's foremost political concerns. The policy not only describes Mormons in same-sex couples as apostates of the faith, it also establishes disciplinary actions that Mormon leaders can take against same-sex couples, including excommunication. The new policy also took aim at the children of same-sex couples. The next evening, Nakken called and said he had reached out to a Seventy in Salt Lake City and that this higher church authority agreed with the mission president.
That night, the young missionary read his patriarchal blessing, which spelled out promises for his life, and felt comforted. My heart was — and is — in this work. A conference call followed with Nakken and Ashby, the stake president. Ashby, who did not return messages for this story, then seemed to agree with the mission president — unlike in his earlier interview with Smart. Will I not be able to be sealed [for eternity in a temple] to my future family? Ashby suggested they give it a week, and all pray about it for those seven days.
Within a few days, Nakken had a change of heart himself. The mission president called Smart to say he was sorry, that he now had approval to give the missionary a recommend without requiring him to abandon his perspective on LGBTQ issues.
For the young missionary, though, it came too late. By now, he felt battered and exhausted. It felt like something lifted off my shoulders. The remarks were the latest move in a continuing effort by the Utah-based faith widely known as the Mormon church to carve out a compassionate stance toward LGBTQ people while adhering to opposition of gay marriage.
Critics say the balancing act has led to a confusing push-and-pull of policies that leave LGBTQ members and their allies confused and sometimes distraught.
0コメント