LDS Church Stops Opposing Gay Marriage

[Jragon]

Mormon Church Abandons Its Crusade Against Gay Marriage

Nothing official, there hasn’t been a proclamation saying “yo, gays are cool now”, but the actions of the church seem to have changed drastically. Some (straight) Mormons marched in the Salt Lake City pride parade, one member who tried to organize an anti-gay marriage protest got shut down by church officials.

Of course, I think this primarily comes down to marketing, everything I’ve seen about the Mormon church suggests they’d make no small number of radical changes just to attract more members and prevent old ones from leaving. Even so, I prefer a church that throws out its traditions in the name of following societal trends over one obsessed with unflinching bigoted positions. Of course, then you might have to ask why even go to a church if it’s going to 180 on its viewpoint in well under a decade, but either way.

This may just be a fluke and suddenly they’ll be their old selves again in due course, but I’m going to be a pollyanna about it and assume they’ll stay this way.

[cmkeller]

Perhaps they see legalizing gay marriage as a step toward legalizing polygamy.

[Erdosain]

Call me when they stop funding the National Organization for Marriage. Call me when they allow the Utah state legislature to legalize gay marriage. Until that happens, it’s all just PR.

@cmkeller

Perhaps they see legalizing gay marriage as a step toward legalizing polygamy.

This is not correct. Polygamy is the pet cause of the largest Mormon schismatic movement, so mainstream Mormons are very much anti- modern polygamy.

[Annie-Xmas]

Really? I’ve heard anti-gay marriage say that “As soon as gay marriage is legal, the Mormons will introduce a bill in Utah to make plural marriage legal.”

Either way, I have no love for the Mormon church, or any other religion that does not treat men and women equally.

[Erdosain]

@Annie-Xmas

Really? I’ve heard anti-gay marriage say that “As soon as gay marriage is legal, the Mormons will introduce a bill in Utah to make plural marriage legal.”

Whoever told you that was seriously misinformed. Almost amusingly so. As I said, there is zero love lost between modern polygamists, who are a constant embarrassment (and considered heretical and schismatic) and modern mainstream Mormons. PR is always paramount.

[Revtim]

I wonder how many millions they spent fighting gay marriage that could have gone to a better cause. Like wiping their asses with it.

[Munch]

@Jragon

LDS Church Stops Opposing Gay Marriage

Not really. From the article:

Not everything has changed, of course. The church still filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of Prop. 8

Mormon church doctrine still defines homosexuality as a sin. The gay Mormon website clarifies that while having a same-sex attraction is not a sin, acting on it is. Mayne was only able to take on his leadership role in the church after he broke up with his longtime partner and was single again. And noncelibate LGBT members are still excluded from “temple recommends”—access to the church’s most sacred spaces and ceremonies.

Dabakis says that there are still many points of disagreement. “I don’t think the church has given one iota on gay marriage…”

[Rhodes]

Mormonism’s next-in-line to the presidency basically said last week that tolerance is a virtue, except when talking about gay marriage in which case tolerance is a vice. From the Tribune:

“The permissiveness afforded by the weakening of the laws of the land to tolerate legalized acts of immorality,” Packer said, “does not reduce the serious spiritual consequences that result from the violation of God’s law of chastity.”
…
“Tolerance is a virtue, but, like all virtues, when exaggerated it transforms itself into a vice,” said the 88-year-old Packer, speaking from his chair rather than from the pulpit. “We need to be careful of the ‘tolerance trap’ so that we are not swallowed up in it.”

[Erdosain]

@Rhodes

Mormonism’s next-in-line to the presidency basically said last week that tolerance is a virtue, except when talking about gay marriage in which case tolerance is a vice. From the Tribune:

Nice find. It’s truly hilarious to watch religious leaders warn their followers of being too tolerant.