Petitioners to Mormons: Soften gay marriage stance

[WillParkinson]

Petitioners to Mormons: Soften gay marriage stance

(Salt Lake City) A group of current and former Mormons at odds with the church’s position on gay marriage and its political activism to ban it has launched a Web site asking the faith to soften its stance.

The site, http://www.ldsapology.org , includes a petition for reconciliation that calls on leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to end what it says are hurtful anti-gay policies and its involvement in anti-gay politics and fundraising.

Janeen Thompson, a site organizer, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the petition is a direct reaction to Mormon church involvement in a coalition that worked last fall to pass Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California’s state constitution.

A May ruling by the California Supreme Court upheld the vote.

“We felt prompted to undertake this project on behalf of the gay community whose rights have been taken away largely because of the LDS involvement in the campaign,” said Thompson, a lifetime Mormon who lives in Boulder Creek, Calif.

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said Monday that the church had no comment on the site.

http://www.365gay.com/news/petitioners-to-mormons-soften-gay-marriage-stance/

[zipplewrath]

1. Boy Scouts

Word has it they should add scouting into this as well. Apparently, from the local troop leaderships point of view, all the hassles about gay scouts comes from national, which is heavily connected to the Mormon church. NOBODY in scouts is suppose to be having any sex with anyone (the vast majority of the kids are 14 and under). Why anyone would care about what kind of sex each kid ISN'T having is beyond me.

[jeremyfive]

5. Proves the Poster Don't Understand What Sexual Identity is All About

Most people will tell you that they had sexual longings from a very early age in childhood, even if they didn't identify the feelings as of a sexual nature at the time. Gay identity and gay sexual acts are two different things. I've even known some gay people, including priests, who remain celebate all through their lives, just as some heterosexuals do.

Certainly boy scouts have such feelings. This is precisely why I never went into the boy scouts, having been a very active cub scout. When I attended the first meeting of the boy scouts, they were passing Playboy magazines around the cabin. I was so repulsed by the open sexuality that I wanted nothing further to do with the boy scouts. This was back in the 60's--I'm certain it's worse now.

The boy scouts, which were indeed originally founded by a man who is believed to have been gay, have taken political positions as a group recently--even conducted witch hunts against leaders with a gay identity--and unfortunately for the scouts, many venues have closed and will continue to do so. I advocate development of a new group for children which will be in keeping with enlightened values of fairness and equality. The boy scouts as they currently exist have failed on both counts. Hopefully, more and more venues will continue to close off until they reform.

The Mormon Church? Don't believe in it. Despicable how the Mormon Church, too, has taken up political causes. I believe that venues should close off to them, also. Certainly, tax advantaged status is intended for a "Church" not a "political group". Since they have chosen to enter the political fray via secret campaigns and underground organization, their tax advantaged status should definitely be re-evaluated. As an American, I would like to see further investigation into their acceptance of Polygamy, child abuse, degradation of women, and certainly unequal practices in business affairs and employment opportunity. My own church has a much cleaner record on all of the above. The Mormon Church is highly suspect.

[MNDemNY]

2. Petition to Mormons: Pull your heads out of your collective ass.

You are truly kooks among kooks.

[msongs]

3. cults have to demonize somebody or something - us against "them" nt

[keepCAblue]

8. building themselves up by putting another group down. n/t

[Starry Messenger]

4. "fundraising" being the key word here.

I'm glad people are leaving that Church. But the Mormon leadership is not going to give up their new slice of the hate pie. I'm sure the rush of knowing that they could turn their faithful into gushing ATMs in a rather short amount of time is not going away anytime soon.

[bluedawg12]

6. Hate is useful for uniting the faithful - fear needs an object. n/t

[Starry Messenger]

7. It's sick and sad. n/t

[NMMNG]

9. I applaud them for their efforts

But the Mormon church won't have a "divine revelation" that Teh Gay isn't evil and something they have to fight tooth and nail until it's utterly impossible--politically and financially--for them to avoid doing so. Recall the "divine revelation" about blacks that was forced by Carter threatening to revoke their tax-exempt status and the "divine revelation" that polygamy was no longer acceptable because the statehood of Utah was on the line?