Until very recently, churches could order members to choose their faiths—choose their imaginary friends and their man-made dogmas—over their own children. Those days are over:
Ever since she was an infant being blessed during a church naming ceremony, Lindsay Matson had been on the books of the Mormon Church. As it has done with millions of other members, the church kept note of her spiritual life as she moved from congregation to congregation, took youth leadership posts and married at age 19 in a Mormon temple.
But now, she and other Mormons upset over new church policies that declare same-sex couples apostates and restrict their children from baptism and other rites are venting their objections by demanding that their names be struck from the church’s meticulously kept records. During the weekend, Ms. Matson and two daughters, one of whom is gay, joined more than 1,000 people lining up in a park here beside the church’s temple spires for a mass resignation….
“I’ve shed some tears,” said Kathy Franson, who said she had drifted from the church in large part because her son was gay. “It felt like a death of someone close to me. I compare it to a death, going through that mourning.”
There are still people out there—there are still shitty parents out there—who will reject their queer children because Moroni or Jehovah or Allah or Yahweh said they must. (Or because their bishops, pastors, imams, or rabbis told them Moroni, et al., said they must.) But anti-queer bigots in leadership positions at various God shops can no longer rely on the unanimous support and/or silent complicity and/or cowed acquiescence of their congregations.
You should really do all of your homework on this issue before writing an article. Pretty sad only refers to you lack of journalism.
What did they think would happen anyway?
We are talking Morons here.
Yes this story has unearthed past buried memories that I would like to share…I was born into the Mormon church and all my life I heard my father say the church is #1 and my wife second (married 6 times) I always thought why have 8 kids and we’re what number on that list? when I got pregnant at 17 unwed I was an embarrassment to my father and chruch I left my fathers home lived with my mother until after my daughter was born my mother kidnapped her and tried to get sole custody of her…after the police where called and I was allowed to leave with my daughter I stayed at my fathers house again for a brief time until I could figure out what was best…the biggest mistake of my life was to give her up through the Mormon church…I have had no contact but tried relentless times to find her…after giving her up I was suicidal and could care less about myself I became involved with a member of the church that was excommunicated…I was approached by the bishop and was interrogated as to who and to what extent sexually had transpired…I was excommunicated for sleeping with this individual…I have been told several times throughout my life that the church doesn’t “ex” for that and most peculiar I should not have been? fast forward to 2009 I was trusted by a family member and had the privilege of being told that he is gay and frightened for how the family would react…in conclusion this family member will never have to go through the hell or gossip or excommunication that would have most defiantly happened if he and most of my family were still Mormon…
I rest my case.