According to a post on Advocate.com, the Mormon church issued a new edition of its leadership guidelines, which includes a new policy that no longer calls for gays to repent their “homosexual thoughts or feelings.”
But LGBT Mormons must remain celibate in order to participate in temple rituals and receive church assignments known as “callings.” Acting on same-sex attractions or marrying a same-sex partner remains against church policy.
OK, well, we knew there had to be a catch.
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2010.
It’s a little like saying, “It’s OK for you to be a Muslim, but you can’t worship. And if you DO worship, you better do it in a CHURCH the way Jesus intended!”
Why is it that it’s perfectly acceptable, even admirable, for Straight (i.e. heterosexual) couples to date, get engaged, get married, and build lives together in the context of monogamy and commitment, and that this is a GOOD thing … but for Gay couples to do exactly the same is somehow a BAD thing? To me this seems like a very poor value judgment.
I know what you’re saying. That’s not accepting. Because if you can’t get callings, you can’t be called on. You can’t be asked to give a prayer, you can’t be asked to teach a lesson, or give a talk, or help out with the potluck. And all of the sub-leaders who also make sub-callings like those things have to be informed why. So you’re putting right out there, without any ambiguity the private information ‘we have sex’ in front of people because they have to be aware of the rule and that you are excluded from receiving callings. Its not dissimilar from how my mormon mother accepts my brother’s relatively short term girlfriends (months to a year or so) more than my mate of fifteen years, as exhibited by her inclusion of them in her family reports and the exclusion of him.
It’ll only be acceptance when there is no difference whatsoever.
This is just a ploy by the LDS church to say “look we accept gay people in our church, just don’t do gay things”. It’s the same old church with new wording. I their heads if your gay and remain celibate then your not really gay. Nice try Mormons.