There is a reason why - in addition to regular Coca Cola Classic - we get Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, Diet Cherry Coke, **Caffeine Free** Coke, Diet Coke with Lime and all that...It is because Coke Inc. knows that people want choices and people will leave you if there are no other acceptable alternatives to a comfortable and familiar favored brand.

The same has got to be true for the Mormon church. It is a horribly well oiled organization and enjoys having brilliant marketing experts in its ranks. It is also very much a capitalist entity (and the second largest landowner in the US after the Federal Gov't some say.) I say that change is afoot in many circles within the church. Despite its work with Prop 8 the church appears to be reaching out to its gay members (it may have learned a lesson.) (See this dude's blog: http://www.mitchmayne.com/ - Openly gay man in SFO called to bishopric.)

We all know the church changes- e.g. polygamy, Blacks and the Priesthood represent fast overnight dramatic change; sacred underwear slowly shrinking, new lesson manuals missing old doctrines, no more blood oaths represent slow, methodical change. It is, after all, just a very expensive social club. (Keeping this in mind makes the whole institution rather normal as a human created entity.)

I think that in 10 years gay men will be openly welcome (don't know about women); in 50 years gay men can be married, and in 100 years gay men can be married in the temple. Women will have made some progress. Women won't be able to have tattoos, but will still be allowed to have boob jobs (as is the case now...that was sarcasm with a joke.)

Knowing that the church will adapt to keep its membership strong it will be compelled to open its ranks to and even embrace those it currently considers wholly "spiritually dead." It will realize that it can not force people into its tiny little box and impose its one-size-fits-all model and expect to thrive.

Tell me what changes you think the TSCC will implement over the coming decades.

in TSCC is because women will never be accepted.

political expediency will force them to stop persecuting and harassing gay members.

women will never be afforded that luxury. John Lennon was right at least about this.

Okay good answer, so then what are the parameters for change? (What things WILL change, and what things will not, and how do you frame that change?) Is this what "sexist to the core" means? Strange that one can imagine gay guys in the church at a crappy Friday night potluck, but not a couple of old lesbians.

What about people like me who like booze and MAY consider a wife swap under the right circumstances?

Notice all the fuss over the fact that Romney's religion USED to not allow Blacks to hold the Priesthood. Notice that there is no fuss over the fact that Romney's religion CURRENTLY does not allow women to hold the Priesthood.

If it's OK with the world then the Church won't change it.

They can't make a fuss over the women-can't-be-priests thing, since Catholics also don't allow it, and fundies of all stripes don't allow women preachers, either.

Calling Romney out on this point also shines a harsh searchlight on themselves; most if not all of them will be keeping their mouths shut on this one, as a result.

They won't change it unless they start losing money AND think that change will help. Right now, they are losing money but blame the bad economy and make up for it by clamping down on the members and whipping them more - clean our bathrooms, attend the temple, you aren't worthy. Right now, the whip is working for them because people are loyal to the product. Once they start losing members or that missionary work is at a dead stand still (instead of nearly dead/no retention) then they may change because they are forced to. But they won't actively look ahead to change because they want to do better in the future. They still retain the delusion that if every Mormon is living correctly, Mormonism will catch on. So they are busy enforcing that and trying to change others, not looking to change the product.

The brethren dig in their heels and resist until the situation reaches a crisis.

I doubt there will even be a Mormon church in 50 or 100 years time, at least not one worth speaking of. The internet and changes in demography will see to that.

Before that though I expect gays will eventually be accepted, though I wouldn't expect to see many in significant leadership positions.