http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52858596-78/church-bishop-gay-kloosterman.html.csp

Gutsy move. He'll be among us soon, by choice or by force because he'll quit or get ex'd.

Good luck bishop. You did the right thing...glad you recognize that the church is not the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong.

This will be interesting to see what happens. With LDS, Inc. under the microscope these days thanks to Mitt 2012, people seem to be able to get away with some public statements that are not coming out of the Handbook of Instructions.

At the same time, Mormonism may just melt into a bunch of fuzzy goo. This was impressed on my mind as I overheard a TBM on the DC metro the other day. He was still in "open your mouth" mode talking to a gay fella like that was totally cool with him. Just trying to make the sale. It was interesting listening to the nuance in his sales pitches. Why is he trying to sell this guy on an institution that thinks he's engaged in "serious sin" for being who he is?

I felt like ripping him a new one. But I don't disturb on the metro. Good manners--most Washingtonians don't give a piece of pioneer buffalo chips about Joseph Smith's fraud.

From what I read on another LDS-related forum, the bishop met with his stake president who's okay with what he did.

He didn't say it as they allege. Note that in the comments there is a long line of people pointing to the whole talk. This was dangerous to take out of context, and I really doubt that the bishop is in any kind of trouble unless his superiors also fail to read or hear the text of his message.


YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDfYQbCro7M

Comment by John Dehlin: http://mormonstories.org/?p=2179 The SL Trib article gives the wrong impression about Bishop Kevin Kloosterman's talk today, so I'm providing the audio here. God bless Bishop Kevin Kloosterman. You are a loving and a courageous man. (YouTube follows.)

As a gay ex (and I am totally over the LDS experience) I could not believe the sadness that came over me. Finally someone is ready to weep for the pain of condemnation, the torture in conversion therapy and loss of life by suicide. I could weep myself. Not for myself because I'm OK but for those who lost so much more, were tortured and died.

My Brothers are Steve Benson, D. Michael Quinn and thousands of men whose lives were ruined. My Sisters are the women whose marriages were built on sand because of the churches insistance that marriage will cure. It can't. My nieces and nephews are all the children whose homes have been torn apart when Fathers and Mothers had to be true to themselves.

Mormonism is a bully. It's Bishops, Stake President, Branch Presidents and leaders of all sort are that bully enforcers.

Jesus weeps and someday so will the perpetrators!

He's on his way out. A person who actually isn't a hypocrite, who feels empathy for the suffering of others, and THINKS has no place in the Mormon church. There will only be so much his shelf can take. I think acknowledging the disconnect in what he feels is right (what is right) and what the church preaches is the first step.

He did mention he was supportive of church leadership but honestly I think it's just to save face.

I got the impression he was calling them out.

And there is no way he will be subjected to discipline for this. The last thing the old white guys want is bad PR.