This was just announced on the news 5 minutes ago. The Community of Christ church here in Missouri is allowing and even preforming same-sex union ceremonies. Also, allowing anyone to be ordained as a minister.
Good move, CofC. Good move.

This official pronouncement only authorizes what has been
going on among the Reorganized Saints for several years now.
In nearly all CoC branches, those same-sex couples who have
been married in civil ceremonies have been accepted as full
members. Nearly a decade ago we had a lesbian priest
ordained here in Hawaii.

Most of the members who might have strongly objected to these
developments have left CoC to form fundamentalist "restoration
branches." But there will still be a final shake-out from
CoC, of those conservative members who recognize only one
form of intimate intercourse between partners, no matter
their gender. I predict another 10,000 defections into
fundamentalist branches, and perhaps a few into the LDS.

What will happen next will be the application of tremendous
pressure upon the ordained gay and lesbian members -- to
present themselves as sterling role models. There will be
a race now to see which jurisdiction supplies the first
high ranking homosexual leader for CoC -- a leading Seventy,
and eventually an Apostle. The spotlight and the popular
expectations will be brilliant, but harsh in some effects.

At some point CoC ministers will be sanctifying unions between
same sex partners as religious marriages. I expect that this
will be a problem, especially in Missouri, where the State
and the general population will be antagonistic.

It will take at least another generation, before the celebration
parties will be fully justified. I wonder what happens next?

Uncle Dale

Wow, that's phenominal. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the COB tomorrow as the news spreads.

I wonder if this will cause yet another schism.

I'm sure it will. As Uncle Dale pointed out, they have already lost plenty of members to the Restorationist and Remnant branches. This is the kind of thing that will cause more people to go to those groups or possibly start their own new groups.

archytas Wrote:
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> I wonder if this will cause yet another schism.

The schism has already happened. Disgruntled members in 2013
can either move over to a restoration branch or abandon
Mormonism altogether.

When the next important split in CoC occurs, there will be
fully-accepted LGBT members and ministers in BOTH wings.
The next big schism will be over retaining "restoration
scriptures" as part of the official CoC canon.

By that time, Community of Christ should be down to about
50,000 active members and will become an historical footnote.

This latest evolution was evidently accomplished by having
the push for the change limited to North American delegates.
The overseas members will not know what to do, probably.
The miniscule European section will follow along with the
American Saints. The Africans and Asians really have no
where else to go, but into future restoration branches --
if that ever develops. Pacific members will follow CoC.

UD

in 1993 for me and my then-partner. At the time, he told his district president that if the church wanted his priesthood card, they could have it. They didn't take it back, though. They never have. He's almost 87 now and doesn't preach anymore, although he will do administrations if anyone asks and he's performed weddings now and again over the years, though not many anymore.

When I called him tonight to tell him about this, he sort of went "harumph" and said it was about time they caught up. LOL