Something is going to have to give. Young people are living in a different world. Many have or will have openly gay family members. They are not going to put up with unfairness and discrimination.
What sucks even more is that Ventura is probably one of the nicest places to serve a mission. I might have given this guy money for P day if he rotated through Santa Paula.
Love this quote from the article: "One of the prerogatives of the governing First Presidency is “to establish and define doctrines of the church at any given moment,” he said. “But doctrines can and do change over time.”
"Eight months later, the updated policy has yet to be included in Handbook 1, which outlines rules for the faith’s lay clergy — spurring some questions about why it is taking so long — but [church tool Eric] Hawkins said it will be there 'in the near future.'"
Eight months after the reversal and still the handbook hasn't been changed. Say one thing and do another.
"Within a few days, [a**hole MP] Nakken had a change of heart himself. The mission president called Smart to say he was sorry, that he now had approval to give the missionary a recommend without requiring him to abandon his perspective on LGBTQ issues."
Bet he had his head handed to him by a higher-up, afraid of still more bad PR and needing as many warm bodies in the mission field as possible.
The kid still believes, but it's going to eat him inside out until he starts asking the big questions.