http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/17/gay-rights-activists-see-mormons-softening-attitudes-toward-their-community/?hpt=hp_c1

hey you will see me in the comments section!! :)

thanks for the link

More gay friendly - does that mean they don't use electroshock treatments at BYU anymore?

THE PERSON SAID ABOUT THE SHOCK THERAPY: NOT TRUE..dang sorry bout the caps lock!

THERE IS A "MORMONGIRL" THAT SAYS BLACKS WERE ALLOWED IN THE TEMPLE. is that right? they could not be "priesthood" holders but they could go to Temple? help a brother out!! :)

http://www.mormonthink.com/blackweb.htm

Blacks banned from the temple.

Some members try to explain that the priesthood ban on black men was just something unique to the priesthood. But if that's the case, why were not black women allowed to receive their endowments in the temples until 1978? It's bad enough to exclude black men from holding the priesthood but to deny both black men and black women the sealing ordinances and other ordinances required for exaltation is clearly racist. Why on earth wouldn't black families be allowed to be sealed to each other before 1978?

And since black boys couldn't hold the priesthood, they couldn't be boy scout troop leaders either. The ban on blacks holding the priesthood had further-reaching implications than most members probably realized.

When Gordon B. Hinckley is asked publicly about the ban, his response is he doesn't know why blacks were banned from the priesthood for 150 years until 1978 and he just says it is all behind us now - much like his response to polygamy. If we are to accept the LDS Church as God's one true church on the earth, and is indeed lead by prophets that communicate with God, then we think we deserve more of an answer.

In 1840 Jane Manning (black) became a Mormon and married Isaac James, another black man. She was a member of relief society and appears to have been a full tithe payer. She wanted to be endowed and have her children sealed to her after her husband left her and the kids and be sealed to Elijah Abel, but her petition was repeatedly turned down by the First Presidency. After Isaac died, the First Presidency decided she could be adopted into the family of Joseph Smith, but as a servant. She actually did it.

http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/curseofcain_part2.htm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2012 07:11PM by suckafoo.

I will say that the rhetoric has toned down. When I was young, homosexuality was described as a perverted crime against nature, and it was blasphemy to believe that people did not choose to be gay. Back then, having homosexual thoughts was enough to get you sent home from your mission (I know because at least one celibate gay elder was sent home from my mission) or punched out (thanks, BKP).

In the 1970s, BYU sent students to record license plates of patrons of Salt Lake's gay bars to see if any students were gay. When I was in college, gay BYU students underwent "aversion" therapy, including electric leads attached to their genitals.

That the church has had anything compassionate to say about the LGBT community is a huge step. That said, they still teach that gays must stay celibate in order to be "worthy" of God's love.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2012 03:03PM by runtu.

It could mean that the members attitude towards gays is shifting, which I believe is true, especially among the younger ones. It is one of the reasons the church is either going to have to change, or have half the church leave, again.

Is there a link to a good article about the aversion therapy at BYU somewhere? I've heard of the practice, but only from more gossipy sources (not that I don't believe it. I'd just like to know more about it.).

You can try the affirmation website.

...only when measured against the metric of the Early Dark Ages.

I'm gay, and I have to say that as far behind as TSCC is, it is true that they're getting better. No one was expelled for making the "It Gets Better" video. They're not shocking people's testicles anymore. Having gay thoughts is no longer grounds for excommunication. You can admit that you're gay (though not acting on it) without having to repent. They are starting to admit that people are gay not because they're selfish but through no fault of their own, and that people may never succeed in changing it. They actually threw their support behind anti-discrimination laws in Salt Lake City. I agree that they have a LONG way to go, but they are getting better and should be recognized for it so that they continue the trend.

I honestly hope to see them change their position on gay marriage within my lifetime. They could get away with discriminating against blacks they were foreign to the membership, but I've heard estimates that 1/4 members have a close friend/family member who's gay, and sympathy is rising.

Mormonism has been making a very noticeable change towards this. The newer generation will make this a reality.

Even more than what are obvious changes, it fits Mormon history almost perfectly. The issue of gay marriage and gay equality is just like every issue of the day that has led otherwise faithful members who would pay tithing astray. Not too long ago, the issue was racism. As Mormonism loses more and more members, they will suddenly have a revelation that will change Mormon doctrine, attempt to erase its history, and keep the money coming in.

The article is not drivel, not even close. It has been rapidly changing for a couple of years now.

First, Salt Lake City may not be DEAD LAST in passing a law like that, but they are pretty darn close.

And second, it doesn't take the most enlightened person in the room to know that they only threw their support behind that measure because their public ratings couldn't possibly have been lower at that very moment in time.

Desperation for the thing they really crave (public approbation) will drag even the most hardcore bigot toward acts of half-hearted bridge-mending. Though I would never say they did it willingly - because let's face facts: they didn't.

I realize that they're being dragged kicking and screaming, but they're being dragged nonetheless. It's changing. I'll focus on the positive and let the TBMs pretend that they're receiving revelation that they should (*gasp*) love their neighbors. I only care what the church says about gays because my family believes. Once the inevitable flip-flop comes it will help family relations. (Family church my ass.)

One thing to remember: The softer tone is coming from ordinary members, not the leadership. For every tolerant BYU student, there are ten statements from current and past leaders about the depravity and evil of gays.

You are right, but the leaders are irrelevant if tithing money doesn't come in. The leaders, in the past, were also incredibly racist. That changed. It changed 30 years too late, but it changed.

Why would this issue be any different? If they continue what they have been doing, they'll see a sharp decline in revenue.

I agree. Most of them seem pragmatic, though some of the old guard is fiercely dogmatic. Of course, it doesn't give me a lot of hope that one of the younger apostles is such a tool.

What else can you expect from a theocratic inbred gerontocracy?

Maybe you are not aware that quite probably the lion's share of financial support for the horribly-misnamed National Organization for Marriage comes from Mormons and the Mormon church?

I don't think they are being dragged anywhere at all. I think they are opening their mouths and saying hollow words in public and then going out and committing depraved acts of bigotry in secret, which makes them just as hateful and evil as they have ever been.

I'm not trying to condone the crap that spews out of their uninspired mouths; I'm celebrating that they no longer feel free to do it in public. I know that they're wrong, and evil people to boot (I think the big 15 know what crap they're pushing). I'm just glad that they can't get away with the most hateful stuff in public any more, and their positions are changing, so my family will have an easier time accepting me.

Everyone in my stake and ward leadership knows I am leading an actively gay life, (I didn't confess, mind you...I just implied) and they are leaving me alone. No calls for discipline. I believe twenty years ago they would have exed me.

There is some change going on, but it's not enough.
"it Gets Better" video may save some Mormon lives but does not give hope of a better life for Mormon gays.

Also, the Mormon church is still funneling money to that most bigoted of organizations, NOM. Unforgivable.

I did send the link to that article to my TBM mom. It will make her feel good.