Moderate Mormons Launch Apology Site

Jim Burroway

June 23rd, 2009

Via The Advocate and JoeMyGod: A group of moderate members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has launched a new web site, LDSapology.org, with a plea for reconciliation. The web site asks the LDS church to apologize for their anti-gay activities and to soften their attitude towards gay people. The web site maintains an online petition, which the group plans to present to LDS headquarters on the one-year anniversary of Proposition 8 being passed in California. The web site also maintains a series of articles chronicling church history and personal stories of the church’s impact on gay people.

Alex

June 23rd, 2009

I want to believe this will make a difference, but it won’t. Still, I applaud them for trying.

BobbiCW

June 23rd, 2009

MODERATE Mormons? Who knew?

penguinsaur

June 23rd, 2009

I notice the site constantly asks both sides to think about it, I cant remember our side ever taking rights away from mormons, comparing mormons to child molesters, claiming treating mormons as equal humans being means the police will drag away all non-mormons.
Only one side has anything to apologize for and they’re not going to.

Scott VanTussenbrook

June 23rd, 2009

Much too little, much too late. Not to mention an utterly pointless waste of millions of good electrons.

The church is not going to apologize for any of this, ever. Anyone still far enough inside the Mormon organization to call themselves a member, would know this.

Therefore, this is nothing more than an attempt on the part of those people to assuage their own guilt and pretend the church they belong to isn’t the one that hates gays so hard. If they hold out hope that the church will apologize for what they did (or, god forbid [sic] change their stance on the gay issue), they get to pretend their church isn’t that far wrong.

They are, of course, fooling themselves. The Mormon church is poised for no such awakening any time soon. Mormons — “moderate” or not — your church is a fortress of judgment, discrimination and yes, owner of a good bit of hate in this discussion and provider of mostly heat and no light thereto.

This is a nice try, but we still don’t like you.

Timothy Kincaid

June 23rd, 2009

Long before the Southern Baptists appologized for supporting slavery, there were a few Baptists who felt shame and sought to change policy. Long before the United Methodist Church allowed women to be ordained, some Methodists who began the movement towards openness. Long before the United Church of Christ voted to allow members to santify same-sex marriages, there were those who bucked public opinion and advocated for inclusion of gay members in the life of the church.

I see this action by moderate Mormons as an early step in what we hope will be a continuous progress towards inclusion and justice by the Mormon church as a whole.

I commend this effort. And shame to those who are cynical and hateful towards those who are trying to bring their church into the 21st Century.

I don’t think that they are going to change Salt Lake any time soon. But let them be a conscience, a voice crying in the wilderness, and in time – perhaps a long time – they will no longer be considered outsiders but pioneers and forward thinkers. And we will all be appreciative of their efforts.

Richard W. Fitch

June 23rd, 2009

Tim K: Thank you for your remarks on this issue. No large community is ever homogeneous. LGBT – Log Cabin Republicans and “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence”; Christian churches – especially the tension between EC_USA and third-world provinces; RC Orthodox and American liberal RC … and many, many more that could be compared/contrasted. Those within the LDS who are now speaking out against the “orthodox” stance may be small in number, but we often speak of “that little small voice within us” that prompts us to do the right, moral, responsible act.

cowboy

June 23rd, 2009

I do appreciate the optimistic viewpoint Mr. Kincaid, but the pessimist in me continues to believe the Moderate voice of Mormons is but a squeak compared to the loud pronouncements I hear coming from Mormon Ward pulpits.

Granted, I nearly fell from my chair when we heard someone at the LDS HQ say they aren’t going to protest “[giving] rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights.”

But much louder and hostile Mormon voices prevailed at this past Utah Legislature. The Moderate Mormons are vastly outnumbered.

Okay, maybe it’s like the lone African-American in the 300-voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir. At least there is a voice.

But, the day the tithing receipts from disenfranchised Mormons gets to a point where the Corporation of the First Presidency starts noticing then perhaps that group of old men of General Authorities might listen and might give audience and hear the plight of their gay members and associate families. Did the gay Mormon group: Affirmation ever get to have their meeting with the Prophet, Seer and Revelator?

Richard Rush

June 23rd, 2009

Perhaps the pessimism is due to the glacial pace at which most religions change their positions. It’s difficult to see much relevance to this Mormon development since we will probably all be dead before any meaningful change occurs. Just ask Galileo. It took the Roman Catholic Church over 350 years to grant him a pardon.

cowboy

June 23rd, 2009

Perhaps I’m a little more eager to see some substantive change happen faster. The referenced website at the top of this thread piqued my interest a bit. There was a hyper link to a memorial page for all those who have committed suicide.

That hit a vulnerable spot.

I have been privy to some information about a suicide that happened a week or so ago. The family was in complete denial about the son’s internal turmoil. I know I’m getting information third-hand but I wonder, now, just how many deaths there has been in the past few years that haven’t been disclosed as being gay suicide. How many friends have died in mysterious ways and we never know the real circumstances.

Earlier this year someone from my gay rodeo association jumped from a freeway viaduct. We still are speculating whether it was an accident or it was intentional. I frequently still ponder about another friend who died from complications (infection) related to his AIDS treatments. Was the mental conflict too much for him also? Did he just give up?

The moderate Mormon speaking now is too late for them.

paul j stein

June 23rd, 2009

I know a lot of “moderate” Mormons. The problem is most of them are on the east coast where the mormons are a minority and tend to keep a lower profile and don’t get into peoples faces about personal affairs. The SLC mormons might as well be in their own country and would likely prefer it that way. The support I get from my mormon friends is genuine and real. The problem is in the old guard at the the SLC temple.

paul j stein

June 23rd, 2009

Easiest way to get all the religious freaks under control is to TAX any church that preaches any political change of rights suppression or discrimination as church policy. The Catholic church should have had to pay taxes on all the money paid out to settle SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS. When the money stops so does the bullshit!

cd

June 25th, 2009

When Mormons are the major group oppositional to gay rights remaining in some situation, that’s when knowing moderate Mormons will be vital.

It’s like the two Parties. Democrats are going to provide 90% of the work and 90% of the votes on successful efforts. But long term effort and care has to be invested in Republicans for the vital 10% they can do which Democrats can’t.

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