Members of the Mormon church are reacting in protest to the new policy.
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The latest controversy began after the church’s November 5 announcement of the policy regarding children of LGBT parents. It also clarified that entering a same-sex marriage is considered an act of apostasy and mandates a church disciplinary council.
Most recently, the Mormon Church adopted a new policy that makes being in a same-sex marriage grounds for excommunication, and bars the children of gay or lesbian parents from receiving communion and being welcomed at all into the church.
New Mormon church rules targeting gay members and their children have triggered a firestorm of backlash from church members of all political backgrounds.
The policy follows a landmark ruling in June by the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage. This is quite a turnaround from the church’s recent push to adopt a more tolerant stance regarding LGBT issues, according to The Telegraph.
They prompted a flurry of discussion on Mormon websites, with the idea of targeting kids ruffling even conservative Latter-day Saints who rarely question church decisions.
The Church’s First Presidency said in a statement: “The provisions of Handbook 1, Section 16.13, that restrict priesthood ordinances for minors, apply only to those children whose primary residence is with couple living in a same-gender marriage or similar relationship”.
“They’re treating the gay community like they are criminals, and they are not”, Newcomb said. Two-year missions spent proselyting in other states and countries are a rite of passage for young men in the faith.
The release of a “clarification” letter from the three-man governing body called The First Presidency is unlikely to stem the concern among LGBT Mormons and their advocates, and a few Friday said it is more likely to fuel it.
Additionally, children of parents in same gender relationships are no longer able to be members of the church until they become adults, leave their parents’ homes and renounce same gender relationships in their own right.
That would be a decision left up to lay leaders.
They clarified that while children of gay parents won’t be given the full spectrum of ordinances, they aren’t barred from attending worship services.
The Mama Dragons’ response ends with the following lines: “We know our Savior loves and accepts our children exactly as he created them and that he desires for them to have love and companionship”.
The agenda posted on the Facebook page notes they will have tables for people to submit letters of resignation from the church and official notaries will be on hand.
He said the furious blowback is leading to widespread speculation that church leaders are working on revisions to the policy, which was leaked to the public after being emailed to church leaders around the world.
“There was a need for a distinction to be made between what may be legal and what may be the law of the church and the law of the Lord”, he said.
She said at times they have even fared better.
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Earlier this year, Pope Francis said in a sermon that Roman Catholic priests should not refuse baptism to anyone who seeks the sacrament.
