Hundreds of Mormons mailed or handed in letters quitting the church to protest against a new policy barring children of married same-sex couples from being baptised until they are adults. Another protest, “The Utah Rally for Love, Equality, Family and Acceptance” is set for next Saturday in the same area. “The policy also marks the first time a Christian church has enshrined a baptismal ban on children of same-sex couples”, according to the HRC.
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“While it respects the law of the land, and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently, it does not perform or accept same-sex marriage within its membership”, the statement said.
Mormonism has more than 15 million members including 85,000 missionaries around the world.
The policy bans baptisms for children living with gay parents until they turn 18 years old and also makes gay marriage a sin worthy of expulsion.
Church leaders appeared to be trying to calm the waters at the end of last week, saying the new rulings only applied to children whose primary residence is with a same-sex couple.
A church spokesman said leaders hoped clarifications provided Friday about the policy changes would help those with questions.
Meanwhile, LDS leaders sought to clarify their November 5 policy update to its leadership handbook, which said children raised in a same-sex household may no longer be baptized while they are minors.
Previous amendments by the Church have shown their attitudes toward same-sex couples, such as the church’s support of California Proposition 8 in 2008, the Hawaii Constitutional Amendment 2 in 1998 and the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, Hwang said.
Kyler McGhee, a former Mormon, told KUTV that he feels “a sense of relief” about his decision to leave the church.
The latest controversy over gay marriage in the state comes days after a Utah judge ordered a child be removed from the custody of her lesbian foster parents. He plans to deliver the resignation letters symbolically to the LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City on Monday. They seem, by all accounts, to be because of a US Supreme Court deciding that made gay marriage legitimate across the nation in June.
They said the church is “holding firm to the doctrinal position of right and wrong” and extending love to all while its leaders navigate the complexities of diverse societies and rapidly changing social circumstances.
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An informal poll of people who had joined the event’s Facebook page revealed that the vast majority who were resigning Saturday or planned to mail in their letters later either marked “I haven’t believed [in church theology] for years” or were “Inactive”. They added that the children would not receive the full spectrum of ordinances, but could still attend services.
