She told Fox News: “I’m resigning today because Jesus says love everyone”.
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“This policy has reopened a lot of wounds that we’ve been trying to heal”, said Troy Williams, a gay man and former Mormon who serves as executive director of a prominent Utah LGTB group called Equality Utah.
It also means same-sex couples face disciplinary councils and possible excommunication. “Turning children away, asking them to disavow their parents, and devaluing the lives of same-sex couples and their families is shocking to people of faith committed to welcoming all God’s children”.
Decisions concerned such children, it added, should be made by local church leaders “with their prime consideration being the preparation and best interests of the child”. I guess the issue is they’re basically saying same sex couples aren’t fit to raise a child, and it’s more or less risky and it’s going to cause contention and break a family up if a child tries to get baptized. Church leaders said the policy was designed out of concern for the current and future well-being of children and the harmony of their home environment.
The church “does not perform or accept same-sex marriage within its membership”, he said.
Ive shed a few tears, said Kathy Franson, who said she had drifted from the church in large part because her son was gay.
Naugle said the church’s clarification did not stop the resignation requests coming into his email inbox.
Those who wanted to resign from the church presented their letters to Attorney Mark Naugle on Saturday, which he plans to bring in on Monday.
We perceive it as tearing families apart and making children choose a religion over their parents, said Brenner Zeller, 24.
Leah: “I’ve been inactive probably since when Prop 8 came out, is about when I started questioning my faith”. Mansfield said. “Even if you’re strictly within the church’s teachings, it still has been wounding to people across the spectrum in a way I could see stalling or ending these collaborative efforts”.
In explaining the policy changes, which appeared in a handbook sent out to congregation lay leaders, church officials said they needed to draw a line between civil laws that allow same-sex marriage and church doctrine, which does not.
During the event, the mailbox used to deposit the letters was overflowing, Parry said.
“I don’t know that there’s any precedent for this”, said Patrick Mason, professor of Mormon Studies at Claremont University.
Connie Walker, a straight mother of three, attended the rally and resigned from the Church.
Eric Loertscher couldn’t wait to leave the church.
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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”.
