To Be Gay — And Mormon

Member Comments

• Posted By: JHCowboy @ 10/02/2008 5:51:45 PM

  Comment: I also need to add that the LDS treatment of its gay members is very arbitrary. One ward bishop treats a gay person with phobia and disdain while another will be very Christlike and supportive. Stuart Mattis's friend and bishop, Bishop Robert Rees is an incredible exception to the rule as he is truly the kind of pastor whom Christ envisioned to lead His sheep. Unfortunately men like Bishop Rees are rare in the LDS Church. Even he was not able to shield Stuart from the tyranny of the majority found within the LDS culture that still believes that there is some element of choice in a person's orientation. They also teach that if you fall in love with someone of the same gender (even kissing and holding hands) then you are on the slippery slope to serious transgression and sin. They have a very difficult time dealing with the curve ball of the same sex marriage changes found in other countries and in Massachusetts. That is one of the main reasons the LDS Church is fighting same sex marriage so forcefully and with such vigor. When all is said and done it is bigotry pure and simple to disallow two adults who want to marry and make that commitment. It is very wrong to force this kind of bigotry onto our society at large including people who are not religious and who do not believe the same way.

• Posted By: JHCowboy @ 10/02/2008 5:30:57 PM

  Comment: I am looking at the posts below and seeing yet again the pure denial and the dogmatic posturing that is going on with many Mormons who will not take their leaders to task on these issues. I grew up in the LDS Church and was inundated with the sea of ignorance about homosexuality within the Mormon Church. The most terrible damage that was done to me as an individual was in reading and internalizing the horrible things that were written about gay people in pamphlets like To Young Men Only and To The One both written by LDS Apostle Elder Boyd K. Packer and the chapter of President Spencer W. Kimball's book The Miracle of Forgiveness entitled The Crime Against Nature wherein Elder Kimball calls homosexuals "perverts". Obviously President Kimball was ignorant about these issues and indeed wished to help but due to this incredible ignorance and fear of learning the truth about these issues gay and lesbian Mormons (and their families and friends) suffered immeasurably. The LDS Church will still not take these documents out of circulation but have continued to print and distribute them. I received a copy of To The One from my Bishop only 2 years ago. Don't try to tell me that the Church is applauding gay people in their leadership positions, as celibate gay Latter-day Saints. Far too many Mormons just don't get it. They have absolutely no clue about what we go through and the fact that we only wish to be treated as equals in all aspects of life and that includes the ability to date and to find someone of our own gender to spend the rest of our life with. That is a God given blessing and it is one that the Church will one day have to face sooner or later.

• Posted By: mormonsoprano @ 07/03/2008 2:24:19 PM

  Comment: At no time did the Mormon church fail these young men! Even the author has admitted that the Bishop & family extended only love and support. The church has published extensive literature & created a video on this subject to help support those w/ same-gender attraction. The tragedy here is that loved ones failed to get him critical medical help for a case of severe depression, which could have eased his burden.