Mormons Plan Resignation From LDS Church Over Gay Marriage, Polygamy

[moonbladem]

SALT LAKE CITY, June 29 (Reuters) - Troubled by issues ranging from polygamy to gay marriage, several dozen Mormons plan to resign this weekend from the church en masse in an unusual public show of defiance in Salt Lake City

Comments

[popehippo]

Damn, this is kind of a big deal. I'm not sure how to voice it for those who haven't lived in UT for any period of time, but the best I can explain it is if you decided to move out of the country. Leaving the church is pretty much the same as being excommunicated, to the extent that you'll be removed from the scrolls. Essentially, in the belief, this pretty much bars you from heaven and makes you dead to the church. My stepdad is excommunicated from the Church, and even though he's not very religious, it still bothers him. It's pretty ingrained for Mormons to just go with the church as a whole, and ignore their personal feelings on things.

Bravo to them.

[moonshaz]

It would be very interesting to hear the insights of someone in his position.

[roseofjuly]

That's really nice for him. My childhood religion has a similar procedure of shunning people who have left, and I have gotten mixed reactions from different family members. My mother's side of the family supports me and I'm still involved with them, and my sister is with me now. My brother doesn't talk to me, and my dad's entire side of the family - including my grandparents - act like I don't exist.

[13chapters]

This is interesting. I'm not LDS (nor have I ever been), but I have some Mormon friends who clearly disagree with some aspects of LDS teaching but I can tell don't want to actually leave the church.

[fifthmorn]

As a feminist, I couldn't stand to be a part of the Mormon church. Their literal teachings stipulate that your sole purpose is to provide a family for your husband (because Mormons believe that you should have many children so as to provide a body for the many souls God has provided--which in many wards isn't exactly talked about as much because it's what the polygamists use as their excuse for having so many wives, but they still believe it), and to ensure that there is a meal on the table every day. They don't even bother to sugarcoat it. I was told that it will be great when I'm 18 and my fiancé will come back from his mission trip and we can get married and I have so many beautiful new souls to add to the world.

[13chapters]

The only other people I've known who were from LDS families who felt like you were totally inactive and anti-LDS in general. But I have friends who are still members of the church and seem to like it in general, but disagree with some of the platforms. Like, I don't really use Facebook anymore, but two of my HS friends who were both LDS once got into a very polite disagreement over LGBT rights. I was really happy to see that my friend Lori, whom I've always admired for being basically a really kind and thoughtful person, was defending gay rights against her co-religionist - even though it doesn't go along with church doctrine. (She lived in Utah for several years after she graduated from BYU, but eventually moved back here to California because she didn't like how conservative it is.) She's definitely not quite to the liberal feminist perspective, but I was kind of like "ah ha there are differences of opinions even among believing Mormons". It's kind of lulzy because the religion I don't practice is Judaism and Jews are like HELLO LET

[koshkabegemot]

I don't practice is Judaism and Jews are like HELLO LET'S ALL ARGUE ALL THE TIME

My family's Jewish so I can pretty much attest to this being true, even when the arguments aren't about religion. XD

[romp]

I respect that. They're not going to change the organization from within.

[lux_roark]

I've had so many people from my ward tell me to come back because there are liberal people within the church. I can't do it though. Not after all that crap happened with Prop 8 here in California. I became a member in November 2007 and left last July. It took me a very long time to finally get the courage to up and leave. We had the missionaries come by a few months back and they were shocked that someone willingly chose to leave the church.

[fifthmorn]

Yeahhhh, once you leave the church, they will not stop hounding you to come back. The fact that they have my birth certificate on record is still unsettling to me.

[lux_roark]

Someone from the church actually did call my husband today to find out if he'd be willing to help clean up the church tomorrow. I did talk to the Bishop though and requested that missionaries not come to our place to talk to us, which I hope actually works.

[fifthmorn]

They typically wait a period of time before trying again. I hope it works for you, darling.

[fifthmorn]

Gods I was baptised a LDS and went to church there starting again when I was around 12, because my mom wanted us to go again (since we went when I was very very young). My dad became a member of LDS when he was in his twenties, though apparently he liked how nice everyone was, compared to his upbringing in a very fire and brimstone kind of church in Alabama. After he died, my mom stopped taking us, and only after her divorce from my step-dad did we start going again. I honestly never felt more awkward in my life. Because I was a very...opinionated kid, and I am a very opinionated person still to this day, and my statements generally just got me punished by the church community. I hated going to Young Women's because I felt like they were trying to change me (which they were), I mean, they made me start cross stitching, and my 21st century little ass was not having any of that

[labelleizzy]

wow. that's some seriously organized stalking you've documented there.
=(

[fifthmorn]

I think what bothers me most is that if you meet one Mormon and tell them that you used to be LDS, they will immediately start this whole recruiting process all over again by giving the church your newest information. I specifically told this girl in high school that I wasn't interested in going back and she went and told her whole fucking ward of LDS members about me and like tried to convince me to come back during rehearsals and stuff and that basically ended any friendship we would've had. She went on to college at Brigham Young (of course) and got married her sophomore year, and now has three beautiful children, and is pregnant with her fourth. Which is what you're really trained for growing up in the LDS church as a woman. You're indoctrinated into believing that that is your purpose and that is what will and should make you happy. At least at my ward, other wards are less strict, and I think it also depends on your parents.

[corinn]

Holy crap! That's like religious stalking! I'd have flipped the fuck out if I was approached in a completely different country. Hooooly fuck. I hope you never hear from them again.