I am a Mormon since birth. I was a missionary in Colombia for two years. Now I am a firefighter in Texas. I have been more or less inactive in my church for about 15 years. I am struggling to return to regular participation. My wife is Catholic.
This article came to mind by reading droogie6655321's You Ain't Alone
I am pro choice and pro gay marriage. The main reason I haven't been going to church is that I have a hard time stomaching all the republic party wackos that go to church with me. It wasn't always this way. Once upon a time, many, if not most Mormons were Democrats. In recent years, I wouldn't even let them into my house or call me. Now I will say that I had a very positive experience growing up in the church. I became a liberal when I came to Texas and roomed with two liberal Mormons at U of Texas.
The LDS articles of Faith include #12 - "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."
This includes the right to equal protection and the part in the lil ol’ Declaration of Independence called the pursuit of happiness. Here, I think the church has crossed the line. I disagree with them. I support my gay friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans in their seeking of the same liberties that I have. I am married and have one child. I know other now Ex-Mormons that have left the church for these and other reasons of conscience. I have not reached that point, but I have been inactive in part because of these issues. I want to go to church again for familial and spiritual reasons. I do feel conflicted. The Mormon Church is not a democracy. Advocating for change will most likely only get you kicked out of the church, and I don’t want that for me. It is a conflict, but one that I am choosing to live with. I will march with you, advocate for you, but I can’t give up my church membership for you. You are what you are; part of me is being a Mormon. Forgive me for settling on being conflicted. I have many gay friends, neighbors, and workmates, (all the out gays in my department are women, all the gay males are closeted to my knowledge, the fire service is still in many ways an intolerant boys club.)
I think you (droogie6655321) responded correctly to the missionaries. I might just have sprayed them. I wouldn't have, but I would have thought about it.
My take is this. The church has the right to not allow gay marriage inside the church. It has the right to excommunicate people for adultery, fornication, homosexual activity, blasphemy, bigamy, pissing on the front lawn of the temple, or whatever other rules they want to establish for membership in the church. When you get baptized, you agree to these rules. If you don't want to follow these dictates, don't join and this goes for any other church. What I disagree with is along your lines, don't interfere in the lives of people that choose not to join your church.
When it comes to abortion, the Church’s policy is to allow exceptions for rape, incest, and to protect the physical or mental health of the mother. These exceptions make Mormons pariahs in the anti-choice crowd, we are way too tolerant and forgiving, not really really really pro-life enough.
My personal belief is that the "spirit" doesn’t enter the fetus until about 12 weeks, the "quickening". This is not Mormon doctrine, but I don’t think life begins at conception, and I do think that a woman has the right to choose to control her body. Mormons oppose abortion in part because we believe spirits exist before birth and all spirits have a right to get a physical body. Abortion truncates this experience. Whether or not a given spirit would have a chance to enter another body, I don’t know. If you wanna talk about potential life, we’ed end up singing Every Sperm is Sacred and watching Monty Python. This is another conflict in me. I also don’t think God is a Republican, which is why I get into a lot of grief at church. I do think one can be liberal and a Mormon. There are many pro choice Catholics.
I think Bush is way more evil than abortion. He is responsible for hundreds of thousands of truncated lives.
Thank you Kos Community for letting me rant. I love this place. Mainly a lurker, I have been rec’ed once. I feel for my friends in California, someday will come sooner than later. Texas pretty much sucks in this regard. One of my liberal firefighter friends just retired and moved to Vermont. Maybe there his vote will count. Obama has disappointed me in this regard, and with DADT. I am still positive on the Obama guy though.
I very much sympathize with scribe in her article
From a Sad (and Glad) Gay Elder
I ask scribe, am I wrong to maintain my membership in my church? I love the Gospel, I think it is beautiful, and I don't want to be outside it. I know you did what you had to do? Is my choice wrong? I don't think so.
UPDATE
Thanks. This made the Rec List. For about 5 minutes. Shortest Rec'ed Diary Ever.