Latter Gay Saints

The president of Boy Scouts of America is now pushing to allow open, avowed, and practicing homosexual adults into its leadership ranks.  This just after promising its supporters only a couple years ago that allowing gay scouts to participate would not change its longstanding policy to NOT allow gay adult leaders.  This of course to protect its Scouts.  Some may wonder why the sudden change in sentiment from the BSA’s own top leader.  BSA President Robert Gates explained why in this recent Reuters piece:

Dozens of states – from New York to Utah (i.e. the LDS church) – are passing laws that protect employment rights on the basis of sexual orientation… Thus, between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the Boy Scouts of America finds itself in an unsustainable position. (my emphasis added)

So apparently the LDS Church’s push for pro-LGBT legislation in Utah is now actually being used to make the argument that it will soon no longer be legal to continue discriminatory hiring practices based on a person’s sexual orientation.  This, despite the BSA having won numerous previous Supreme Court cases (see BSA v. Dale as one example) upholding its inherent rights of conscience in such matters.  Cases, I’ll add, which were all up-ended when the church and the BSA decided to change the status quo.

What an ironic twist.  This reminds me of what Mater Oogway tells Mater Shifu in Kung Fu Panda:  “One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.”

It will be interesting to see what the church does now, since its own argument to continue supporting BSA was based on not allowing gay leaders.

In other news from a couple weeks ago, it appears that church-owned BYU and other religious organizations may soon also find that they can no longer remain tax exempt if they teach against and/or oppose same sex marriage.  During Supreme Court arguments recently:

Justice Alito posed a predictable, but revealing question to Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, Jr., in the recent Supreme Court same-sex marriage oral argument: “In the Bob Jones case, the court held that a college was not entitled to tax exempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating. So would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same-sex marriage?”  Verrilli replied that he would need to know more specifics, but allowed that “it’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that.”

I would only hope that religious organizations and their members will metaphorically tie themselves to trees as these things continue.

More than 40,000 people have recently signed a petition vowing civil disobedience if the Supreme Court votes in favor of Federally legalized gay marriage.  You can find that here.  Big names like former presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum; Rabbi-turned Christian Preacher and author, Jonathan Cahn; The Duggar Family; James Dobson, and many many more.  But, as far as I can tell, no LDS leader has signed the pledge on behalf of the church.  To be fair, the church did sign another pledge, but not one vowing civil disobedience, and certainly not one it authored.  In fact, President Monson did not even sign this pledge on behalf of the church.  Bishop Stevenson did.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve signed the pledge to defend marriage AND I WILL CIVILLY DISOBEY if ever put in such a situation as a church leader or as a lay citizen.  Folks, despite what some LDS people may be saying, same sex marriage being forced upon the church and in our schools and work places is a tie yourself to a tree issue!  At this point, I simply don’t care if you disagree.  Congratulations Steve and Barbara Young.  We may soon have gay sealings in the temple just as you are pushing for.  Unless of course we oppose the new laws and are forced to change from a non-profit entity to an official business structure.  In that case, I sure hope the church is able to figure out a way to pay its taxes especially given that tithing is likely to drop when no longer a deductible expense.

Once as a bishop while conducting opening exercises in priesthood meeting, I asked those in attendance if anyone had any missionary experiences during the week.  A brother raised his hand and shared how the controversy of Phil Robertson (from Duck Dynasty) surrounding his statement on gays that particular week had actually opened the door to a discussion with co-workers about what the church believes about chastity and traditional values.  I thanked this brother for his example and said something like:

Brethren, when it comes to these issues, we are all Duck Dynasty.  I encourage everyone to continue standing up for important traditional values, even if unpopular in the world.  That to me, is being a good missionary.

After we dismissed, a general authority from our ward asked to see me in the bishop’s office.  He started with a pause accompanied with a very stern look.  He then proceeded to warn me to “not get ahead of the Brethren on these issues.”  He said, “Things are changing in the church and it’s important we await further direction from the prophets.”

Interestingly, in 2008, this same ward member had shared an experience in priesthood meeting regarding Prop 8.  His lesson and statement was in my mind when I said what I did while conducting that Sunday.  This Elder shared that at that time he had met with a Jewish leader who told the Mormon church and the media during the very difficult moments of Prop 8:  “When it comes to this issue, we are all Mormon!”  He then proceeded to tell us how important it was for the church and its members to continue fighting on these eternally important issues.

But now, only a few years later, the same church leader was warning me as his bishop to “not get ahead of the brethren” as the church “upgrades” its position.  Who would have ever thought that the church’s very push to save us from gay marriage would possibly end up encouraging it?

I have to admit that when I see such obvious flip flopping by the church with such dire outcomes, comments such as these from Denver Snuffer are very compelling:

There are changes presently underway that are going to jar the LDS community more and more in the coming years.  If you are not prepared to preserve what has been given, everything will be lost in what will soon happen…  Everyone of you has some issue that you would say to yourself, “if this,” then I would no longer follow.  (Denver Snuffer, Mesa Lecture, September 9, 2014)

The church’s push to protect the rights of those practicing an immoral lifestyle all while hoping to somehow protect religious freedoms demonstrates to me they are lacking in moral judgment, inspiration and leadership.  If this continues at this pace, I will not leave church — the church will leave me.