Mormon's Dilemma.

The "Prophet" Mormon from the
Book of  Mormon , here depicted  by LDS
art .  Mormon here prays over the
Gold bible. The Church that is
symbolically named after him
has created a dilemma. 

The Founding Fathers has a reason to "separate the Church and State ". Religion can be a bad thing , but to keep it out of politics that can be a "good thing" as well.  This week was a rib-biting week from the most (1)>> powerful  political church of all . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . (The Mormon's) I personally like Mormon's , and I have many friends who are . I never have agreed with any policy that willfully discriminates against another person . I don't want to bash the Mormon's but in all honest analysis over the last decade of politicizing that " Marriage is between a Man and a Woman" . The paramount shelling out of millions of dollars to create anti- LGBT legislation may have backfired on the "church" .  (2)>>Remember Prop 8 ?  The churches involvement there may have , through their  anti-gay  involvement may have fueled the nation  Supreme Court  to uphold same -sex marriage . The Church shot it's self in the foot in the worst political style in years . In plain English the Mormon church helped legalize gay marriage by being against it publicly.    The sane -sex marriage thing has become a "thorn" in the eye of  (3)>> some Christian sects who support family values . I rest my case as. (3a)>> I said before that Homosexuality is a Evolutionary dead end . It takes a male and female to make a child . I PERSONALLY don't care what you do in the bedroom , my politics are out of the your  bedroom , it's your life . Now on the discrimination thing , recently as this week the Mormon church possibly issued one of it's worst pronouncements , and I think the church should "reverse" this, re-evaluate  its policy toward children of same sex couples.The church will have to clarify whether the person "living in a same-gender relationship" is the parent or the child. If they don't, the 'leadership roulette' so often decried in online forums will extend to who gets baptized, etc. It's not the children's choice if their parents are gay. And it's not the parents choice. Why deny them happiness of the Spirit when they have been given something they cannot control.  If this is the worst possible form of dogmatic discrimination that is not even based on any (4)>> LDS "scriptures".

So the New Policy goes :

 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has introduced new policies that classify members in same-sex marriages as apostates. Their children will not be permitted to be blessed or baptized until they turn 18 and get permission from church leaders. The face that it involves "innocent children" in church "discipline" is by my standard a bit asinine. A matter a fact it sound more like a tight lipped  bureaucracy than a biblical antidote for "compassion" . Before the handbook change, bishops and congregational leaders had more discretion in whether or how far to discipline Mormons in same-sex marriages. Now same-sex marriage has been added to a list of conditions considered apostasy, which means Mormons in same-sex marriages will be subject to disciplinary hearings that could result in excommunication.  The new policy also presents a dilemma among Mormons to conduct a "witch hunt" of sorts of suspected "gays" who attend the church or Wards .  While that arrangement has been elevated to the status of 'apostasy,' the punishment (excommunication) will be pretty much the same, even while it may make it clearer to leaders how they should respond if they suspect gay and lesbian couples in their midst.  Even if your not gay , but act a bit weird you can be punished. The handbook revisions also for the first time list being in a same-sex relationship as an offense that can lead to being ousted from the religion. This is a category known as apostasy, which until now has been reserved primarily for people who practice polygamy, teach inaccurate doctrine or publicly defy guidance to church leaders.  However, as a society, we legally and culturally place children in a different category from adults, giving them unique rights and protections, as well as limiting other rights and responsibilities. In this case, it seems to me the Mormons are visiting the "sins" of the parents on the children, and while such may not be illegal, it feels morally wrong, un-American, or some pejorative I have yet to be clear about. 

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(1)>> Powerful Church(es). Have existed for a thousand years , for America two Churches occupy the political system in the last 50 years . The Roman Catholic Church , and the Mormon's . Perhaps as a consequence, a growing share of the American public wants religion to play a role in U.S. politics. The share of Americans who say churches and other houses of worship should express their views on social and political issues is up 6 points since the 2010 midterm elections , Political information from clergy, small groups, and social networks flows plentifully in churches, but individuals process that information differently depending on their motivations related to their status in the church. (2)>> Remember Prop 8 ."In 2008, it provided volunteers and monetary support to help pass the Proposition 8 ballot initiative barring same-sex marriage in California."Its seems they didn't get that message. The church has lobbied against laws legalizing same-sex unions, but has also in recent years supported laws intended to protect gay people from discrimination. In March, leaders at the church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City helped to pass a bill known as the “Utah compromise,” which bans discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in housing and employment but protects religious institutions that do not condone gay relationships. At the same time, the church has recently been taking a tolerant public stance supportive of laws that ban discrimination against gay people in employment and housing. Since the Supreme Court established a right to same-sex marriage nationwide in June, Mormon leaders have parted company with the leaders of evangelical and other conservative churches by affirming that despite their religious convictions, even people of faith opposed to gay marriage must follow the law. (3)>> some Christian sects  Well, the Mormons are certainly going to be marginalizing themselves with this move. I hate to be the bearer of bad news to them, but U.S. society has answered this question - same sex marriage is now favored by 59% of adults (as opposed to 30% against, which represents a doubling of support from just 13 years ago), it is also now legal in every state; politicians (including most nationally prominent Republicans) have stopped making sport of opposing same-sex marriage, and other churches, including the Episcopal/Anglican Church, the Luther Church, many Presbyterian denominations, Methodists, many Congregationalists, including Quakers, Mennonites, United Church, Unitarian Universalists (of course); and many, many others.(3a)>>Procreation through homosexuality is impossible. Don't you have to procreate to evolve? More self-defeating theories and beliefs from the left?   Going by evolution, which dictates that all things done MUST be out of self-survival or survival of the species, it makes no sense. Evolution would require homosexuality to decrease in a society, and NOT  increase in society . Only a small percentage of humans are homosexual. And the species is in no danger of fading out. There are some heterosexual people who are sterile too, not to mention some who just don't choose to have children is the  point? With out straight people Gay's would not exist .  (4)>> LDS "scriptures". There is no support for this policy in LDS Bible, or Standard Works . The first thing to understand in this discussion ( as regards to what we Presume is part of Christian belief)  Even some staunch Latter-day Saints remain confused about the policy for children. Various posts on social media questioned how the new policy does not contradict the church’s second Article of Faith, which states, “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.”