I thought this article was interesting. I actually found it on a gossip site!
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The strong backlash against the LDS Church over Proposition 8 is taking a new twist. LDS members - sometimes whole LDS families - say they are now leaving the Church because of its opposition to same-sex marriage.
On just one anti-prop 8 website, they reportedly number in the hundreds. Some say they've already resigned; others are apparently about to.
Linda Stay from St. George is one of those resigning from the LDS Church, and is doing so because the Church opposes gay marriage, like the one her son Tyler is in.
Andrew Callahan, a LDS member who has been very vocal speaking out against Prop 8, told ABC 4, "It's very clear to me that many, many people are resigning over this gay marriage issue and the Church's involvement in it."
Now, the last time Utah saw Andrew Callahan, he was delivering anti-Prop 8 petitions to the LDS Church in October, but now, on Callahan's website, “Signing for Something,” there is a new section.
It's reserved for those resigning from or leaving the LDS Church.
And Callahan tells the story of one heartbroken LDS woman in California.
"She doesn't want to be associated with the bigotry and she doesn't want, in any way, to be responsible for teaching the young children to be bigots," said Callahan.
Callahan estimates on his website he's heard from hundreds of resigned or resigning LDS members.
This includes not just Linda Stay but also nine other members of her family.
Callahan also says it includes his 16-year-old daughter but not yet him.
He says, "I am disgusted as everyone else, but, because they asked me to resign, I don't want them to feel they got what they wanted."
And Callahan's website also includes a link to something called mormonnomore.com.
This site includes step by step instructions for leaving the LDS faith.
Now, perhaps, some of the LDS members leaving the church would have done so anyway, but Callahan says since the Salt Lake Temple protest Friday, more than 200 LDS members on his website have made it clear they're now resigning as well.
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=ccfb0624-e720-4504-be2d-5e8c1d6dba1d
For more information go to www.whatisprop8.com
Posts
7 comments:
this makes me sad.
That is unfortunate. I hope they fully understand what they're doing - when people leave the Church, they tend to not leave quietly, and their decision to turn away from the prophet will affect generations. How sad!
What I find really weird is that they didn't already understand the church's position on homosexuality. It has been clear for quite some time (like since The Family: A Proclamation to the World was released in 1995) that the church doesn't condone or support homosexual relationships. It is VERY sad though. You know those people will regret it later, maybe not in this life, but eventually.
I didn't know you could "resign" from the church. I know you can ask to have your name removed from the records. Maybe that's what they are referring to?
It is very sad to see people leave the church. But like it was said in the post before, the church made their stand on marriage in 1994 (?) with The Proclamation, so this should not be a big surprise.
http://makemyvotecount.blogspot.com
I was thinking about this the other day when I read a comment on another site where a lady said she was leaving the church and was trying to convince as many other people as she could to leave with her in order to somehow hurt the church by lowering its membership numbers. She seemed to have the idea that the General Authorities are somehow really proud of the numbers of members and that by getting a lot of people to leave over this they would somehow wake up and abandon their position. Her comments made me think of a statement made by President Faust while I was a missionary that I've never forgotten...I looked it up though to get the wording right. In a conference address entitled "The Shield of Faith" he said:
"I wish to sound a voice of warning to this people. I solemnly declare that this spiritual kingdom of faith will move forward with or without each of us individually. No unhallowed hand can stay the growth of the Church nor prevent fulfillment of its mission. Any of us can be left behind, drawn away by the seductive voices of secularism and materialism."
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=cc346a4430c0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
Unfortunately these folks are only hurting themselves and it's very sad that they're choosing to leave the prophet's side to go it on their own. Hopefully they'll realize what they've given up some day soon and come on back.
Sad, yes. Anyone looking for a support group to justify their own decision to leave the church, though, should take a serious look in the mirror. Best of luck to them. We'll be here if they want to come back.
I commend these ex-members. I too was once the member of a church, and left once I learned the truth. These ex-mormons reached their tipping point and bravely left the church that showed itself to surely not be the voice of any loving god.
Post a Comment