Thousands of members of the Mormon Church resigned en-masse as a sign of protest against new rules that say children of LGBT couples will not be baptized until they become adults.
Last month, now-former members lined up in queues around tables that had been set up on the steps of the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as notaries and lawyers helped them fill up forms required to leave the organization. Apart from filling out forms to inform church officials of their resignations, some members also submitted letters expressing their disgust at the church’s new policy that declares homosexuality to be a renunciation of faith.
As such, any person claiming to be both Mormon and homosexual is subject to punishment under the new church rules that state their children will not be baptized until they become adults. The Mormon Church is notorious for keeping close tabs on its members and collecting an unbelievable amount of records on their lives and religious practices.
While many of those staging demonstrations outside the headquarters admitted to having stopped practicing Mormonism a long time ago, New York Times reported it was not until now that they considered leaving the church, since doing so requires each member to undergo a lengthy process, of which filling out forms is only the first step.
However, many members who turned up for the mass resignation said that the church had left them no choice, with its new policy tearing apart families and forcing children to choose between their parents and their religion.
Even though the Mormon Church has long opposed the idea of same-sex marriage, it has also offered support to fight discrimination against the LGBT community.
Eric Hawkins, a spokesperson for the church said, “We don't want to see anyone leave the Church, especially people who have been struggling with any aspect of their life. It's extremely important that our members read what leaders have said, and do not rely on other sources or interpretations or what people think they have said.”
The church has over 15 million members and as many as 85,000 missionaries functioning around the world. According to its new policy, children of same-sex couples are barred from being baptized in faith until they become adults, disavow same-sex marriage or cohabitation and leave their parents’ home.
Brooke Swallow, one of the organizers of the protest, said, “It is difficult for people to leave the Church. It takes people a long time to make this decision. It is a well-thought-out one and it is not taken lightly. The people in the Mormon Church are finding that this is not a Christ-centered policy. This is a policy that is about the people at the top, and their views and prejudices, and they are not thinking through what this will do long-term to families.”
Church leaders went on to clarify that the withholding of baptism would be applicable to only those children whose primary residence is with a same-sex couple. They also said that the provisions would not curtail the membership activities of those children who have already been baptized.
Earlier this year, the church said that it would support laws meant to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination with regards to housing and employment. But, the church also stressed at the time that sexual intercourse should take place only between a married couple and it would not recognize same-sex marriages.
Photo Credits: New York Times
