Mormon Church To Kids: Disavow Gay Parents To Join

Traditionally, the Mormon church baptizes its members at the age of eight. This is standard policy, as Mormon doctrine declares 8-years-old the “age of accountability,” and has been in place since the first Mormon church baptisms began back on May 15, 1829. That is, until November 5, 2015, when the Mormon church declared a change to their baptismal policy. CNN reports that now, if you’re a would-be Mormon who is the child of same-sex parents, you can’t be baptized into the Mormon church until you’re 18, out of your same-sex parent’s house, and willing to publicly disavow their “lifestyle.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nue5MyfMeXg

The Mormon church updated their Handbook 1 policy this week. The Handbook is used to help lay leaders within the Mormon religion enforce church policy.

The Mormon church has an extensive history of opposing homosexuality in general, same-sex marriage particular. The Mormon leadership publicly and controversially funded (to the tune of $35 million) California’s “Prop 8” back in 2008. The ballot measure, which would have defined marriage as only existing between one man and one woman in the state passed, but it was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2010.

Mormon church leadership was quick to defend its stance on the children of same-sex couples, which comes in addition to labeling their parents “apostates” (people who renounce a religious or political belief or principle). They said that the recent addendum to their “Handbook 1” is in accordance with established Mormon church policy.

“While it respects the law of the land, and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently, it does not perform or accept same-sex marriage within its membership.”

While most people readily understand a religious group distancing itself from same-sex marriage, it’s the fact that the Mormon church has decided to distance itself from the children of same-sex couples that’s seemingly ruffled so many feathers. The Mormon church is abandoning nearly 200 years of established policy to deny 8-year-olds, considered to be of “the age of accountability,” when they belong to opposite-gendered parents, to access to their religion. The organization isn’t even bothering to call the situation a “divine revelation,” to which the Mormon church attributed changes in doctrine that prohibited the “Principle of Plural Marriage” (widespread polygamy, practiced by 20-30 percent of Mormon men) in 1890, as well as to their policy which, prior to 1978, prevented African American men from holding the “priesthood” within the church.

Rather, the Mormon church is calling this a “policy” manual update.

Not surprisingly, public outcry against this sentiment by the Mormon church has been extensive. However, Mormon church leaders have come forth to defend this action, according to AJC. Members of the Mormon church leadership, including Elder D. Todd Christofferson, have unequivocally stood by the Mormon church’s very-publicized decision.

“With the Supreme Court’s decision in the United States there was a need for a distinction to be made between what may be legal and what may be the law of the church. … It’s a matter of understanding right and wrong. It’s a matter of a firm policy that doesn’t allow for question or doubt.”

The Mormon church, some of its more devout members, and many conservative members of the public, have steadfastly stood by the Mormon church’s outspoken and controversial stance on not just gay marriage, but gay households and the children of same-sex couples. The LGBT community and its supporters, though, are vehemently opposed to this policy update. They feel that this is an example of a religion targeting children, and many have come forward on social media and elsewhere to express their disgust with the Mormon church on this issue.

@thinkprogress @lousycanuck "Hey, you can be the god of your own world, but LGBT couples are just *weird*!" SMH at the Mormons.

— BMK (@CanonicalKoi) November 7, 2015

Mormon church bans same-sex couples. Smashing the hopes of gay people everywhere who grew up dreaming of a fabulous Mormon wedding.

— Bobbie Oliver AmazonPrimeGreatestHits (@thebobbieoliver) November 6, 2015

In addition to the general U.S. populous being angry about this recent (but not really recent) stance by the Mormon church, members of the church are orchestrating mass resignations in protest of the Mormon church’s recent publicity in the name of denouncing same-sex marriage, Fox 13 Now reports. Even more events where people can renounce their Mormon church membership en masse are in the cards in the immediate future, including one that will take place in Salt Lake City on November 14.

So, what does this mean for the future of the Mormon church in Utah and around the world? Since the late 1800’s, the membership of the Mormon church has expanded from one man with extraordinary claims to roughly 15 million people. The Mormon church has been in the media a lot in recent years, from their failed attempt to thwart gay marriage in California and their failed attempt to prevent gay marriage from becoming legal in Utah, to their failed attempt to get Mormon presidential candidate (Mitt Romney) into the White House, and their current situation targeting children of same-sex couples (whether those couples are legally married or not). Only time will tell whether the most recent Mormon church publicity will help or hurt the highly-lucrative organization.

One thing’s for sure, though. The U.S. public, especially the LGBT community, isn’t going to let the Mormon church affront the children of same-sex couples without a fight.

[Image Courtesy of George Frey/Getty Images]