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Old-Timer wrote:
I also have four children who have been actively involved in theatre – and it’s really hard to be homophobic in that arena.
Right! And you know, the thing is that millenials and younger are generally perplexed why anyone would be homophobic. The rising generations is very open and accepting of other people. 40 years from now, everyone who is still working will be a millenial or younger, and us older folks will have a marginalized impact on society, including Church society. And many of us who are still around will also be accepting of other people (millenials didn’t invent this, after all, they just expanded it).I was teaching in High Priests a few months ago and I mentioned about the church’s official MormonsAndGays.org web site. I looked at one of the older guys in the ward and he had a sad depressed look on his face. I remembered that about 3 years ago he was teaching this same group and pulled out some 1980’s ensign article on Gays and even went way beyond what that was saying. It was to the point that one of the HP’s said, “I would appreciate if you would stick to the manual” and walked out. I found out he had a gay brother. Now I am trying to nudge some things along and I realized at that moment that as many times I cringe at what I hear at church, I just did the same thing to him. Now of course I feel I am in the right and where the church is going, but my words still hurt him and he is a GOOD man – very loving and always ready to serve. LookingHard wrote:I was teaching in High Priests a few months ago and I mentioned about the church’s official MormonsAndGays.org web site. I looked at one of the older guys in the ward and he had a sad depressed look on his face. I remembered that about 3 years ago he was teaching this same group and pulled out some 1980’s ensign article on Gays and even went way beyond what that was saying. It was to the point that one of the HP’s said, “I would appreciate if you would stick to the manual” and walked out. I found out he had a gay brother. Now I am trying to nudge some things along and I realized at that moment that as many times I cringe at what I hear at church, I just did the same thing to him. Now of course I feel I am in the right and where the church is going, but my words still hurt him and he is a GOOD man – very loving and always ready to serve.
LH, thanks for sharing this. It’s a good reminder that we need to be careful to strike a resonant, rather than dissonant chord when we present ‘opposing’ views.LookingHard wrote:I was teaching in High Priests a few months ago and I mentioned about the church’s official MormonsAndGays.org web site. I looked at one of the older guys in the ward and he had a sad depressed look on his face. I remembered that about 3 years ago he was teaching this same group and pulled out some 1980’s ensign article on Gays and even went way beyond what that was saying. It was to the point that one of the HP’s said, “I would appreciate if you would stick to the manual” and walked out. I found out he had a gay brother. Now I am trying to nudge some things along and I realized at that moment that as many times I cringe at what I hear at church, I just did the same thing to him. Now of course I feel I am in the right and where the church is going, but my words still hurt him and he is a GOOD man – very loving and always ready to serve.
Who is the “he” in the line “I found out he had a gay brother”. was it the instructor, or the guy that walked out? I’m confused.
The guy that walked out. Sorry for the confusion. Ann wrote:On Own Now wrote:Love is conquering all.
I have yet to introduce myself, I promise I will soon. This sentence I just had to comment on, and brought sudden profound meaning to me, and reminds me love has the power to conquer all, thanks!
Yonni, Just wanted to welcome you. I look forward to your introduction and to your added voice here.
I do believe, as Ann said, that love is the basis for the way forward. I’ve noticed a clear drop in the anti-gay-marriage rhetoric at Church in the last few years. I believe it has far more to do with the compassionate nature of members of the Church than with the Church’s stance. In fact, I believe that there has been such a shift recently, that when the Church talks about its position on same sex marriage, I think it is talking more to the members than the outside world.
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