Even Time Wears Down Stone: The Case for Change

[_moksha]

I didn't want to sidetrack BC's thread about the immutable LDS stance against homosexuality, so I will add those ideas here.

Time Magazine has and interesting study about the biggest gap in America being not the economic divide between the haves and have nots, but instead the generationally different attitudes and beliefs of the young and the old.

In particular, the young have a vastly different attitude on the issue of homosexuality and the acceptability of gay marriage than the old. Translated into Mormon terms, there is a huge disparity between what the Millennial Generation (1990 to present) subscribes to regarding the acceptability of homosexuality and what the Silent Generation (1920 to 1945) of Church General Authorities decrees.

How can insistence on an immutable policy forever stand when the young will vote with their feet?

.

[_SteelHead]

Agua mole em pedra dura tanto bate ate que fura.

[_Some Schmo]

How can insistence on an immutable policy forever stand when the young will vote with their feet?

Because it's as immutable as the priesthood ban for blacks. God's just biding his time until man is ready for this glorious revelation. It should happen about 10 years after gay marriage is legal country-wide.

[_Fence Sitter]

I do not see the LDS church changing it's "policy" due to membership loss. It will happen if the public opinion changes to the point where it is no longer acceptable, even for religious reasons, to discriminate against GLBT.

[_bcspace]

How can insistence on an immutable policy forever stand when the young will vote with their feet?

It depends on whether or not one believes the Church to be true. If one does, then one will wait for God to make changes. If one doesn't, then what's the point of having a Church at all? Regulating the consumption of green Jello?

[_Sethbag]

The problem with "waiting for God to make changes" is that God doesn't exist, and therefore if you wait for him, you'll be waiting for a very long time.

In the case of the priesthood ban on blacks, it took all the way up until 1978 with God making nary a peep about this to his VP of Operations on Earth before the Prophets, Seers, and Revelators finally decided to ask for the change themselves. So they gathered together, proposed the change, they all felt OK about it, and presto! they had God's OK on it.

When a generation of LDS leaders willing to look each other in the eyes and ask, openly, aloud, how they feel about changing their policies with respect to the gays, then it will happen. So long as they merely "wait for God to make a change" they'll be waiting a very, very long time indeed.

[_moksha]

... then what's the point of having a Church at all?

To help us on our spiritual journey and when I say us, I mean the Big Us with welcoming arms outstretched for all.

Regulating the consumption of green Jello?

No matter how you regulate Jell-O it always finds some wiggle room.