Thursday, November 12, 2015

Suffer The Little Children To Come Unto Me

I keep thinking about this new ruling or revelation or addition to the handbook or whatever the fuck they call it that the Mormon leadership came out with this week. In case you've been under a rock, what it says is basically that any Mormon children who live even part time in the house of a gay couple cannot be blessed or baptized in the church until they turn 18 and denounce their parents' sin. Also, that any practicing homosexual (what is it with homosexuals that they are always considered to be practicing? can't they ever perfect that thing?) will be considered an apostate which means they're excommunicated from the church.
Here's a website from the church which explains it all, should you be interested.
And a video, as well!
The dude on it is Elder D. Todd Christofferson who looks like this.


Sweet little old grandpa. Who said, and I quote:

"We regard same-sex marriage as a particularly grievous or significant, serious kind of sin that requires Church discipline. It means the discipline is mandatory — doesn’t dictate outcomes but it dictates that discipline is needed in those cases. It’s a statement to remove any question or doubt that may exist. We recognize that same-sex marriages are now legal in the United States and some other countries and that people have the right, if they choose, to enter into those, and we understand that. But that is not a right that exists in the Church. That’s the clarification."

So this ruling on the grievous sin of homosexuality is going to set children against parents, parents against children, friends against friends, family against family. And will make gay members feel shamed and dirty and most definitely unable to get their own private planet after they die. 

To be honest- at the very core of it, there will be absolutely no member of the Church of Latter Day Saints who will remain completely unaffected by this. EVERYONE knows a gay person. Every family in history has had gay people in it, whether they knew it or not. 

When the ruling became public, I read it and did what I always do when some major religion comes out with some new crap and just disregarded it. But for some reason, I can't let this one go. I have at least two friends (in real life and on FB) who are former members of the LDS church who are gay. They voluntarily gave up their membership years ago but in their hearts, they, like all of us, long to be accepted by the people they love. And they are in pain because quite frankly, if their loved ones come out in support of them, they are disregarding and disobeying the teachings of their church. And it's a powerful church. They have, according to their own website, fifteen million, three hundred and seventy-two thousand, three hundred and thirty-seven members. The income that the church reaps from its many, many businesses is in the billions of dollars. They are, in fact, the largest private land-owner in Florida. Some estimates say that the LDS church owns 2% of Florida's lands. 

An article from Bloomberg online explains how the church has become so very profitable. 
Here's one quote:

"To understand DMC’s place in the church’s financial structure, it’s important to start at the very top: The Mormon Church is owned and run by what is called the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This entity is a “corporation sole,” which is an obscure legal body owned entirely by one person. In the case of the Mormon Church, that person is Monson, the prophet."

Here's a picture of the prophet. 

Another sweet old grandpa. 
And of course, because it's a church, all the revenue is tax-free.

So fine. They can scam the system any way they want. They can bilk and bully and seduce and fear-monger all the gullible people they can convince that they will live in eternity if they follow the rules and tithe 10% of their income and I'm like- whatever. As Kathleen used to say, humans are not descended from the apes but from the sheep. They can convince women that they aren't worthy of holding the priesthood and they can wear all the magical underwear they want. 
But listen- when they start claiming that homosexuality is a grievous sin which requires church discipline, I become enraged. 

The one thing I always thought that the Mormons got right was family. 
Well, they just destroyed that notion. 

And again, it would all be fine if the members of the church hadn't been indoctrinated since birth about the importance of the church and all of its rulings to the point where all that bullshit, hocus-pocus, motherfucking CRAP didn't take precedence over the most natural and elemental feelings of all which is love for one's family and friends, to the point where children and parents must renounce each other to remain in the good graces of the community. 

It makes me sick. 

I will never in my life understand why people believe in the pie-in-the-sky, faith-'til-you-die rules of religions. But the fact is, that they do. 

And in the name of their own cherished gods, they deny their very human existence and purpose. Not to mention their children. 

How do they sleep? 

Not very well, I am hoping, but frankly, I think that they sleep just fine, wrapped in the holy magical underwear of their belief, not even wondering how many suicides are going to result from this ruling, how many families are going to be split apart, how many innocent children are going to suffer. 

Religion. Yeah. 

No. 

Yours truly but not in Christ...Ms. Moon





18 comments:

  1. brainwashing in the extreme, some are born into it , it is all they know. They are terrified. Religion is pretty much fear based isn't it. Crazy fucks!

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  2. *big sad sigh* Just religion telling people how to live their lives. Keeping us in chains by telling us everything we do and think is wrong. Where is the Love in all of this? I am (according to some) one of those simple-minded people that believe in a God but this is not at all the God I hope exists. I am not kidding, Ms. Moon, this is the reason I stopped going to church. It all became too much. I repeatedly had people telling me that "my righteousness was as filthy rags". So even when I did try to do right it was a pile of shit in God's eyes anyway.
    How can a church with so many members say this and NOBODY in the church is standing up and saying, "Hey, this is wrong"?
    I think I am going to go to bed now and sleep for 11 hours.

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  3. This subject is so utterly worthy of an enraged rant. I am glad that you are doing this because I believe I've exerted myself enough in the angry category for one week. In all seriousness, I adore you when you speak like this -- not just because I am in agreement but because you do it so well, so passionately and so righteously. Plus that whole thing about the Mormons' particular strength in upholding families -- blown sky high with this ruling. And so, so stupid to boot.

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  4. It's impossible to see any Christ at all in religions like this. Profits not prophets, yep.

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  5. This stuff just does my head in .....

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  6. Just one more "keep out" sign on the Mormon tabernacle door.

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  7. I'm pretty sure we've perfected it!

    Seriously, bravo for the well-deserved rant. I sort of reacted the way you initially did, just shrugged it off as more of the same BS. I don't get what's so "grievous" about homosexuality. Even if I were to accept the idea that it's a sin -- which I do not -- in the pantheon of sins, it seems pretty minor.

    And let's face it, the Mormons have always been obsessed with procreation -- hence the multiple wives and huge families. Since Joseph Smith they've been primarily focused on creating more Mormons. I'm sure that makes being gay even more dire in their minds, since gay couples can't biologically procreate.

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  8. I've been to the walled-off Mormon church grounds in Utah, approached by the doe-eyed blonde sisters, stunned by the sheer size and seeming perfection of this giant church. Incidentally, you can't go into the church unless you are Mormon. Step outside the walls and white shirted men with ties walk righteously past scads of homeless people in 40C heat, paying no mind whatsoever. To hear that they want to treat gay family members with the same dismissive attitude is not shocking.
    People hide behind religion to justify their own shitty behavior and holy shit, it seems like it's happening more and more! It's disgusting.

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  9. Linda Sue- It would all be funny if so many people didn't believe in the church. But they do and it is not funny.

    Birdie- I do not think you are simple-minded at all for believing in God. We all believe in some sort of higher power. For me, it is what is all around me- that which I can see and feel and touch. But you're right. Just one more example of people trying to control others. I think a lot of Mormons ARE standing up and saying, "This is too much." I hope so.

    Elizabeth- I swear- the fire in my belly has mostly smoldered down to coals but every once in a while, something happens to fan the flames. This ruling did that.

    Joanne- Amen indeed.

    Jo- Exactly. And in the case of the Mormons- Profits for Prophets!

    Leisha- I know. It's like...how can people believe in this shit?
    But they do.

    Angella- So true. The precious tabernacle.

    Steve Reed- I had a feeling you may have perfected it! Glad to hear! Yeah. Procreation and allowing only men to make the rules. Old white men. Old RICH white men.
    It's sickening.

    Heartinhand- I agree. I so agree.

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  10. Religious fundamentalism is responsible for so much suffering and pain and death, the world over. We're back there, clobbering each other with sticks because we think we have the only answer to life.

    Peace, love and understanding, y'all.

    PS-queers do procreate, BTW. I have them in my midwifery clinic all the time!!!

    ~Beth

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  11. Beth Coyote- Haha! Don't tell the Mormon prophets that!

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  12. Mary, I had missed this news. Ugh is all I can say. Ugh ugh ugh.
    I did not get the believing gene, nor did my kids.
    So much pain and suffering and hate in the name of religion, it makes me incredibly sad.

    I have been reading Ted Koppel's new book, lights out, and he devotes a chapter to the Mormons because they are so prepared for emergencies, and better organized than the red cross. One family he interviewed said that they would share their food supplies with a hungry person even if it meant they go hungry, because they cannot let another person suffer. Do they not see the cognitive dissonance here? Would they share food with a starving gay person on only a straight one? Anyway, thanks to Ted, I was mesmerized to the point of downloading their latest preparedness manual, because it is a great resource for emergency preparedness, but its got a lot of religion sprinkled in. Still fascinating that they are always planning for every contingency...

    Thanks for voicing your outrage so eloquently. I love how you think.
    xo

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  13. I get them all mixed up, these "religions". This is then one with the special underpants, no?
    They all hate, regardless, that's what I remember.

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  14. I am a Christian. However, I don't pick and choose verses from the Bible to beat others over the head with (I know this is a grammatically incorrect sentence, but I'm not the type who says 'with which to beat others over the head'). I live by one verse, the one I feel is the most important....LOVE ONE ANOTHER. I believe we'll all be judged someday, but I'm not the one to judge. I have my own beliefs; political, philosophical, religious, etc. But I have no right to judge anyone else, and I damned sure don't take kindly to being judged. I think the Mormon religion, along with Scientology and a few others, is a cult. Now I'll try to lighten my mood a bit by telling about my dear, sweet hubby, who attended his first Catholic wedding about 20 years ago. It was a long one, and he was wondering why people would kneel on 'that pull-out footstool' then sit, then kneel. My favorite, though, was when everyone shook hands and said 'peace be with you.' I'd forgotten to warn him about that, so I got pretty tickled when I saw him shaking hands and saying, 'pleased to meet you.' Actually I laughed out loud!

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  15. what I think is that those children that are being refused are dodging a HUGE bullet. the Mormons are doing those kids a favor.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.