LDS Member Exodus Continues in Wake of Same-Sex Policy

ANTI-GAY POLICY
In response to what has been called an anti-gay policy, Mormon church members, now in the thousands, have reacted. And perhaps not in the manner that church leaders may have anticipated. Instead of accepting a new ruling that those in same-sex unions are to be considered apostates and that their children must be excluded and denied baptism, church members have taken a stand. In downtown Salt Lake City, thousands gathered to protest and to submit letters of resignation.

 A large number of Mormon faithful are standing with the LGBT community, in spite of the church's statement that these ones are committing serious sin.

The Mormon leadership has issued a rebuttal that talks about love and healing but many disagree that lumping same-sex couples in with apostates, turning children away and asking them to disavow their parents, is a means whereby people are built up.

The control that churches have historically exerted may well be evaporating. In the information age, whereby people connect virtually around the globe, the "isolated member" has become a thing of the past. The old model of "divide and separate" isn't cutting it. The current situation unfolding within the LDS church sets an exciting precedent for people in other high-control groups. 

In the end, it may be members, not leaders, who pave the way in showing the tolerance, mercy, non-judgmentalism, and love that Christ instructed Christians to embrace.