Some Mormons pushing church on gay marriage
4 SALT LAKE CITY— Court decisions this week paving the way for samesex marriage to become legal in dozens of states, including Mormon strongholds like Utah, Idaho and Nevada, have emboldened a growing group of Latter- day Saints who are pushing the conservative church to become more accepting of gay members. The church’s stance toward gays has softened considerably since it was one of the leading forces behind California’s ban on gaymarriage in 2008, but high- ranking leaders have reiterated time and again the faith’s opposition to same- sex unions. Some Mormons hope to change that, or at least work to make congregations more welcoming places for gays and lesbians. Erika Munson, co- founder of a group that is neutral on gaymarriage but is trying to work within church doctrine and policy to make congregations more accepting of gays, said she worries about losing younger Mormons because of the church’s stance. One of her five children, an adult son, has chosen not to practice Mormonism, in part because of the way LGBT people are treated at churches. “People under 30 all know somebody who has come out. They are not the other, they are not scary. They understand that they are just like them,” said Munson, whose group Mormons Building Bridges stays neutral on gay marriage because they want to work within church doctrine. “So, that’s really hard to reconcile with a Christian church where we follow the teachings of Jesus.” On Monday— after the U. S. Supreme Court unexpectedly rejected appeals by Utah and four other states trying to protect their same- sex marriage bans — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints said in a statement that the decision will have no effect on church doctrine or practices, while acknowledging that “as far as the civil law is concerned, the courts have spoken.”