Why? Because we know that there is some really “powerful stuff” to be found in the connections that exist with the Holy Spirit present. Whether by ourselves, or with a friend, or even with a boyfriend. We try for a balancing act, always wondering if it has to be the one OR the other. Can’t we double helix the both? Can we stop shooting our lower chakras (body) in order to live in our upper chakras (spirit)? Can we be animal, human AND divine and stop freaking out that, in fact, we are all three?

I don’t care about what members of a church think. If their reaction is hostile, oftentimes, such hostility falls into three categories: 1) lack of exposure to gays/lesbians; 2) reliance on the Holy Bible and a literal understanding from 2000-3000 years ago for what is good and evil; 3) fear of one’s own sexuality which is probably not 100% straight. All three are certainly understandable.

For the gay Saint, the two biggest problems are: 1) Mormonism is not just your theology, it’s also your identity – and so you have a WILD RIDE if you reject your church – because in a sense you are attacking your own ego identity – not a good thing!; 2) you’re going to have to build your own construct regarding your core set of beliefs, something you did not have very much practice doing! HARD WORK!

And so, how can we all proceed? Ty Mansfield was quoted this morning (10/26/10) in the Salt Lake Tribune (www.sltrib.com) about a talk by a very high up LDS church leader Uchtdorf this past Sunday. He said that U’s gentleness is a sign of where the LDS church membership is really heading – and that in the future there will be a “radical” change in how the membership views both the issue and those who have homosexual feelings. (although I would like to ask Mr Mansfield how radical a change the membership will take for those who choose to partake of homosexual acts). I sense that there is already a generational shift in progress – 20somethings simply GET it far more than 50somethings (let alone 80somethings?). Perhaps that can be called the Will and Grace effect?

How can queer Saints proceed? Let us start sharing our own journeys through the American Gay life juxtaposed with Mormon religious life, and elaborate on if we are arriving at a new synthesis – usually done with old fashioned hard work, a boatload of tears, and an occasional epiphany. Are we getting closer to arriving at a new way of living, a new understanding of the duality? Is there a new possibility to offer the next generation (and they ARE coming, statistically speaking) of gay Mormons who, with their disproportionate amount of giftedness as well as their huge desire to serve, might wish to figure this whole story out a lot faster?

In the end, as we all move on in years, I’m sure we would stand to enjoy the fruit of honest and first class relationships as a way of serving those whom we best understand. I guess it could be called a mission for life. But not in telling anyone what to do. Rather in being there, close at hand, for the journey. Getting a chance to fulfill (one) of the measures of our (unique) creation, which is to have extraordinary friendships. Sharing joy. Not a bad payout, even down here.

So accusing Paul or someone else of using language that is politically incorrect (women, slaves, etc) is nice if you want to dismiss the actions of an individual as being out of line with Christ, but perhaps you can explain why Christ would turn a woman away merely because of the way she was born? And then turn around and accept her because of how she dealt with how she was born? Interesting in that it seems to imply it’s what we do, not how we are born that matters!

But… wait… you aren’t actually serious, are you? I mean, surely you can’t be making such an asinine comparison in earnest.

The LDS church isn’t “hostile” to homosexuals any more than it is to those who smoke or drink.

Oh, yeah, which is why the LDS Church has lobbied to prevent smokers and/or alcoholics from marrying — no? Well, at least they’ve told their members to sink millions of dollars in campaigns to make alcohol and tobacco unconstitutional — not that either?

Well, it would seem that rational thought isn’t “in line with God’s plan” either, because your mind is still miraculously unmarred by interacting with those gripped in the plague they call “logic.”

I stopped reading after the line “a religion known for its hostility to homosexuality” in the 6th paragraph.

Ah. Yes. That explains it.

A mind so pristine, so free from the wear-and-tear of cognition, can only be maintained by the devotional practice of putting your fingers in your ears and saying “La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!” whenever its virgin purity is threatened by the terrible specter of THOUGHT.

The rest of us should reject this as anything significant. Mormons are the ultimate fingers in the ears ‘nah nah nah nah nah can’t hear you” people, see Jenny above. Their beliefs completely blinder them from compassionate understanding of others, as they are too self absorbed in their own quirky beliefs.