This is an interesting video I first saw on the Pharyngula blog about a Mormon man speaking in church at a sacramental meeting about his unhappiness over the church's involvement in promoting last year's California's anti-gay marriage initiative, Proposition 8. The church's bishop comes up to the podium to ask him to stop, then turns off the microphone while the man is still speaking. Afterwards he is escorted out of the church. The video poster, IlegalPlayer, then tells us that the man (identified only as "Todd") later leaves the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) church over their stand on gay rights.
This brings up an interesting point: Are you free to testify according to the dictates of your conscience in a Mormon church only when your testimony agrees with church policy?
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Comments
Which brings up the question; if Christians are eventually successful in circumventing the *intent* of the freedom of religion clauses of the First Amendment, what chance would the freedom of speech clause have?
And Christians, before you laugh or cheer at this thought, know that it wouldn't necessarily be *your* version of Christianity in the end.
Exactly right, Steve. It's the point I made in the final installment of my "13th Apostle" history of the marriage between church and state. Constitutional separation of c&s protects all beliefs by remaining neutral. It guarantees that, in the realm of ideas, everyone competes on a level playing field. Tamper with it at your peril (and everyone else's).
The thing is that all churches are in essence a group of people with a common set of beliefs, in other words a club or group. Any organization with a head or president has the right to eject any member of that group if they fail to comply with the requirements set for membership of that group. In this case our friend failed to comply with the requirements, or beliefs and the president (bishop) acted under authority vested in him by the head of the mormon church and ejected the man.
Yes. I'm an ex mormon who is still shunned by Mormon family because of my beliefs. I believe Mormonism is a cult.
I am LDS and at no time have I ever heard anyone tell me how to vote, and have never heard anyone at the podium state anything of a political nature. However, the basics of the church plainly state that "Family" is to be one woman and one man.....joined together under God in matrimony.....now of course, that doesn't mean there aren't single parents out there.....but I also know that this man knew this was going to be controversial because he secretly videotaped it....his beliefs obviously contradict the members of the church...
Wow, talk about head in the sand. There are so many people who have told of their experiences in the mormon church, being told exactly how much money they should give, and how much time they should spend canvassing, etc. Prop. 8 was masterminded by the Mormon church, funded by it, and coordinated by it. If you really think the church doesn't tell you how to vote, then you are blind!
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