Gay brother of LDS apostle troubled by impact of new policies
People walking through Temple Square arrive for the opening session of the two-day Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints conference Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Salt Lake City. Three new members of the Twelve Apostles were named in the Saturday afternoon session to fill vacancies on a governing body that sets church policy and runs the faith’s business operations. (AP Photo/Kim Raff)
This March 31, 1998 photo shows flowering trees opening their blossoms just in time for Spring Conference on Temple Square. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) LOCAL STATIONS OUT; MAGS OUT; DESERET NEWS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT DESERET NEWS OUT
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2014, file photo, the angel Moroni statue sits atop the Salt Lake Temple, at Temple Square, in Salt Lake City. Gay and lesbian Mormons and their supporters are reeling over a rule change by church officials that says members in same-sex marriages can be kicked out, and bars their children from being baptized unless they disavow same-sex relationships. The changes in the church handbook were sent out Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, to local church leaders around the world. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
In an explanatory video last week, LDS Apostle Elder D. Todd Christofferson was the public face of the church’s new policies prohibiting same-sex marriages and baptisms of children from gay unions.
His gay brother, Tom, this week provided a perspective from the LGBT side in a podcast interview with RationalFaiths.com, bemoaning the impact on members of same-sex families in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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wheatandtares.org
Tom Christofferson, gay brother of Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the LDS Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
In the interview transcript, posted on the WheatandTares.org blog, Tom Christofferson outlined his fears. Here are some key excerpts:
• The church’s new ground rules will make it more difficult than ever for people of same-sex orientation to exist within the church.
“I think my biggest reaction to it is that my experience both with my family and my ward family as I was coming back to church … seemingly would be more difficult to pull off under the setting that’s coming out here, I fear. My concern would be that this puts more pressure on families, too, and the ability to deal with dissonance and ambiguity may be even more of a challenge than it has been before.”
• Tom Christofferson returned to the LDS Church, while living with his partner, with the support of his family and bishop at the time. What about those in similar situations who follow now?
“Will they have the same opportunity? Will they be able to go to church even though they are in a committed monogamous same-sex relationship and feel welcome? To make both of them feel welcome and to make a place in the congregation for both of them? Or are we sort of now saying that the Scarlet Letter has been attached, and we can’t do that, let alone how it affects the children?”
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Rick Bowmer, AP
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during a news conference at the Conference Center, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, in Salt Lake City. Mormon church leaders are making a national appeal for a “balanced approach” in the clash between gay rights and religious freedom. The church is promising to support some housing and job protections for gays and lesbians in exchange for legal protections for believers who object to the behavior of others. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
• Ordination of children in families where cited sexual sin exists should all be treated equally, including those of heterosexual parents.
“It seems to me that if the concern is that if we feel that there is sexual sin there in an ongoing basis, then I think the policy should be that in ANY family where sexual sin in there in an ongoing basis there may be an extra interview or process required for ordination of children. That’s great, and by the way if that were the case the bishop would be dealing with a lot more straight families than gay ones.”
• RELATED: Mormons’ peace with same-sex marriage only goes so far
• Now, more than ever, same-sex families in the church will need love and support.
“I worry about the families who are involved in this in the meantime. At the same time of walking this path in faith and hope it is also incumbent on me and all of us who have had our hearts broken over this to reach out much more in love and acceptance to those who are affected by this and whatever they think the best path is for themselves at this moment. That they know we love them, we know they are hurting, and that we know the Savior loves them as well.”
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