| A chink in the Mormon family-friendly armor? |
So last week we had a visit from 2 new (to us) Mormon elders. Despite my usual overall godlessness, I've got a special spot in my heart for these guys -- mainly because they're (usually) Americans working in a foreign (and usually freezing COLD!) land, and also because many of them remind me of my little brother, who I miss a whole lot. Needless to say, whenever any of them stop by our door, they're usually invited in for a visit or two. In fact, Jerry and I got to have quite a good relationship with a couple of Mormons a year or so ago, and now we're officially on "the list" of being called upon for house visits.
Back when I was a part of the evangelical church, I was always taught that Mormons were a super-secretive, evil cult -- yet due to the friendship of a girl in grade school who was a Mormon, I never fully believed these statements that were taught (or strenuously implied) to me.
These days, now that I'm happily without a relationship with God, I'm usually itching to talk to people who still believe in him/her/it. Luckily for me, Mormon elders on a mission usually fit that bill nicely. And when I say "nicely," I really mean it -- there are fewer "nicer" people you'll meet than a Mormon, truly.
So, we usually invite the guys in for a chat, and I also try to ply them with some baked goods and try to make them feel at home (I can empathize with how it must feel to have so many doors slammed in their faces). We've heard their gospel spiel before, plus have a fairly good working knowledge of basic Mormon theology, so we usually spend most of our visit getting to know each other, and then Jerry and I ask a lot of questions.
These new Elders that came to visit us last week were quite the pair. One of them is originally from Britain, which automatically peaked my interest, particularly since my (unfair?) assumption is that most Mormons are American. This Brit Elder was great, and thankfully(!), our conversation was able to get off the traditional conversion script onto other more serious theological matters regarding the LDS church.
There was, however, one part of our conversation with the Elders that has been eating at me all week. It wasn't spoken about until the guys were literally leaving our door -- as they were getting on their shoes and coats, we brought up the whole LDS involvement with the Prop 8 debate in the States. In case you didn't realize it, the national LDS church dramatically funded the efforts to stop same-sex marriages from remaining legalized in California. As they were leaving, we had a quick chat about the church's involvement in these political issues.
The first thing said was that as missionaries, they're discouraged from talking about political matters. But, (again, thankfully!), that didn't stop them from lending their two cents -- they asserted the same ol' religious stand-by argument of how same-sex marriages were a threat to traditional marriage, and that these relationships don't count due to the redefinition of family that it forces upon the public.
As soon as I heard that, I pounced. I asked them about the children that are adopted into many same-sex families -- particularly if these relationships counted as authentic "family relationships." [backnote: one of the most persuasive appeals, in my opinion, of the LDS church is its emphasis on the importance of family]
To make a long story short, I got the Elders to admit that adopted children in the Church's eyes (whether or not they're a part of a traditional family or a same-sex family) aren't considered automatically "sealed" into the eternal family unit. In order for these adopted kids to be a forever part of the family unit, there has to be a separate "sealing" ceremony done in a temple for this to take place.
Now, of course, I think this whole "sealing" business is BUNK -- but part of me feels quite sad about how LDS adopted kids must feel like, especially if they're put into this religious environment and are told that they're not automatically a part of their eternal family, just because they're not biologically part of it. I mean, I can imagine all the insecurities already attached to being an adopted child -- but to find out that your religion also considers you an automatic outsider? Yikes!
Anyway, tomorrow night the Elders are due to come for another visit. Barring any discouragement they may have received from their supervisors over what they should/shouldn't say, I'm hoping to probe this issue a bit more with them. |
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