The Interview

I finally came across the infamous interview with two Mormon apostles where the Church clarifies its position on homosexuality. I know I'm a bit behind here as many people have already expressed their opinions on what Elders Oaks and Wickam had to say, but I must admit I'm not seeing why there was a great deal of anger over it.

There were some things I personally found offensive, but I think many people are forgetting the framework in which this is occurring. Whether we like to admit it or not this is actually a huge leap forward for the church when it comes to dealing with one minority group they've not had good relations with. (You can read horror stories about electroshock therapy at BYU by doing a simple Google search on it.)

Basically the whole point of the interview, or at least the important bits is that sexual orientation cannot be changed and that people are born with it. Coming from an organization that still has many people treating sexual orientation and gender identity they consider to be abnormal as an illness.

It seems that a lot of us would like an organization to come wholly into line with our viewpoint, even if we've left it simply because we disagree with its doctrines, history, or lying about its history or any combination of the above. I know this is human, but the truth is it isn't going to happen. The Church is above all else, interested in maintaining the organization with as many members as it can. Whether this is due to money or because the leadership actually believes in it is a matter of individual opinion, although both may be factors. I don't know the personal motives of the Brethren. Right now it seems they're in a difficult spot with true information freely available that can't just be discarded as Anti-Mormon lies and it seems to me they have yet to figure out how to do damage control from maintaining a black and white stance for so long.

Don't worry folks, it may be 30 years down the road from now, but the Mormon church will eventually become more like other Liberal Mainstream Protestant churches in its outlook, although I hope the organization maintains its bizarre theology that makes it unique in American religion.