Thousands plan to leave Mormon church over anti-gay policy
Thousands will in protest after the church said it will no longer baptise the children of gay parents.
More than 1,000 people have promised to leave the Church of Latter Day Saints after it announced a new policy stating children of same-sex couples cannot be baptised until they reach adulthood.
Protesters took to Facebook to express their unhappiness with the new rules, with many vouching to attend the LDS Church Mass Resignation event in Salt Lake City on Saturday (November 14).
They will meet at City Creek Park to finalise paperwork, then march together to the Salt Lake Temple and post their resignation letters – which are required to have their names removed from church records – in a mailbox near the church.
Event organiser Lauren Elise McNamara, said she had taken a stand against the policy because was “pitting child against parent.”
“I just can’t have my name on this organization any longer,’ she said. ‘Not in the tiniest of ways will I support this church.”
Last week, the Church of Latter Day Saints announced it would no longer bless or baptise the natural or adopted children of gay parents – a policy they claim would protect children.
Children of same-sex parents can only be baptised once they reach the age of 18 and agreed to “disavow gay marriage” and stop living with their parents.
Mark Naugle – an attorney who has offered to represent Mormons who want to leave the church – said the reaction to the policy has been overwhelming.
“There will be fourteen hundred people who won’t be on the record, coming in the next five to 15 days, just from my end,” he told KIVI-TV.
“I’m also attending a mass resignation event on Saturday, they’re starting at City Creek Park, and I’ll be going there with blank forms for everyone to fill out, and I think according to Facebook, there are over 1,000 people that plan to attend.”
Despite its strong opposition to equality. the Mormon Church made a surprising donation to a Salt Lake City LGBT group back in July.
Many saw it as a sign that the church might be welcoming progress, however, its recent change in policy seems to suggest quite the opposite.
