Recently the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a new church handbook that prohibits children of LGBTQ couples from being baptized. Being baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ is different from most other religions in that one gets baptized at the age of eight or older and not as a baby. The reason for this is that they want people to make a conscious decision to join the church, instead of being forced in at birth. Before this new change in policy, anyone over the age of eight who was willing to follow God’s commandments and had the desire to could be baptized and confirmed a member of the church.
Having grown up in this religion, I remember being taught to invite anyone who was willing to attend our church meetings and pursue the teachings of The Church further. Regardless of origin, background or any previous sins they might have committed, anyone was welcome. So when I heard this invitation was no longer being extended to children of LGBTQ families simply because their parents had chosen a different lifestyle, I was outraged and shocked. Even if you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, it shouldn’t prevent anyone from trying to pursue what he or she believes in because of a supposed ‘sin’ that they've committed.
An official clarification by the LDS First presidency says, “Our concern with respect to children is their current and future well-being.” They were concerned that having parents who were actively going against the laws of the church would create conflict between them and the child’s new beliefs. However children of parents who don’t follow any of the other rules of The Church can still be baptized. For example, children of parents who drink often, which is also against the teachings of the church, are still able to get baptized. It’s only discriminating against LGBTQ families. Children with same-sex parents most likely already receive enough ridicule and bullying. Excluding them from yet another achievement does not show concern for “their current and future well-being,” it just does more to make them feel ostracized and out of place.
As a social institution, religion plays a very prominent role in people's lives. I’ve especially seen how much the Mormon religion means to its members by how it is manifested in every other aspect of their lives as well. But when the ordinances start becoming more about social issues than about the heart of the religion, there arises a disconnect between its members. People start to question their faith and what they believe in. This new policy change has angered many. Thousands of Mormons have protested by resigning from The Church. Most of those disagreed with the Church’s ban on same-sex marriage but tried to live harmoniously despite that discrepancy. But when the news of this new policy came out, they couldn’t handle it anymore. Belief in religion generally has gone down considerably in the past few decades, and we need to ask ourselves why that might be.
From anger over red Starbucks cups to violent intolerance for the LGBTQ community, Christianity is getting a bad rep, and that’s our fault. Religion is becoming about social issues and not the real spirit of what it means to believe in something bigger. It’s dividing us from the rest of the progressing world and amongst ourselves. Religion should be about God and how people connect with Him, individually and then as a community. It should not be used to make political statements on social issues. By shifting the focus back to what really matters, religious communities can come together in the strong and complete way that is necessary for their success.
