Mormonism Has Issues Part 2

So more about those issues. I already brought up some, but let me elaborate a little more. And first, point out my thinking. I will probably post my exit story soon, which will help to make sense of my thinking some more ... hopefully. But one thing that was liberating in leaving the church and 'becoming' a non-believer was how more ''me'' I felt I became. Now I really do act the way I want to, and sometimes it is scary, and I'm unsure on some things or how I feel about them, but being let loose has been an overall very good and, as I said, liberating thing. I focus on virtues like truth, integrity, acceptance, and others. I accept Mormons, good ones, but I find it very easy to disagree or dislike them if they are completely bigoted. And then this isn't just towards Mormons either. Sometimes my fellow agnostics and atheists don't even like what I have to say.

Having said that there are many reasons I would not be in Mormonism anymore. One that comes to mind is Pres. Packers talk at General Conference. In an older post I said that he gets props for speaking his mind and not giving a damn what others think. He says what he wants with seemingly no understanding of political correctness and in that sense I give him a thumbs up. Way to be your own person. But then what does he say? Some more hateful speech directed at gays (I'll say gays, but I'm including lesbians, just the church rarely admits lesbians exist, especially since they don't admit women even look at porn). And again, I love the gays, but this wouldn't be such a big issue if there wasn't such a big issue with teens and gays in Utah. Utah has an epidemic of problems with teens, especially the gay ones, if they don't kill themselves. Which it's pretty easy to find stories and stats on suicides in Utah, I found one here at the Bloggernacle, oh, and one here, and another here, and yet another here. But perhaps that's not enough diversity, so there's these three as well (1, 2, and 3). What the fuck! WHAT ... the Fuck!?

Things like this make me outraged. Bill Bradshaw, everytime someone asks, "what should we do, how should we react?" he's like "love them! don't stop loving them!" and this is why! Teens already have enough issues and parents, especially Mormon parents in Utah (not so much outside of Utah) are hating them, disowning them, kicking them out of their homes. And then some of these teens end up killing themselves. Some people say, "oh, they had other issues," so yeah, you're not gay unless you have issues? I have gay friends, outside of church, and sometimes they had 'issues' that we're only there because they were gay. Yes, being gay can sometimes be enough reason for a teen to take their own life. Wonderful job parents.

By the way, those last three are pretty good, I WOULD go check them out. I hope that's enough diversity on the sites I chose. And they cover a few years, doesn't seem to be much change. I love the internet, full of information. I hate it when I hear professors say they don't accept Wikipedia as a source. I like books. I have the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for psychology and psychiatry. And I have gone on Wikipedia and compared the writings. You know what, Wikipedia is pretty dead-on with what it says. Maybe paraphrased, but pretty dead on a lot of the times. You look and search and do background searches and compare sources and material, it isn't hard.


Enough of that soapbox, how about the gay teen suicide epidemic we have. And then it's furthered along with statements like "if you didn't change then it's your fault, not the program we gave you to stop being gay." Yes, their fault, not the program. Then this leads to the pogrom of the gays within the church. Being told it's sinful and evil and disgusting. Mormons already fret over masturbation as if it's the equivalent of killing animals (or more for some, I know plenty of Mormons who abuse animals but won't masturbate, lmao. [i say that mainly cause i hate hurting animals, so having been in the situation of seeing the abuse i'm a little scarred]. Also, being into 'science' and 'psychology' there has been genetic correlation, statistically significant, to say that homosexuality can be in the genetics. I say 'can' cause some gays say they chose, and I think I'll take them for their word, but many say they didn't choose, and I'll take them for their word too. I don't feel like I chose to be sexuality attracted to girls, and I was long before I should've been and was told to not be interested, and yet ... here I am.

The Mormon church doesn't even seem to realize the damage it does. The problem is with their whole approach. They've been improving, but it is not good enough. The USGAY group at BYU (really USGA btw) isn't affiliated yet. And they were told that they should "take it slow," "there's no rush," "maybe this coming spring we can see about making it official." Bullshit. Bullshit! There is a rush to get more understanding into members minds, and to have a place for college-age gay students. How can there not be a rush? Guys and girls are not only feeling alone, confused, self-loathing, hated, misunderstood, depressed, and sinful (as if these weren't enough), they're also FUCKING KILLING THEMSELVES!

But there's no rush to reach out to them, or to have the church affiliated, indirectly through BYU, with anything being supportive of gays, even if it is from an LDS perspective and supportive of the church. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.

Wow, I was gonna just list off some 'issues' and move on, but this has me so riled up right now. Lol. And I'm not even sure why. I guess it's all the names of dead people I've read about. Looking at life as finite I have a really badly bleeding-heart now for needless deaths. This is one of those things that I want to see stopped. And I don't think I'll ever hide that now, and I don't think I'll be ashamed bringing up the suicides to make my point. I cannot stand the level of ignorance the bulk of the membership expresses. And to add more pain to measure the rest of America isn't much better.

So yes, this is an issue with Mormonism, and is enough that if I was a member I would leave. Nothing to do with God or doctrines or such, but purely actions and culture. This is not something I would want to be a part of until it changed. In the sense of being Christian and spreading good in the world, instead the LDS church here is spreading death by indoctrinating teen minds with a vileness of human nature that can alter their very will to live. Acceptance. One of my virtues, lol. The church has had great speeches on the subject of love and acceptance, by Pres. Faust, or Wirthlin. It's about time they make some doctrinal leaps with homosexuality, and spread that love to their misunderstood, hated, depressed, and dying brothers and sisters.

Some do okay, but many aren't, and it only takes one to make it an issue.