Letter sent to SP's - damage control.

[_sock puppet]

https://www.Facebook.com/johndehlinpublic/

A post by Dehlin quotes a Stake President telling his Bishops that the Seventy have told him that the FP and Q12 are working on clarifying the new policy and requesting they help members not to be too hasty.

It has been reported to me that the following statement was sent out by a stake president to his stake leadership:
"Brethren, the following short statement was sent out by the Presidency of the 70 today related to the recent changes to the Handbook of Instructions:
"There will be additional clarification on these changes from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in the coming days. We are invited to help people with questions not jump to unwarranted conclusions or interpretations and remain calm while we wait for clarification.”

It's a bit ironic asking the members to take a more patient and thoughtful approach to making decisions.
Have they absolutely no self awareness?

Seems to fit with what I thought was going on, that this was a reaction to a question or questions that had been received about how to deal with the children of same sex parents, someone pointing out that this might be similar to children of polygamous parents, a quick decision, and very little critical analysis. So much for inspiration and revelation.

Gay and lesbian couples have for decades been adopting and raising children, or children from an earlier hetero relationship involving one of them. For years, LDS bishops and stake presidents have had to deal with these situations. Haven't those children needed "protection" as Christofferson put it, over those decades?

Only in 2015 did the US Supreme Court declare it the law of the land in the U.S. that gays and lesbians have the right to be married in all 50 states. Within months, this new LDS policy is issued. The timing suggests that this is not in reaction to children being raised by cohabitating gays and lesbians, but rather it is a reaction to gay and lesbian MARRIAGE. Only now that cohabitating gay and lesbian parents can get legally married is the FP/12 prompted to issue this new, egregious policy.

This is a reactionary response by the FP/12 to the Supreme Court allowing gays and lesbians to MARRY. It's issued in anger that they lost the right to define secular marriage.

[_I have a question]

Gay and lesbian couples have for decades been adopting and raising children, or children from an earlier hetero relationship involving one of them. For years, LDS bishops and stake presidents have had to deal with these situations. Haven't those children needed "protection" as Christofferson put it, over those decades?

Only in 2015 did the US Supreme Court declare it the law of the land in the U.S. that gays and lesbians have the right to be married in all 50 states. Within months, this new LDS policy is issued. The timing suggests that this is not in reaction to children being raised by cohabitating gays and lesbians, but rather it is a reaction to gay and lesbian MARRIAGE. Only now that cohabitating gay and lesbian parents can get legally married is the FP/12 prompted to issue this new, egregious policy.

This is a reactionary response by the FP/12 to the Supreme Court allowing gays and lesbians to MARRY. It's issued in anger that they lost the right to define secular marriage.

I think it's fair to say that whatever the motivation was behind this new policy, the one thing it wasn't was concern for the children. As you point out, they weren't concerned for them before the law changed and before SLC voted in a gay female as Mayor. That they, the Q12 and FP, used the innocents as cannon fodder will condemn them for the rest of their lives. And it should.