Trump finally found someone to sing at the inauguration!

[_Rosebud]

Could being friends with the Trump administration help protect them threats to their nonprofit status?

[_Aoife]

I belong to a large-ish grassroots group on Facebook that shares ideas for progressive political action. It doesn't have anything to do with Mormonism, generally. Today someone posted numbers for LDS public affairs and encouraged folks to call and express disappointment. In the thread, they also recommended looking at the choir's Facebook page-- the comments there are a mess.

It seems short-sighted of the choir to accept this gig. It's naïve to expect people to read this as politically neutral and it's going to give the church exactly the kind of attention that causes people to think of them as weird, extreme, racist, sexist, bigoted, etc. Not a good look.

[_cwald]

Oh yeah. The comments on the Facebook page are awesome.

My prediction...the church will get enough negative feedback and bail on this whole thing.

This has become a no win for the church. They could have stood for principles and said no from the beginning, but they just couldn't pass up a chance for PR.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

https://www.change.org/p/the-church-of- ... auguration

I'm going to sign it. Heh.

- Doc

[_I have a question]

From someone more articulate than I...

Which in itself is fine. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has always been a part of the PR branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They’ve played at inaugurations from Kennedy to Reagan and they view every opportunity to perform for an audience as an opportunity to bring more souls to Christ. But playing at an event at which thousands of other musicians, including local high school marching bands, wouldn’t deign to play for moral reasons can hardly cast the church in a positive light. Maybe they’ve given up on converting kind, educated people and are casting their nets on the alt-right. That’s their prerogative, and tithe payers are tithe payers.

What makes this move a particular slap in the face for LGBT people is the church’s insistence that the choir’s presence at Trump’s inauguration not be seen as implicit support of the man or his actions. Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said, in response to criticism of the church’s decision, "The choir's participation continues its long tradition of performing for U.S. presidents of both parties at inaugurations and in other settings, and is not an implied support of party affiliations or politics.”

That’s an optimistic statement, but it’s also false; probably framed to protect their tax-exempt status. The truth of the matter is that performing for a president’s inauguration does imply support. Why else would no other musicians play the event? They don’t want their fans nor Donald Trump’s fans thinking that they support him. Why doesn’t the church seem to care about this? They do know they can say no, right?

http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2016 ... -hypocrisy

Still not seeing the LGBT connection? Well consider this excerpt from an interview on the mormonnewsroom.org, a website owned by the church. In the interview, titled “Same-Gender Attraction,” the church’s public affairs office interviews Mormon apostle Dallin H. Oaks on a variety of gay-themed topics:

“PUBLIC AFFAIRS: At what point does showing that love cross the line into inadvertently endorsing behavior? If the son says, ‘Well, if you love me, can I bring my partner to our home to visit? Can we come for holidays?’ How do you balance that against, for example, concern for other children in the home?’

“ELDER OAKS: That’s a decision that needs to be made individually by the person responsible, calling upon the Lord for inspiration. I can imagine that in most circumstances the parents would say, ‘Please don’t do that. Don’t put us into that position.’ Surely if there are children in the home who would be influenced by this example, the answer would likely be that. There would also be other factors that would make that the likely answer.

“I can also imagine some circumstances in which it might be possible to say, ‘Yes, come, but don’t expect to stay overnight. Don’t expect to be a lengthy house guest. Don’t expect us to take you out and introduce you to our friends, or to deal with you in a public situation that would imply our approval of your 'partnership.'’”

So LGBT Mormon kids can’t be dealt with in public for fear that it would signal approval of their quote-unquote partnership, but the official singing, PR face of the entire church can go and perform for a vagina-grabbing, xenophobic, violent, un-Christian monster and we’re not supposed to see any implied support. Try again, Mormons. We're too tired and confused to make sense of your hateful logic. Support Trump if you want, but don’t pretend your choices stem from virtue.

Nailed it. And then some.

[Jersey Girl]

Scott Lloyd at the MD&D Board had a special thread excoriating the call for the MoTab to withdraw from the Trump Investiture, claiming it was their patriotic duty to perform and calling into question this call to abstain because it was issued by the Adversary under the guise of the head of the Mormon Affirmation (non-apologetic homos).

http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/68457-tab-choir-to-perform-at-inauguration-blowback-possible/

Those Church members who object to the appearance by the choir because they are mad at Trump are being myopic or, perhaps, showing they don't care about the Church achieving prominence through positive means such as the choir's appearance. I hereby invoke the power of Bruce R. McConkie and cast ye naysayers into the charcoal pit of Outer Darkness. Thread closed!

[_DoubtingThomas]

Let not forget this if our country goes to sh**
When will LDS church and it's members learn to keep religion out of politics?

[_Quasimodo]

If there were ever any doubt that the LDS Church is, at its core racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and fundamentally dishonest, it has just been erased by Mormons lending their signature choir, and wholehearted public support, to an unqualified presidential candidate who is all of these and worse.

Two possible answers:

1. They are honoring the Office of the Presidency rather than Trump.

2. Never pass up a chance to sing at a paying gig.

I hope, if the MTQ takes the gig, they get a chance to toss in a few of those Trump rhyming words you mention in another thread, moksha.

[_Mormonicious]

Make me wish the "Choir" was not from the State of Utah.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Holy crap. I just read Mr. Trump is going to have the Rockettes at his inauguration.

Sigh...

Well, at least it's not



- Doc