grindael wrote:John Dehlin just interviewed her about an hour ago... https://www.Facebook.com/mormonstories/ ... 650264301/
LittleNipper wrote:We don't have this problem in our church. Testimonies are to give glory to God and not as a soapbox for one's opinion. Believers don't thank God for creating them sinful --- which He did not! Believers thank God for His salvation from sin which we inherited from Adam through the Fall. All forms of dysfunction are the direct and indirect result of sin and not a blessing from God.
Water Dog wrote:Chap wrote:Telestial beckons, I feel.
turn off his mic! the irony...
Water Dog wrote:Well, Dehlin did at the very least provide proof positive that this whole thing was a stunt by the mother, and also that maybe the November Policy is a good thing. The mother spoke more than the girl did in that interview, and straight up admitted to conceiving and planning the whole thing... for the specific purpose of embarrassing the church. I think she's gotten way more mileage out of it than she had planned, but nonetheless.
The family gathered, walking Savannah through the good and the bad that could come from her speech. They walked through what the Mormon Church teaches about same-sex attraction. "We let her make that decision, not us," Josh said pointedly. "I had nothing to do with ... coercing her or anything." Heather remembers Savannah's rationale. "I want to be a voice for those that might be positive," she recalls Savannah saying. "I want them to know that I'm an ally. That they're safe with me. I want them to know that it's OK to be Mormon and be gay."
She also wanted to garner more respect for gays in her church, something she feels is lacking. "We came to the conclusion it wasn't our place; we couldn't silence her," said Heather. "It would be giving her a bigger message that she wasn't allowed to speak or there was something wrong with her." So, Savannah went to work writing. Draft after draft, she began crafting her message. She decided on giving testimony on Fast Sunday, which is traditionally when Mormons hold testimony meetings. "It's sort of what you believe in," Savannah says of testimony. "It's your spiritual talk." An emailed statement to CNN from the local bishop, Judd Law, said, "It is common for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to stand before a congregation of families and share feelings and beliefs -- a testimony -- during a worship service." The day had arrived. Savannah put on a tie and battled her anxiety, making her way to the rostrum.
Friends of her's began quietly recording videos as a "keepsake," which they later gave to the family. The family then provided that unedited, raw video to CNN. Edited versions of the video have since been published on social media; Savannah first told her story on an LGBT Mormon podcast, "I Like to Look for Rainbows."
She began speaking. "Hi, my name is Savannah and I want to share my testimony with you." Her voice didn't betray her nerves. Savannah read slowly, focused on getting her testimony out. She was scared to see people's faces and their reaction to her testimony so she did not look up once to see their reactions. Then Savannah said it; she came out as gay in front of her congregation. "God loves me just this way, because he loves all his creations," she said in the speech. "I do believe he made me this way on purpose." She didn't stop with theology. Savannah wanted her congregation to know about her hopes and dreams, too. For Savannah, even at 12, it's simple. She wants to love herself and not feel shame for being who she is. "I hope to find a partner and have a great job. I hope to get married and have a family," she said. "I know these dreams and wishes are good and right. I know I can have all of these things as a lesbian and be happy." Shortly after that, the mic suddenly cut out. It's unclear what exactly happened, but one of the church leaders leaned over and began speaking to Savannah. "I thought it was broken at first. So, I turned around to talk to him," she said. "And then he told me to sit down." Despite repeated requests to church headquarters and Law, the bishop, they did not explain why Savannah's mic ceased to work. On a Mormon Church website titled "Mormon and Gay," it offers the following advice on Mormons who want to come out: "If you decide to share your experiences of feeling same-sex attraction or to openly identify as gay, you should be supported and treated with kindness and respect, both at home and in church." In the video, Savannah returns to her seat as murmured chatter continues around her.
"I was telling her that she was perfect and beautiful," says Heather. A church leader stood up and made a small speech as Savannah was sitting down, in part saying, "I also want to recognize that we are all children of God. And that we are loved by our heavenly Father. And I have no doubt that heavenly Father has made us all unique in different ways. For that, I am grateful." In the emailed statement to CNN, Law took issue with the recorded video, saying it was unauthorized. Additionally, he said that a "group of visitors jubilantly left the service. ... Everyone is welcome and understands the standards of decorum and behavior if they decide to participate. It is unfortunate that this group of adults chose to violate them." Law said the video was being exploited for "political purposes." But Savannah's parents don't see it that way. They say they didn't witness anyone being disruptive. They also say there was no "group" present. "Savannah invited a few close friends as allies," Heather tells CNN, responding to the statement from the local bishop. "There was no group." The family did leave shortly after. Heather says Savannah was distraught and crying. Savannah says she was feeling a mixture of emotions. She was confused because she didn't know what was going on, she was happy because she finally came out at church and "felt accepted." But she was sad because she couldn't finish her speech.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/19/us/coming ... index.html
Dr. Shades wrote:[MODERATOR NOTE:
Several Telestial-caliber posts have been made in this thread that merit being split out into the Telestial Forum, but several replies were made thereunto that need to accompany them into the Telestial Forum to preserve proper context.
These amount to so many that A) deciding which ones need to go vs. which ones should stay would be a day-long project, and B) the original thread would look a bit like swiss cheese afterward.
Therefore, it's my opinion that the entire thread should be moved so that all posts can retain their proper context.
If you disagree, then feel free to tell me why and I'll listen.]
Lemmie wrote:From the June 20 CNN article, some further information, including comments from the family and Savannah:The family gathered, walking Savannah through the good and the bad that could come from her speech. They walked through what the Mormon Church teaches about same-sex attraction. "We let her make that decision, not us," Josh said pointedly. "I had nothing to do with ... coercing her or anything." Heather remembers Savannah's rationale. "I want to be a voice for those that might be positive," she recalls Savannah saying. "I want them to know that I'm an ally. That they're safe with me. I want them to know that it's OK to be Mormon and be gay."
She also wanted to garner more respect for gays in her church, something she feels is lacking. "We came to the conclusion it wasn't our place; we couldn't silence her," said Heather. "It would be giving her a bigger message that she wasn't allowed to speak or there was something wrong with her." So, Savannah went to work writing. Draft after draft, she began crafting her message. She decided on giving testimony on Fast Sunday, which is traditionally when Mormons hold testimony meetings. "It's sort of what you believe in," Savannah says of testimony. "It's your spiritual talk." An emailed statement to CNN from the local bishop, Judd Law, said, "It is common for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to stand before a congregation of families and share feelings and beliefs -- a testimony -- during a worship service." The day had arrived. Savannah put on a tie and battled her anxiety, making her way to the rostrum.
Friends of her's began quietly recording videos as a "keepsake," which they later gave to the family. The family then provided that unedited, raw video to CNN. Edited versions of the video have since been published on social media; Savannah first told her story on an LGBT Mormon podcast, "I Like to Look for Rainbows."
She began speaking. "Hi, my name is Savannah and I want to share my testimony with you." Her voice didn't betray her nerves. Savannah read slowly, focused on getting her testimony out. She was scared to see people's faces and their reaction to her testimony so she did not look up once to see their reactions. Then Savannah said it; she came out as gay in front of her congregation. "God loves me just this way, because he loves all his creations," she said in the speech. "I do believe he made me this way on purpose." She didn't stop with theology. Savannah wanted her congregation to know about her hopes and dreams, too. For Savannah, even at 12, it's simple. She wants to love herself and not feel shame for being who she is. "I hope to find a partner and have a great job. I hope to get married and have a family," she said. "I know these dreams and wishes are good and right. I know I can have all of these things as a lesbian and be happy." Shortly after that, the mic suddenly cut out. It's unclear what exactly happened, but one of the church leaders leaned over and began speaking to Savannah. "I thought it was broken at first. So, I turned around to talk to him," she said. "And then he told me to sit down." Despite repeated requests to church headquarters and Law, the bishop, they did not explain why Savannah's mic ceased to work. On a Mormon Church website titled "Mormon and Gay," it offers the following advice on Mormons who want to come out: "If you decide to share your experiences of feeling same-sex attraction or to openly identify as gay, you should be supported and treated with kindness and respect, both at home and in church." In the video, Savannah returns to her seat as murmured chatter continues around her.
"I was telling her that she was perfect and beautiful," says Heather. A church leader stood up and made a small speech as Savannah was sitting down, in part saying, "I also want to recognize that we are all children of God. And that we are loved by our heavenly Father. And I have no doubt that heavenly Father has made us all unique in different ways. For that, I am grateful." In the emailed statement to CNN, Law took issue with the recorded video, saying it was unauthorized. Additionally, he said that a "group of visitors jubilantly left the service. ... Everyone is welcome and understands the standards of decorum and behavior if they decide to participate. It is unfortunate that this group of adults chose to violate them." Law said the video was being exploited for "political purposes." But Savannah's parents don't see it that way. They say they didn't witness anyone being disruptive. They also say there was no "group" present. "Savannah invited a few close friends as allies," Heather tells CNN, responding to the statement from the local bishop. "There was no group." The family did leave shortly after. Heather says Savannah was distraught and crying. Savannah says she was feeling a mixture of emotions. She was confused because she didn't know what was going on, she was happy because she finally came out at church and "felt accepted." But she was sad because she couldn't finish her speech.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/19/us/coming ... index.html
Lemmie wrote:If someone continues the conversation by starting another thread here in Terrestrial (I would probably start with this morning's CNN article on the topic), is it within the rules to also include a link to this Telestial version for continuity?
