Religion for God, Not for Social Issues.

This past week the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a new church handbook that prohibits children of same-sex 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 being that they want people to make a conscious decision to join the church. Before this new change in policy, anyone over the age of eight who followed God’s commandments and had the desire to could be baptized and confirmed a member of the church.

Most Latter-day Saints understand the Church’s ban on same sex marriage even if they disagree with it. However the new change in policy has outraged Mormons across the world because it’s punishing an innocent child for something they can’t control. Hearing the news of this new policy not only outraged me, but also shocked me. The religion that I had grown up with and that had taught me to invite anyone to come closer to God, no matter their background or sins, was now closing off that invitation because a child’s parents had chosen a different lifestyle. 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 haven’t 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 other of the church’s rules can still be baptized. It’s only discriminating against LGBTQ families. Children with same-sex parents most likely already receive enough ridicule ad 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 like there is something wrong with them.

Because this new policy change has angered so 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. I personally have struggled with the beliefs of the Church for many years and have come across multiple members who have the same feelings. It has raised the question of how far people will follow their religion until they realize it’s not what they believe in anymore?

As a social institution, religion plays a very prominent roll in peoples lives. I’ve especially seen how much the Mormon religion means to it’s members by how it is truly 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 is a disconnect between it’s members. People start to question their faith and what they believe in. The Church has gotten a bad reputation not only within the Mormon community, but to the rest of the world as well. Religion should be about God and how people connect with him individually and then as a community. It shouldn’t be used to make political statements on social issues.