New LDS Church Website: Mormons and Gays

[Lost Student]

I expect a letter reaffirming Church policy against recording/videotaping Sacrament and F&T meetings, except in rare circumstances and only with the presiding officer's permission. I'm pretty liberal in my interpretation of policy, but the problems of allowing videographing a testimony seem pretty clear. There's enough showboating now during a meeting that's supposed to promote humility and sensitivity to spiritual things. Imagine if everyone knew their testimony was going to show up on FB.

On the contrary, I think installing a "selfie-testimony cam" in the pulpit is just the ticket to keep these dang millennials involved. Just scan your QR code as you step up and then the video will be uploaded to the social media network of your choice. I'm sure this feature will be in the next rollout of the Gospel Library app.

[myboynoah]

A few years ago a visiting RM came out of the closet during F&T meeting. He seemed sincere and it was moving in a tragic kind of way (he had obviously struggled with this for some time, and it didn't seem that he was fully content with his situation). There was no attempt to interrupt him. After the meeting several ward members went to him to offer their support, prayers, and to just let him know they cared. As far as I know, nobody was recording it.

It is abhorrent to use a 12-year-old child in this way. People can be so disgusting sometimes.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I'll never be a church leader, but I think I would have just let her finish. She couldn't have had that much left to say if they let her speak as long as the article said.

[Commando]

I'll never be a church leader, but I think I would have just let her finish. She couldn't have had that much left to say if they let her speak as long as the article said.

In the youtube video she reads the rest of it, which gets into how sad she was when she found out that lesbians could not be married in the temple. I would have let her finish, too, rather than create their headline for them, though. I have non member family all outraged over this stupid thing. I argued it was filmed just as a way to put up something negative about the Church rather than the uplifting of gay youth. The response to that was that the video would have been an uplifting statement for gay youth had she not been told to sit down, at which point it became a negative thing. Yes- a lo-fi, secret iPhone vid of an uninterrupted "testimony" about being gay would have definitely gone viral, dumb shits. Trump voters, too, btw. :crazy:

[cougjunkie]

I'll never be a church leader, but I think I would have just let her finish. She couldn't have had that much left to say if they let her speak as long as the article said.

I would have interrupted and told her I am going to let you finish but I know so many people who are more deserving of giving this gay speech than you are.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I would have interrupted and told her I am going to let you finish but I know so many people who are more deserving of giving this gay speech than you are.

Bwahahaha

[DrumNFeather]

That must have taken a lot of courage...to put her up to that and sit back and film it.

[Uncle Ted]

On the contrary, I think installing a "selfie-testimony cam" in the pulpit is just the ticket to keep these dang millennials involved. Just scan your QR code as you step up and then the video will be uploaded to the social media network of your choice. I'm sure this feature will be in the next rollout of the Gospel Library app.

Yeah, if our testimonies get recorded in heaven then we should make a backup just in case the server crashes. We want to make sure that we get credit for those testimonies!

[MartyFunkhouser]

I agree with everyone who is saying that it is inappropriate and wrong to coach and influence a child to try to generate this type of publicity. If that is what happened and it certainly appears to be the case, it is a stupid approach and harmful to that child.

[Bo Diddley]

This was in my boss's ward. When he told me about it, my first thought was I might have just let her finish. But as he told me what a production it was, and how many people who came for this "testimony", I think the SP counselor did the right thing.

[Uncle Ted]

This was in my boss's ward. When he told me about it, my first thought was I might have just let her finish. But as he told me what a production it was, and how many people who came for this "testimony", I think the SP counselor did the right thing.

Yeah, it was the right thing... I wish they would do it more often, however. There are some people that just ramble about anything on open mic Sunday. Our chapel growing up had this red light on the pulpit that pretty much only the speaker could see. The bishopric could turn that on to signal to the speaker that they need to wrap things up. Maybe they could install these red lights in the chapels to let the speaker know that the bishopric is about to turn off the PA system and they need to get to the testimony part and wrap it up. I think giving the speaker a warning first before cutting them off completely would be a nice courtesy.

[Sleeping in EQ]

CNN has a cluster of stories on its front page about this:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/19/us/com...rnd/index.html

[Donuthole]

CNN has a cluster of stories on its front page about this:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/19/us/com...rnd/index.html

Nice. Any publicity is good publicity.

[DrumNFeather]

Nice. Any publicity is good publicity.

"Want to learn more?"

[swampfrog]

This was in my boss's ward. When he told me about it, my first thought was I might have just let her finish. But as he told me what a production it was, and how many people who came for this "testimony", I think the SP counselor did the right thing.

Any indication of how many this "production" entailed? I'm having discussions with my kids about this (because it's all over their feeds) and getting just straight information is proving difficult. I spent quite a bit of time writing up my impression to respond to my oldest (gay marriage supporting returned missionary), but it has more unknowns than I like. How many? Did they come in and sit quietly? How many phones were out recording? When she was asked to sit down, did anyone make a public display of disrespect (even just walking out)? If this was a 20+-year-old, I get the cut off, but a 12-year-old should be given quite a bit of restraint and latitude. The way the "testimony" was written and delivered though was going to trigger (a word I dislike, but I think appropriate here) many, including and maybe especially church leaders because of the rhetoric of the "assault on the family". Which is likely to cause action prior to full consideration of the consequences.

All of the direct information coming from the family is that it was the girl's choice and she was the main driver. Is there any verifiable information to the contrary? That she was pushed either directly or indirectly to take a stand against policy?

The ban on recording might as well be a recommendation to be discreet, the most straight arrow members in my congregation have their phones out when their kids talk or perform. For better or worse, it's just what people do and isn't going to change soon.