"I've recently begun to realize that the current behavior of the Church and many of it's members is very comparable to the Zoramites of the Book of Mormon and the Pharisee's at the time of Christ.
Christ condemned the Pharisees for putting overly strict obedience before the well-being of humankind. Also for multiplying laws and commands to govern every aspect of life.
The Zoramites put intense stock in their own purity and spiritual superiority over all other religions and beliefs. They claimed that they were set apart to be special above all others. How often in testimony meetings do we hear similar statements about the "One True Church" and being set apart as the only people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
I've seen many members throw out the Articles of Faith and act according to their own personal feelings and beliefs and then condemn a gay member or other disillusioned for not following the prophets, and in true hypocritical fashion they then turn around and refuse to acknowledge official Church positions that are in fact more kind to gays and others than their own personal prejudices would allow. They quickly condemn any quotation coming from the scriptures or the prophets calling for kindness, acceptance (such as not requiring gays to marry a member of the opposite gender, or not requiring gays to convert to being straight) etc. as not being of God and not inline with the Gospel. They are in fact committing the same sin that they condemn others of committing.
It is sad to see so many members, even in this very thread, attempting to force obedience, or at least silence, from others. It is sad to see people who care so much for the Gospel and the ideals we were taught as children be mocked, ridiculed, condemned as faithless etc. We fight for the principles in the Articles of Faith, we fight for the liberties of thought and learning that the early Church seemed to value despite it's many problems. It is sad to see Church leaders and members actively refusing to follow the steps of repentance in their own behavior and yet use as much energy condemning others as we do condemning them. When Apostles state publicly that the Church will never apologize for it's actions we have a problem of pride and refusal to repent. How frequently was the Church itself condemned in the Book of Mormon and the Bible for its pride and wickedness? Are we of the Church righteous or are we simply modern day Pharisees and Zoramites turning a blind eye to our own sins?"
I received a number of negative responses to my comments above, so I replied with this:
"There's nothing wrong with pointing out the truthful bad behavior in a society. Everything that I have said I have seen first hand and honestly I have left out the majority of the extremely wrong, dangerous and even evil things that just my local church members have said and done in my presence. I'm not saying anything that is hearsay or rumor. And don't forget that it is the responsibility of the Aaronic Priesthood to chastise the members and prevent the fighting and bad behavior that is widely prevalent today."
I do find it interesting however that one person in particular said I was "so judgmental" to other members. After a short discussion with him I wrote on my own timeline something I found ironic about the whole situation of being called "judgmental":
"I think it's funny that some of the comments I'm getting on my other discussion are saying that I'm too judgmental of other members. Members have had no problem being judgmental and direct about what they perceive as my "sinful life" or "lack of testimony". They've always claimed they were doing God's work by telling me "the truth". Apparently they can't take their own medicine..."
Take this rant however you will but I for one am tired of being mistreated by other members of the Church who then complain about being repressed or persecuted when I or others do not allow them to get away with the bad behavior at our expense. Being persecuted is one thing and it does unfortunately happen to Christians, Mormons, and Straight persons at times and in different places. But there is a difference between real persecution and reprimanding bad behavior. Anyone who has dealt with little children will recognize that if you tell a kid of any age "No" they will often cry and say you're being mean. The behavior of many of these Mormons reminds of this picture:
Some devout members remind me of this child. They cry foul when they aren't allowed to hurt others. Of course this doesn't just include conservative straight Mormons, it includes all Christians, all Atheists, members of other religions and also Gays. Anyone who tries to offend, harm or speak harshly (at times even I myself am included in this) of others is just like this little child. Discipline never sets well with those who misbehave. If I or Gays in general are in fact wrong in the long run so be it. However our "incorrect behavior" would not justify or excuse the bad behavior of the supposed "righteous" men and women who harm us with their actions or words.
I hold my course and pray that I am right in my choices and I do not condemn anyone else who holds the course of their own beliefs, I only condemn those who attempt to control, offend or force me to live according to their definitions of right and wrong. You can speak your mind and disagree but you must follow the Golden Rule.
UPDATE: 12/29/15 - The conversation on Facebook continues
So, today I received another reply to my original comment and discussion. The man who replied acknowledged that I had most likely been mistreated and was sorry to hear of it. But he also seems to have the view that negative behavior in the Church is among the minority of circumstances. I wish that view was accurate and I hope that one day bad behavior will diminish among Church members. The following is my reply to his comment:
" I actually don't live in Utah, I'm a Florida boy. But I've lived in DC, Arizona and here and the reactions have all been the same. Not to mention private messages and thread discussions with members all over the country. You're right that I've been such a subject but it's far worse and far more common than you know. I can count on 2 hands the number of people, who are active in Church, who have actually been genuinely good to me. But these problems extend far beyond just issues with homosexuality. My mother got divorced while she was still pregnant with me because her husband made an ultimatum demanding that she choose either him or the Church. She chose the Church but was then reviled against by her Bishop and other leaders for being a single mother. Priesthood leaders publicly instructed the women of the area to not attend my mother's baby shower because they would be encouraging her single parent status. In Scouts our Stake was banned from at least one camp ground because Mormon youths were by far the most problematic. Of all the troops, it was the Church's boys that were vandalizing property, disrupting classes, fighting with instructors etc. I could easily go on but I wont at the moment. I've seen more kindness, respect and Christlike behavior from the non-members who consistently are looked down on by LDS people. I always hear instructions and complaints by Church members that they don't want to associate or hang out with non-members because they [the non-members] don't [have] morals (aka they drink or sleep with their significant other outside of wedlock). We think we're the best people in the world but if you quantify Mormon behavior and Mormon words you'll see that in fact we are not even close."
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