Lds Church Makes First Ever Contribution To Utah Pride Center Program

[Gray]

http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/lds-church-makes-contribution-to-utah-pride-center/40523/tkDwMHpQ4kiXqpFn8jaJLQ

 

I thought this was a really lovely gesture on the church's part. While some people's opposition to gay marriage certainly seems based on personal antipathy toward gay people, I think this shows that this is not the case when it comes to senior church leadership.

 

 

[CV75]

http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/lds-church-makes-contribution-to-utah-pride-center/40523/tkDwMHpQ4kiXqpFn8jaJLQ

 

I thought this was a really lovely gesture on the church's part. While some people's opposition to gay marriage certainly seems based on personal antipathy toward gay people, I think this shows that this is not the case when it comes to senior church leadership.

I know many LDS, including myself, who give liberally to meet the needs of homeless and low-income youth regardless of the label on the organization serving them. We help not because they are gay (or straight) but because they are brothers and sisters in immediate temporal need.

[Tacenda]

Re-post:

 

Quote from a NOM post I just read...."$2,500 in credit at the Bishop's storehouse..... vs. .....$4,000,000 to the University of Utah Law School (made several years ago)

Forgive my incredulity of the generosity and sincerity of the brethren, but come on....what a joke."

 

Me:  This reminded me of a time my dad left a nickel as a tip for a waitress that was horrible when my family went out to dinner once when I was a child, I never forgot it.  My dad was always a fair tipper, but that day he just left a nickel.   

 

ETA:  Especially in light of this NOM post:  http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_13309365

 

Me:  Why such a small amount?  It's almost embarrassing.  I can't imagine the church would let this happen.  I am so happy they want to help, but come on.

 

An even better article would be this one:  http://www.sltrib.co...t-utah.html.csp

 

ETA:  One more quote:  "Sheila Raboy, a volunteer director of communication at the Utah Pride Center, said the donation wasn’t a surprise, as they had applied for a storehouse grant and got what they applied for."

It wasn't even the Church's idea.  

 

So at least it wasn't the idea of the church to give such a small amount, this was the amount of the request. This is a good thing!  And may start many good things.  

[Calm]

It is a shame when people make extreme judgments prior to learning sufficient details.

Why were you so eager to post something negative before finding out what was going on?

[cinepro]

They should also make a donation of a plaque with some choice quotes from President Benson's talk on "Pride".

 

Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance. In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride—it is always considered a sin. Therefore, no matter how the world uses the term, we must understand how God uses the term so we can understand the language of holy writ and profit thereby. 

 

Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/04/beware-of-pride?lang=eng#watch=video

 

[KevinG]

They should also make a donation of a plaque with some choice quotes from President Benson's talk on "Pride".

 

I hope you are proud of yourself for that.  

 

[Gray]

Tacenda, I've heard (but can't confirm) that the center specifically asked for $2500. 

[Fly Fisherman]

Re-post:

 

Quote from a NOM post I just read...."$2,500 in credit at the Bishop's storehouse..... vs. .....$4,000,000 to the University of Utah Law School (made several years ago)

 

 This news source is where the $2500 claim is made: 

 

http://fox13now.com/2015/07/01/for-the-first-time-ever-the-lds-church-has-given-a-donation-to-the-utah-pride-center/

[Gray]

"Sheila Raboy, the center’s interim operations director, said the donation wasn’t a surprise as they had applied for a storehouse grant and got what they applied for."

[Mormonmaniac]

So, the church helps out the homeless. What's new?

[Tacenda]

Did you guys read my edits? Or my full post?

[Tacenda]

It is a shame when people make extreme judgments prior to learning sufficient details.

Why were you so eager to post something negative before finding out what was going on?

Forgive me, the amount made me a little upset, sorry. But the truth is truth and I edited immediately. ETA: Kind of a shame that Good4Utah left out the quote. So it's an easy mistake to make maybe, but shame on me. Edited July 2, 2015 by Tacenda

[california boy]

This is an amazing and generous gesture. It means an incredible lot to me personally. Perhaps the first time I really believe that the church actually cares about anyone that is gay

I used to do the annual aids ride from San Francisco to l.A. It is 585 miles. You bike about 100 miles a day. The sole purpose for the ride is to raise money to fight AIDS. My family all knew I did the ride. Not a.single one donated a nickel to help me raise the necessary funds.

One year after doing the ride I wore the tee shirt to a family BBQ a couple of days after the ride. I was so proud that I completely the ride. And I was so moved at the generosity, support and love people showed to the riders by perfect strangers along the way.

I would like to share just one example. We were riding through the strawberry fields of central California. One of the migrants workers asked one of the people helping with traffic controls what all these bikers were doing. After being told he came back about 20 minutes later with twp heaping handfuls of coins. He gave it to the worker and apologized that it wasn't much. Every single one of those migrant workers had reached into their pockets and given all that they could. This is just one of many things that happened that week along the way. My own widow mite experience.

My family was horrified that I had worn the tee shirt and made me change to one of my brothers shirts. I was not invited to another family event for 12 years.

[Jacob]

So, the church helps out the homeless. What's new?

 

I believe that the import isn't that the Church is helping the homeless, but that it is doing so through Pride. This is a huge deal and does set a Church precedent for the membership as to how to interact with Pride and the LGBT community. The Church is doing a lot to show examples of acceptable acts of tolerance while maintaining the position against practice. The Church is also showing that animosity towards the Pride/LGBT community is not the proper behavior of those in the Church. The Church's position with regard to discrimination through it's stance on housing and other areas is creating an example by which members should be able to make better, more educated, decisions as to how they interact with the Pride/LGBT community.

[KevinG]

My family was horrified that I had worn the tee shirt and made me change to one of my brothers shirts. I was not invited to another family event for 12 years.

 

Not to start a firestorm, but that action on the part of your family would lead me to conclude they are very bad at practicing Mormonism and Christianity in general.  I saddens me that you had to face that.  This also gives me some insight as to why you might feel the way you do about Mormonism in general.  

My sincere prayer is that we can be better examples of Christlike love towards those we disagree with.  This is a good start on the part of the institution.  Individuals would be well served to follow the example.

Edited July 2, 2015 by KevinG

[Mars]

This is an amazing and generous gesture. It means an incredible lot to me personally. Perhaps the first time I really believe that the church actually cares about anyone that is gay

I used to do the annual aids ride from San Francisco to l.A. It is 585 miles. You bike about 100 miles a day. The sole purpose for the ride is to raise money to fight AIDS. My family all knew I did the ride. Not a.single one donated a nickel to help me raise the necessary funds.

One year after doing the ride I wore the tee shirt to a family BBQ a couple of days after the ride. I was so proud that I completely the ride. And I was so moved at the generosity, support and love people showed to the riders by perfect strangers along the way.

I would like to share just one example. We were riding through the strawberry fields of central California. One of the migrants workers asked one of the people helping with traffic controls what all these bikers were doing. After being told he came back about 20 minutes later with twp heaping handfuls of coins. He gave it to the worker and apologized that it wasn't much. Every single one of those migrant workers had reached into their pockets and given all that they could. This is just one of many things that happened that week along the way. My own widow mite experience.

My family was horrified that I had worn the tee shirt and made me change to one of my brothers shirts. I was not invited to another family event for 12 years.

 

if you're ever in the DC area and need/want a hug, just PM me.

 

i'm not "THE CHURCH," but i am pretty mormon-y and my hugs are pretty awesome.  (no promises on whether or not i make fart noises when i squeeze.)

Edited July 2, 2015 by Mars

[mfbukowski]

If you know anything about church welfare, you know that the monetary "value" of what the church contributed was at their cost.

The retail value was probably at least twice their cost if not more.

We are talking about loaves of breadbread, etc. valued at pennies on the dollar.

What does it cost the church to can some peaches with all volunteer labor and no profit to be made?

That is why the church contributed food, not cash

[Russell C McGregor]

I would like to share just one example. We were riding through the strawberry fields of central California....

And were you singing Beatles songs at the time?

[california boy]

Not to start a firestorm, but that action on the part of your family would lead me to conclude they are very bad at practicing Mormonism and Christianity in general.  I saddens me that you had to face that.  This also gives me some insight as to why you might feel the way you do about Mormonism in general.  

My sincere prayer is that we can be better examples of Christlike love towards those we disagree with.  This is a good start on the part of the institution.  Individuals would be well served to follow the example.

After I was excommunicated one of the high counselors called me about a week later. He asked if he could have lunch with me. Of course I agreed. At lunch he told me his brother was gay and they had. not included him in the family for 27 years. Just.recently they have reached out to him. He regretted the mistake his family had made

I have tried very hard to not have hard feelings toward my family. It took me a very long time to come to grips with being gay. Why would I expect it to be easy for them.

The last two years things have started to change. My father even met my boyfriend. Now he has no problem in talking to him. He never asks about him but at least he knows who he is. This Christmas I was able to spend an evening with some of my family. And on my birthday one of my brothers and my two sisters sent me an email. First time since that family BBQ so many years ago.

Don't judge my family. Like many on this board who wouldn't bake a cake or attend a wedding or meet someone's partner. They thought they were doing what God wanted them to do

[Mystery Meat]

http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/lds-church-makes-contribution-to-utah-pride-center/40523/tkDwMHpQ4kiXqpFn8jaJLQ

 

I thought this was a really lovely gesture on the church's part. While some people's opposition to gay marriage certainly seems based on personal antipathy toward gay people, I think this shows that this is not the case when it comes to senior church leadership.

 

I think it also the case with the vast majority of Church membership.

[california boy]

if you're ever in the DC area and need/want a hug, just PM me.

 

i'm not "THE CHURCH," but i am pretty mormon-y and my hugs are pretty awesome.  (no promises on whether or not i make fart noises when i squeeze.)

Well thanks. Everyone needs hugs. We never really know what burdens people carry. We all need to be more kind to each other.

[Tacenda]

After I was excommunicated one of the high counselors called me about a week later. He asked if he could have lunch with me. Of course I agreed. At lunch he told me his brother was gay and they had. not included him in the family for 27 years. Just.recently they have reached out to him. He regretted the mistake his family had made

I have tried very hard to not have hard feelings toward my family. It took me a very long time to come to grips with being gay. Why would I expect it to be easy for them.

The last two years things have started to change. My father even met my boyfriend. Now he has no problem in talking to him. He never asks about him but at least he knows who he is. This Christmas I was able to spend an evening with some of my family. And on my birthday one of my brothers and my two sisters sent me an email. First time since that family BBQ so many years ago.

Don't judge my family. Like many on this board who wouldn't bake a cake or attend a wedding or meet someone's partner. They thought they were doing what God wanted them to do

I find it interesting that when the church is coming around the people are too.  Such as the church supporting equal housing etc.  And the Mormonsandgays website.  Almost like LDS totally follow the lead of others, such as the prophet and apostles, seems a bit cultish.

 

ETA:  Ran out of posts!  Cal, example of others but that's too late for people like CB and the homeless gay youth out there!!

 

Stormrider, I never said cult, I don't believe we are an evil cult!  I said cultish, lots of religions act cultish.  Where we are sheep.  Or even lost sheep.  Each of us has to have a responsibility to hold our own and believe in Christ's love!  Not believe in men or women,  their judgements shouldn't come between our own kin.

 

Cal, maybe I'm losing it.  Good example of others would have prevented the California Boys and so many others out there that were hurt/hurting.      

Edited July 3, 2015 by Tacenda

[Kenngo1969]

I find it interesting that when the church is coming around the people are too.  Such as the church supporting equal housing etc.  And the Mormonsandgays website.  Almost like LDS totally follow the lead of others, such as the prophet and apostles, seems a bit cultish.    

A back-handed, uhhh, compliment and then a SLAP!  Nice!

[Calm]

Right, because as humans it is wrong for us to learn from the example of others.

[Storm Rider]

I find it interesting that when the church is coming around the people are too.  Such as the church supporting equal housing etc.  And the Mormonsandgays website.  Almost like LDS totally follow the lead of others, such as the prophet and apostles, seems a bit cultish.    

 

I thought you knew that we were a cult.  Strange you didn't know; as much as Evangelicals tell us and remind us I thought everyone knew.