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2nd Article of faith, 9 weeks pregnant, accountable, apostate, babies, baptism, grape, LDS, lds church, lesbian triplets, love, mormon, same-sex family, triples, TTC, we are pregnant, we are pregnant with triplets
We announced that we are pregnant on FB (which unfortunately is the easiest way these days to spread the news).
We were not sure if and when we were going to do it, but last night a funny thing happened and I thought it was great.
We were doing laundry together, as normal. We were putting up the dried clothes and a Heineken beer cap was in our dried clothes. Nichole held it up to me, while gently shrugging her shoulders and said, “I don’t drink Heineken.” It is funny because it almost seemed as though she was asking if it was me and my reply back was “I’m pregnant.” That is pretty much how we announced followed with Baby Bailey due April 2016.
We left out the fact that there are three babies in there. We will save that for another time and date, which will more than likely be delivery. We will see though because I am not typically great at keeping these kinds of things a secret. We have told our daughter that we are pregnant as well, but did not let on to how many. Just incase something were to happen, we want to really lessen the impact on her. Losing Thatcher was rough on us all, but what made it almost unbearable was seeing her cry for her little brother.
Things have been interesting the last week or two. Not really where the pregnancy is related although I already have three babies the size of grapes in my belly. Things have been a bit of a struggle figuring out exactly where I stand and how I feel about some of the new information that the LDS church, a church to which I still belong, has put out about children of gay families.
The fact that the child of a gay parent, or should I say actively gay parent and/or family cannot have a name blessing (which is done shortly after birth) OR chose to be baptized (happens at the age of 8 for children born in the church) until they reach the age of 18 and renounce same-sex marriage and move out of their home is just crazy. This new “rule” goes directly against what is known within the church as the 2nd Article of Faith, which states, “ 2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
First, I have to state that I do not believe that being gay is a sin, or any type of bad choice, but for the purpose of writing this, just go with me. Based on the churches teachings, we are only held accountable for our own actions and not the actions of others, but forbidding a child to be baptized is holding them accountable for the actions of others. I know I have friends and family who will disagree with this, but there is simply no other way to put it. It is also teaching the child in a gay family that somehow they are less than their peers- on so many levels. It is ridiculous and I for one simply cannot put up with it.
I mean honestly, who would? It is exclusionary in every since of the word, and WHY on earth would I want to belong someone that excludes ANYONE? It sure does not follow the motto etched into the sides of their buildings that states “visitors welcome.” That is a joke as it has been made clear many times over the years that we are not welcome, and now it rolls over to my child- my children. That is where I draw the line. When my children reach the age of 18, why would they ever WANT to belong somewhere that for so many years told them they were not worthy to be baptized? Why would my children want to belong somewhere that excludes others and requires that they renounce basically the families that raised them and loved them so much? Why?
So, after careful thought and much consideration, and well since I am an apostate anyways, I am writing to have my name removed from the churches records, at this point it is just about the paperwork anyways and I am not going to afford someone the satisfaction of trying to call me into a church court and want to discuss my life just to excommunicate me? No thanks… It is a chapter that I am sad to see close in my own personal life as I naively clung to the hopes that one day we would be welcomed and treated as equals. It was home.
I could write on and on about this, but for now all I can say is that my heart is broken and another day I just might. But for now….
Also.. I saw this on people and while it has strong language that I am not necessarily a fan of or some of what’s being said, this kid seems pretty smart. Comedian reads 18 year olds church resignation letter (to my LDS friends who follow my blog, just a forewarning, don’t watch the link).