Wednesday, November 12, 2008

slow tides turning

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The strong backlash against the LDS Church over Proposition 8 is taking a new twist. LDS members - sometimes whole LDS families - say they are now leaving the Church because of its opposition to same-sex marriage.

On just one anti-prop 8 website, they reportedly number in the hundreds. Some say they've already resigned; others are apparently about to.

Linda Stay from St. George is one of those resigning from the LDS Church, and is doing so because the Church opposes gay marriage, like the one her son Tyler is in.

Andrew Callahan, a LDS member who has been very vocal speaking out against Prop 8, told ABC 4, "It's very clear to me that many, many people are resigning over this gay marriage issue and the Church's involvement in it."

Now, the last time Utah saw Andrew Callahan, he was delivering anti-Prop 8 petitions to the LDS Church in October, but now, on Callahan's website, “Signing for Something,” there is a new section.

It's reserved for those resigning from or leaving the LDS Church.

And Callahan tells the story of one heartbroken LDS woman in California.

"She doesn't want to be associated with the bigotry and she doesn't want, in any way, to be responsible for teaching the young children to be bigots," said Callahan.

Callahan estimates on his website he's heard from hundreds of resigned or resigning LDS members.

This includes not just Linda Stay but also nine other members of her family.

Callahan also says it includes his 16-year-old daughter but not yet him.

He says, "I am disgusted as everyone else, but, because they asked me to resign, I don't want them to feel they got what they wanted."

And Callahan's website also includes a link to something called mormonnomore.com.

This site includes step by step instructions for leaving the LDS faith.

Now, perhaps, some of the LDS members leaving the church would have done so anyway, but Callahan says since the Salt Lake Temple protest Friday, more than 200 LDS members on his website have made it clear they're now resigning as well.

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