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Show ar 4a? A ESKa tiC jfB Doma rue rums vou wucn rr coMti to vtoeo oamc5, ru. lOFlMM UeWt HOW could ure-- UMDOtSTAMD TUOX 5PORTcues mamagc tucmcd to sax so Staff, Spring 2010 Editor: WHY I MCAJ, WAUT TO MC, GAMC5 ARC ABOUT S- newt do uj WOULD COUCH FOOTBALL WHCMI COULD DUST 30 OUT3IDC ADD DO (T FOR REAL? onto tvat hmulatc ounmura AMD HASSNC FAMTA5Y t rue to srrou AMD PLAY rcal ADWSneteO... wax.. StaffWriters: Laurel McLane Krista Smith David Patterson Business Manager: 4j2G0B Jenni Stokes Eric Nielsen John Kroes www Production Manager: Kendra Black Contributing Writers: Walter Dennison Letter to the Editor Advisor: Kim Zarkin Feli Anne Hipol Jennifer Soto-Allr- To the editor, ed The Forum is published every other Tuesday. Its circulation is 1,000 newspapers. The first copy is free of charge; additional copies may be purchased for 50 cents. We encourage students, all faculty, staff and other readers to provide feedback. letters to Krista Smith at forumeditorwestminstercollege. edu. Only signed letters will be accepted. The Forum reserves the right to edit all submissions. Views expressed are those of the writers and are not to be considered those of The Forum, the faculty, staff or administration. ail Your editorial was, like, so right on! Even some of the young professionals these days cant get out of the habit. Its pretty annoying and diminishes the meaning of what theyre saying. But then Im old Good job! Ido-onli- com Westminster Classifieds what youre looking for from textbooks to roommates. Buy what you need Sell what you dont want Trade whatever you want . Find ' Roommates Find someone Personals , Karen Karen Hendry Office of Student Life to spilt the rent Tell that special someone you love them Announcements Advertise an upcoming event Services ; Silence condones hate Why religion should support same-se- x marriage Offer your services to other Griffins Exclusively for Westminster students, staff and faculty. Just $ 5 for the first 25 words, duyyour classified now! Email Eric at forumbusinesswestminstercollege. edu. Krista Smith Editor I never set out to become a spokesperson for gay mar- riage. But today I find myself believing in equal rights for everyone regardless of sexual orientation. Sometimes we just know whats right. But do we really? Five years ago, I just knew gay marriage was wrong. This right position largely came from my lifelong membership in the Saints. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y I didnt leave the LDS Church because of homosexuality thats a story for another column. But its an issue that continues to push me away. The LDS Church should change its stance on homosexuality because, like their refusal to allow black men the priesthood until the 1970s, they are proving yet again how cruel religion can be through the culture the belief system has created. On Sept. 6, 2009 Mitch Mayne wrote an open letter to all members of the LDS Church. In the letter Mayne writes, I have been told by church leaders that I am unworthy of ever taking the sacrament. I have been told that I will never work with the youth of the church. I have been told in meetings that it is because of people like me that the AIDS pandemic has come upon the Earth that my sins are bringing punishment upon the wicked and the sinless alike. rvcwwfrr sznBtrprp'rtrJ,r3. wmiifea - Jt iWJ w i aj- - VOLUME XLIII: ISSUE j vt it 1 1 t to 4 Mayne is not alone. The LDS Church issued a statement after Proposition 8 passed in California changing marriage to a right only available for a man and a woman, The Churchs opposition to same-se- x marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. So Thomas S. Monson, why have so many people left your church because of your stance on gay marriage? Why is Maynes experience an experience shared by more than one homosexual LDS believer in this country? The Foundation for Reconciliation documents the men and women of the LDS faith who have taken their own lives because of their sexuality. To date, the Foundation knows of more than 30 LDS men and women have killed themselves. Some Mormons clearly disagree with LDS religion as evidenced by a letter written by mormonsformar-riage.co- m which states, Support of policies that seek to force the morality of our belief system on others who believe differently and strip existing rights from individuals and religions is contrary to core doctrines Saints. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Another group who disagrees with the official position is found in Oakland, CA. On Feb. 5, 2010 The Salt Lake Tribune published an article by Peggy Fletcher Stack entitled This is the church I know and love. The article discussed the experience of an LDS stake in Oakland, CA and their efforts to heal the rift between LDS believers who are gay or support gay friends and family. Unfortunately neither of these actions are a movement across the faith. Its a microcosm of a larger problem the LDS Church will eventually have to address, but like many other problems religion runs into they have claimed victim, persecution and pain. In an official statement the LDS Church said, No one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information. Because throwing rocks in a church window is the same thing as telling someone their soul is damned for eternity? And condoms and birth control are ineffective? Sounds like the PR department forgot how to talk to the non-LDThe LDS religion creates an environment that does not allow anyone to safely explore his or her sexuality heterosexual, homosexual, transsexual, bisexual or asexual. The LDS religion does not create a safe environment for anyone to be different from conservative, white male who does not question perceived authority. Its time for LDS authorities to recognize that marriage is a right for everyone. Imagine feeling as though your family will never love you, your network of friends will never talk to you again and beyond that God who you believe to be a loving Heavenly Father will disown you and throw you in hell. Thats the reality anyone who is not heterosexual lives with everyday in the LDS religion. Its time for the LDS Church to recognize that same-se- x marriage is equal to opposite-se- x marriage. I never set out to be a spokes person for equality, but then I realized religion isnt right. Q S. |