A few days ago, The Mormon Church, also known as the Latter-day Saints, openly published their General Handbook for church governance.  In the past, these instructions were held in secret and were only accessible by TOP church leadership from bishops to general authorities.  Several policies have changed.  Here, I’m going to focus on one of them that directly affects my family.

Children must Disavow Gay Parents

In November 2015, the Mormon Church implemented a dreadful new policy that contained the following provisions:

• Children of LGBT parents would be prohibited from baby blessings, baptism priesthood ordination and admittance to the temple.
• When children of LGBT parents reached the age of 18, with approval from the First Presidency, baptism would become an option.
• Before baptism, the 18 year old  must move out of their LGBT parent’s home.
• To qualify for baptism, the 18 year old must disavow the lifestyle of his or her parents.

The leaders of the Mormon Church announced that this policy was a direct revelation from god!!  3 1/2 years later, the Mormon god changed his mind and rescinded this policy of exclusion and disavowal.  During the intervening years, thousands of members streamed out of the church in opposition to these unChristlike regulations.  It has been tragically reported that many LGBT youth chose to end their lives in the face of such a hateful and harmful policy.  Fortunately, the God of the Mormons got the memo and sent the new revelation.

Children Must Now Repudiate Their Apostate Parents

Here we are in February 2020 and Mormon god has sent a new revelation by way of the General Handbook.  It’s in section 38.4, “Issuing Temple Recommends in Specific Circumstances.”

This is a very important part of the Handbook.  Mormons believe that one can’t get into heaven without going through the temple.  In order to enter a temple, one MUST possess a temple recommend.  And here’s the rub.  There is a new qualifying stipulation that directly affects my kids.

Subsection 38.4.4:  Members Whose Close Relatives Belong to Apostate Groups

Bishops and their counselors must take exceptional care when issuing recommends to members whose parents or other close relatives belong to or sympathize with apostate groups.  They should not be made to feel unworthy by mere association.  However, such members must demonstrate clearly that they repudiate these apostate religious teachings before they may be issued a recommend.

My thoughts on the apostles’ new policy:

1. Hypocrites.  They claim to be a family church.  All the while they work so hard to rip  families apart.  They are either blind as bats in outer darkness or they are spiteful and greedy to maintain their billions safely tucked away in their massive treasury.
2. Church leaders must take EXCEPTIONAL CARE.   Exceptional care isn’t mandated for anything else.  Not for children’s protection.  Not for the temple.  Not even for the vaunted covenant path.  Only regarding REPUDIATION of apostate parents.
3. What does exceptional care even mean?  Is the bishop supposed to grill the children of Sam Young 10 times before they are satisfied that parental REPUDIATION is complete?  Lie detector?  Waterboard?  It’s just silly
4. A member whose parents.  That is the one and only relationship that is specifically named.  Oh that funny god of the Mormons.  Inserting division and suspicion into what should be one of the most cherished relationships on the planet.
5. They should not be made to feel unworthy by mere association.  Idiots!  By mere association?  They are talking about my daughters and me.  Children and their father.  They have the audacity and hubris to state to my children that they shouldn’t feel unworthy by mere association.  What the hell does that imply?  Should they feel unworthy if our relationship is more than mere?  Like maybe an association filled with respect and love?  Would that make them unworthy?   Should they feel unworthy if they….um…talk to me, if we discuss thoughts and opinions and life?  BTW, who writes these vacuous policies?
6.  “Such members must demonstrate clearly that they repudiate these apostate religious teachings.”  First off, this is bad paragraph construction.  Nowhere are apostate teachings referenced in the preceding two sentences.  Looks like LDS god needs to go back to grammar school.  But, I’ll be kind and give their deity the benefit of the doubt.  I’ll assume that the apostate teachings referenced are the teachings that I have espoused since March 2017:  No one-on-one interviews and No sexually explicit questions to children.  These are my apostate teachings.  These are the teachings that got me excommunicated.  They are part of who Sam Young is.  The high and mighty Mormon corporation demands that my children REPUDIATE me!!!  Well…that is if they want to get into heaven.  Anywhere else, this is known as extortion.

Repudiation Requited

Dear Mormon Apostles,

Time for my own effort at repudiation.  I REPUDIATE you and your corporate church.  In case you don’t know what the word means here, you go:

1. Refuse to accept
2. Reject as untrue
3. Reject as unjust

• I repudiate your make believe authority.
• I repudiate your truth claims.  They are blatantly false.  Any third party observer plainly sees it.  Your members are fleeing in droves as their eyes are opened.
• I repudiate your claims to be the church of Jesus Christ.  Your doctrines are racist, homophobic, misogynistic and put children in danger.
• I repudiate your attempt to drive a wedge between me and my family.   You are demanding that my children repudiate their father in order receive the highest heavenly reward.  You bastards.  Yeah, you heard me…you bastards.  I REPUDIATE YOU.

I pray and hope that someday you chose to repent and repudiate your unchristian doctrines.  Fortunately, there is precedent as many of your horrid practices have been revised or completely reversed since your church’s inception.