Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Delegates to the World Conference of the Community of Christ taking the historic vote.

Counselors in the First Presidency David D. Schaal (standing) and Becky L. Savage (right) presided over the discussion of the proposed section. President Stephen M. Veazey, who brought the revelation to the conference, recused himself.

President Becky L. Savage of the First Presidency reading the document on a large viewer in the Community of Christ Auditorium.

Photos: John Hamer

Community of Christ Adopts Gay-Friendly Revelation
“The Community of Christ will now be able to unambiguously allow full participation for gay members”

May 2010

Gathered at a World Conference in Independence, Missouri, the Community of Christ adopted Section 164 of their Doctrine and Covenants—a move which will likely open the door for full acceptance and equality in congregations of the developed world.

“[God] is concerned about behaviors and relationships that uphold the worth and giftedness of all people and that protect the most vulnerable,” the revelation reads in part. “Such relationships are to be rooted in the principles of Christ-like love, mutual respect, responsibility, justice, covenant, and faithfulness, against which there is no law.”

“The Community of Christ will now be able to unambiguously allow full participation for gay members (without discriminatory provisos),” wrote Affirmation friend John Hamer on the blog By Common Consent. “However, the new scripture pragmatically compromises by stating that policies will be implemented on a nation by nation basis. In a way, this is like throwing a troublesome Federal issues back to the states. The only difference is that in this case one of the states is the whole U.S. And the U.S. is just as relatively dominant in the Community of Christ as it is in the LDS Church.”

“Given that the Community of Christ’s leadership is fully in support of ending discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” John Hamer writes, “the revelation means that unambiguous policies regarding priesthood ordination and marriage equality will follow soon in the church in the developed world (US, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, etc.). Probably much of Latin America and possibly the South Pacific are also on the relatively fast list. However, the revelation allows the church in the developing world (Haiti, Africa, India, SE Asia, China, etc.) to move more slowly as the members become more familiar with the issues involved.”

John Hamer’s full report is posted at By Common Consent. The text of the new revelation is available at the website of the Community of Christ.

During a recent visit to Kansas City, Affirmation leaders received a warm welcome from GALA, an organization of LGBT members of the Community of Christ, and agreed to explore ways to create synergy between the two groups.