At 8:45 a.m. my family and I pulled into a meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in rural Indiana. I was raised Mormon, but left the LDS Church about 15 years ago. My wife is still LDS and my children attend both the LDS Church with her and the Unitarian Church with me on alternating Sundays.
This Sunday, my 16-year-old son was giving a talk on the freedom of choice, what Mormons call "agency." The irony of the topic was not lost on me, as just two days earlier, the Supreme Court of the United States had legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Latter-Day Saint Sunday worship services consist of talks given by lay members of the congregation on topics assigned by the local church leadership several weeks in advance, so the irony was purely coincidental. As was the topic assigned to the second speaker, who followed my son, "Sister Chapel." (Mormons refer to each other as "Brother" and "Sister." All names have been changed to protect the privacy of the persons involved.)
Read Full Article »