Someone recently commented to me that the Mormon version of God hates gay people.  A couple of years ago, that comment would have bothered me a lot.  (It should go without saying that God loves every one of his gay children, but I’ll say it anyway.)  Now, though, it is not just a disturbing comment, but a truly hurtful one.  I cringed reflexively when I heard it.  It is hurtful to think that people believe that I—or collectively “we” as a religion—believe God to be like that.  He is not.

While Mormon doctrine remains unchanged (and I can’t imagine it ever changing) with regard to sexual conduct, many LDS people have made the journey from rejecting gay people to accepting and embracing them.  Too many have yet to make that journey.  I would like to share with you here the story of one man’s jouney, he being a bishop in our stake.  I highly commend to you this blog post.  It is on Ben Schilaty’s blog site and is titled, “‘The Eyes of My Understanding Were Opened’: A Bishop’s Journey.”

Chris