Sunday, October 6, 2013

They just HAD to bring up the gays. (And The Weed's disappearing act.)

Before General Conference started, I really hoped they'd just skip the whole "gay" topic all together. Just skim over it and focus on other things.  In fact, after Saturday's sessions, I thought we were in the clear.

Then on Sunday, we were hit with a double whammy.  Just as I thought things we're 'getting better,' when it comes to equality, Oaks and Nelson takes us a few steps back.  

100% True-Believing-Active-Gay-Mormons are all giddy and relieved because Oaks' and Nelson's talks were just confirmation that they're "doing the right thing."  (And glancing at some Tweets, I feel that some of the SSA's are already rubbing it in our faces.)

The rest of us Moho's are left confused and upset.  Not a good weekend for us gays.  (I checked the Mormons Building Bridges Facebook groups and other blogs and feel it's safe to make this assumption.)

Uchtdorf said the church has "made mistakes" and invited people like me to return to church. The very next day, Oaks says same-sex marriage laws cannot "make moral what God has declared immoral."  Nelson then said "God's marriage pattern cannot be abused, misunderstood or misconstrued."  (So, come back to church, but stick with those celibate ways.  Fun.)  

The above venting is probably nothing new.  We all know what was said in conference.  But here's some quiet controversy that happened over the weekend.

Josh Weed, the poster-boy of Mixed Orientation Marriage, posted quite the blog on Friday.  It was in SUPPORT of gay marriage.   He said, "I believe you can be a good, obedient, temple-recommend-holding Mormon and still support the recognition of gay marriage."  Awesome post.

In the past, I've always been weary of the Weed's and the Mansfield's because their stories are constantly used to prove that it is possible for gay guys to marry women and stay active in the church.  (Even though Josh has specifically said to NOT use his story as an example for those 'struggling with SSA.'  But it still happens.)

After reading Josh's post, I was happy.  He has tons of followers due to his friendly and humorous attitude and it was a step in the right direction. I'm all for marriage equality, and now Josh Weed is too. I like that. I read the comments below the post, and they were, of course, mixed. Some were in accordance and some, sticking with The Family Proc and the scriptures, were in total disagreement.  Still though, it was cool for someone with so much recognition to make this type of stand.  

When Oaks and Nelson were done with their talks, I was curious to see if Josh would post an update or add some sort of disclaimer.  So I returned to his site.  

And the original post was GONE.  DELETED.  WIPED AWAY as if it never even happened.

Thanks to my best friend (Google), the post still exists in cached format.  For those of you who missed it, I encourage you to read it.  EDIT: The cached version only shows 4 comments, but there were around 100 before it was deleted.

Until Josh gives an explanation for deleting this remarkable post, I'm going to call it cowardly for acting like it never happened.  Did his mind magically change over the course of two days thanks to the anti-gay conference talks?  Does he not realize that once something is up on the Internet it will NEVER go away?!  Bad move.

I'm glad this weekend is over.  Now that conference has passed, my Facebook feed can go back to arguments about politics, sports, and pictures of cats.  

UPDATE: Looks like the cached version is gone as well.  If you're really curious about reading the post, contact me.  I saved a copy on my computer.

UPDATE 2: I don't know how these cached pages work, but the post is back again, this time with over 100 comments.

UPDATE 3: He's posted an update.  Not sure yet how I feel about it.  It's emotional, but feel he wrote SO much to detract from his deleted post.  





8 comments:

  1. Wow! I can't believe that! He has one of the most popular blogs on the internet... did he expect that no one would see it? Or that it would go unnoticed?

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    Replies
    1. No idea. A minor update would have been nice. (My views don't reflect the church's views, for example) But to completely wipe it all away is a no-no!

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    2. The Weed has taken down posts before. Each time it was because the comments got out of control. That's definitely a post that could lead to some vitriol in the comments.

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    3. While there were a multitude of comments before the post was taken down, there weren't any too shocking (from what I read) Just your basic back and forth arguing. And I think the majority seemed to agree with him.

      Josh had to have known the post would spark a debate. Why didn't he close comments for this particular post?

      Are you saying the deleted post has nothing to do with what was said in conference?

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    4. I'm just basing this on past behavior, since I have little else on which to base such an opinion. While the comments might have been fairly tame for the first hundred or so, it's very possible there could have been a kind of vitriolic flame war between a couple commenters, or some people posting entirely inappropriate things later on. Or maybe not. I just think it's not good to rush to judgement about his motivations.

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    5. You're correct. I shouldn't rush to judgement. But the whole situation just seems odd to me. I was hoping for an explanation today, but I can't seem to find one on his blog or FB page. (And I know I'm not the only one who read the post and now curious as to why it's gone.)

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  2. I find it curious how in Weed's original post he reserved his right to change his mind. He certainly has that right. I suppose posting things on the internet make them feel kinda permanent, like they can never change, but I know I've changed in the past year of blogging. Weed is allowed to change his mind too. But I'd agree, he shouldn't feel afraid to do so. I also agree with Who Me? we can't judge his motives.

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  3. Perennial weeds (weeds that grow from their roots every year) can spread and make a lawn unsightly. Annual weeds (weeds that die at the end of the season and reseed the next year) can leave bare spots that are vulnerable to runoff. weed games

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