Mormons who enter into same-sex unions will be
considered apostates under new church policies, and their children will
be barred from blessing and baptism rituals without the permission of
the faith's highest leaders. The policies are part of "Handbook 1," a guide
for lay leaders of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. The changes were leaked to the public via social media Thursday.
Blogger and podcaster John Dehlin, who was
excommunicated from the LDS Church earlier this year for apostasy,
posted the documents on Facebook, triggering strong, sometimes angry
responses — including "outrageous," "repulsive" and "anti-family" — from
people in and out of the church. Dehlin, of Logan, called the policies
"harmful" and stunning, given recent efforts by the LDS Church to build
bridges with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
community.