Not quite what you would expect

One of the top articles on the Pravda of Utah (Salt Lake Tribune) website is about this season's edition of "Survivor". Since I'm forced to watch cheesy Armed Forces Network (AFN) when I want my American TV-fix, I'm not up on "current events" in the US, but apparently, one of the contestants decided to come out of the closet last night and announce that he was 1) gay and 2) a Mormon. However, reading down the article you find that although he is gay, he is not Mormon. He has never been baptised in the LDS Church and although he may identify with the beliefs of the LDS Church, he is not a Mormon.

The LDS Church teaches to "hate the sin, but love the sinner." As such, members of the LDS Church who feel that they are gay can still be active members of the church and enjoy all the blessings of the church. However, they cannot engage in homosexual conduct and must live and law of chasity, just like any other member of the church, married or single. Unfortunately, most of them feel that the church should make an exception for them, so after a few years, they either 1) leave the church to pursue their form of happiness or 2) are excommunicated from the church for pursuing their form of happiness. So, it is conceivable that this contestant could be both gay and Mormon, but from the following quote, not probable:

"Mormons are so focused on family and caring for other people, and there are so many things about the Mormon religion that I want to bring to my life," he added. "When I have a husband and kids, I want us to have Family Home Evening on Monday nights, and I'll get together and play board games or do whatever. I think the Mormon church has so much good that you can take from it."

Talking about how when he has a "husband and kids" shows that although he believes in some of the teachings of the church, he hasn't grasped one of the most important that marriage is only between man and woman. Still, it goes to show just how mainstream the LDS Church is becoming.