The Mormon church's new 'don't ask, don't tell' policy

By Lauren Jackson, Special to CNN
Updated 1244 GMT (2044 HKT) April 5, 2019

(CNN) — Claiming to speak for God is a tricky business -- especially when God changes his mind, often, on hot-button political issues after receiving immense public backlash.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, is facing the challenge of explaining why God seems to have dramatically flip-flopped on his stance regarding the inclusion of LGBT families.

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While the hard-line 2015 policy made it impossible for bishops to allow the baptism of children with LGBT parents, or allow same-sex marriage to go undisciplined, this reversal will create an implicit "don't ask, don't tell" policy within many church congregations -- particularly those in urban cities that have wrestled with how to meet the needs of millennials while adhering to the prescriptions of church headquarters.

Now, each bishop has the choice of how to respond to same-sex marriage within his congregation -- a sin that once, technically, would necessitate excommunication. While the church states that same-sex marriage is still a "serious transgression," this policy will allow more liberal bishops to determine ecclesiastical discipline (or nondiscipline) on an individual basis. For many congregations, this will likely mean welcoming gay members and their families with open arms.

However, this change still relegates LGBT Mormons to a second-class status within the church, one that is deemed inherently "unworthy" of full church participation.

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