The following statement was released at LDS.org
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THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
OFFICE OF THE FIRST PRESIDENCY
47 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE STREET, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84150-1200
November 13, 2015
To: General Authorities; Area Seventies; General Auxiliary Presidencies; Stake, District, Mission, and Temple Presidents; Bishops and Branch Presidents
Dear Brethren and Sisters:
The Council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provides the following guidance in applying provisions on same-gender marriage recently added to Handbook 1:
Revealed doctrine is clear that families are eternal in nature and purpose. We are obligated to act with that perspective for the welfare of both adults and children. The newly added Handbook provisions affirm that adults who choose to enter into a same-gender marriage or similar relationship commit sin that warrants a Church disciplinary council.
Our concern with respect to children is their current and future well-being and the harmony of their home environment. The provisions of Handbook 1, Section 16.13, that restrict priesthood ordinances for minors, apply only to those children whose primary residence is with a couple living in a same-gender marriage or similar relationship. As always, local leaders may request further guidance in particular instances when they have questions.
When a child living with such a same-gender couple has already been baptized and is actively participating in the Church, provisions of Section 16.13 do not require that his or her membership activities or priesthood privileges be curtailed or that further ordinances be withheld. Decisions about any future ordinances for such children should be made by local leaders with their prime consideration being the preparation and best interests of the child.
All children are to be treated with utmost respect and love. They are welcome to attend Church meetings and participate in Church activities. All children may receive priesthood blessings of healing and spiritual guidance.
May the Lord continue to bless you in your ministry.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas S. Monson
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
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What are your comments regarding this clarification?
Wheat & Tares 
It’s an improvement, but more still needs to be done. I’m not holding my breath though.
While this clarification solves some problems, it creates others. I fear that the Church has just awakened a decent number of custody disputes and inserted itself into the middle of them. Idea for a further clarification: the policy does not apply to children who has one parent who is a member in good standing.
Mormons and Gays: Electroshock!
Mormons and Gays: The Suicides
For all of those who have been spouting on facebook that this is a sorting of the ‘wheat from the tares’, well, now they can tell everyone to get back in the sifter now because the new sifter is intended to have smaller holes. But having once fallen through the sifter, is there any strength left to get back in?
We never intended to hurt the children. Except if they are gay. Then we will continue to encourage them to marry straight people if they aren’t up for celibacy for life.
It’s unlikely this (or much of anything else) came from the now apparently dememted Monson yet it is signed by 1Q which pretty strongly leaves out beloved Uchtdorf as a conscientious objector of this
collateral damagecollective punishment!Whatta church!
Rigel, it wasn’t just those affected by the policy considered tares. It was anyone who showed their “true colors” by not accepting the policy as revelation. That’s the idea I was having to fight in several conversations.
When will they “qualify” how it will work when the 18 yo has to leave not only his or her same sex parents and home behind but also younger sibs still at home? Then I hope they get around to what Families Are Forever is really supposed to mean to us. And, finally, why love-the-sinner-hate-the-sin is going to be so much more caring and effective this time around.
TED Talk
Chelsea Shields: How I’m working for change inside my church
Reinterpreted as a letter to members:
Dear Members,
We just want to say that “has ever lifed with” actually means “primarily lives with”. We weren’t wrong and we aren’t sorry; it’s a perfectly cromulent definition.
Now that you know our true meaning, we are confident that you no longer hurt from that punch-in-the-face last week
Love,
Church HQ
I can’t really comment on the “clarification” because there wasn’t one. This is a change. The time for a clarification was during Elder Christofferson’s defense of the old policy. If this was the original intent of the first policy, he could have just said so instead of defending what they now want to insinuate was a bad faith misreading of the first policy that necessitated a clarification.
Come, Join with Us
By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
(Some restrictions apply – see Handbook 1)
I feel like I’m in the twilight zone, what is happening? It.makes.no.sense. The clarification is poking a finger in the leak in the dam.
Taking a step aside from the trauma for two seconds… Did anyone else think the signature sentence was odd? When has the church ever referred to church work as the ministry of the local leaders? It’s God’s ministry, His work, or God bless. I’ve never seen this before. Again…very odd. Has anyone ever seen it before?
I feel like I’m in the twilight zone, what is happening? It.makes.no.sense. The clarification is poking a finger in the leak in the dam.
Taking a step aside from the trauma for two seconds… Did anyone else think the signature sentence was odd? When has the church ever referred to church work as the ministry of the local leaders? It’s God’s ministry, His work, not man’s. Don’t they usually sign “god bless”? I’ve never seen this before. Again…very odd. Has anyone ever seen it before?
“When has the church ever referred to church work as the ministry of the local leaders? It’s God’s ministry, His work, or God bless. ”
That had escaped me. Disturbing indeed!
Howard
To call President Monson demented is pretty disrespectful
Genie can you suggest respectful wording?
Genhy
Genhy, I don’t think Howard worries about tact sometimes, and I’m not sure if it was meant in a derogatory way (he can speak for himself), but it is a pretty open secret that Monson suffers from dementia.
MH I often present things in an unvarnished way to help break through the TBM starry eyed trance soo my tact or lack of it is generally calculated. Demented was meant to be discriptive. If there is a more respectful phrase meaning the same thing I would be happy to use it but I suspect Genhy’s idea of respectful is some other meaning, in which case respectful (probably)= denial. Let’s see what Genhy comes up with for a substitute.
In American slang, demented calls to mind a crazed madman/pyschopath. It is rare to see it used in reference to senility (even though it’s a correct use of the word). Howard, I know you like shock value, but is that really what you were going for? Senile would be more accurate if you wanted the dementia angle.
Howard, but when people “present things in an unvarnished way to help break through [your] starry eyed trance” you are quick to take offense. Trust me, I know we’ve tangled on some topics here, and you didn’t like the lack of tact on my part. I don’t think your “unvarnished” tact is the best approach.
I know we’re on the same side of this issue, but I’m not super fond of your some of your unvarnished comments. (Mary Ann, I think calling Monson senile would be just as offensive to many.)
Yes, it would offend many, but it would state his meaning better. If you’re going for unvarnished truth, it is implied that you want that person to get an accurate (if distasteful) view of the truth.
I disagree with the method, but miscommunication is a bigger pet peeve.
…the now apparently
dememtedsenile Monson…Better?
MH, who cares if I take offense? I engage you without denial or waffling .
You sound like Donald Trump. Nobody takes him seriously and neither do they take you seriously. Nor should they.
I don’t know, Trump is polling extremely well.
By all means, keep emulating that racist, sexist, homophobic pig then, if he is who you are trying to emulate. Otherwise, I think you should try a more Christlike method.
Like your example?
Yes, I’m not trying to emulate Trump. (Obviously I fall short of the ideal too, but I can’t believe you think following that pig is a good idea.)
MH when have you known me to be racist, sexist or homophobic?
See comment 27.
I think you’ve confused yourself MH!
The point of #27 is that people ARE taking him seriously. You introduced racist, sexist and homophobic but not until #28. You know very well from years of prior comments that I’m not racist, sexist or homophobic. So that makes you what? Disingenuous.
Howard, I’ve always been arguing tactics here. I don’t like your tactics. You borrow tactics from a sexist, homophobic, racist pig and see no problem with that. I find that weird.
Call it disingenuous if you want, but you only attract the carnival barking crowd to your cause. If you admire Trump’s tactics that he uses to support bigotry, I think your tactics are in need of adjustment. If you like Trump’s tactics (and yes I agree that they work well with uninformed voters) then go ahead and keep using them. I’m sure the uninformed will appreciate them, but I don’t think they’re the ones who read this blog.
Anyway, I’m done. I’ll go back to ignoring you for a while.
I never said I admired *anything* about Trump MH except his polling. ALL of that hogwash was your projection. The point is you appear to despise him even more than you do me yet he is very, very effective, something you apparently fail to recognize or appreciate!
Thanks for going back to ignoring me, we seem to get along much better that way!
“Now that you know our true meaning, we are confident that you no longer hurt from that punch-in-the-face last week”
Said better than I could phrase it. Now sitting in Sunday meetings where one would never know there was even a ripple. Rough.
Riehl,
It is good, isn’t it, that the recent unpleasantness didn’t affect your Sunday meetings?
Oops! Rigel… I really don’t like the auto-corrupt feature of my tablet…