Daily Skiff

The Bible has been under scrutiny for centuries. Many of those who claim to follow the Bible's guidelines are considered oppressive, ignorant and closed-minded. Now, at least two of those adjectives can be removed from the Mormon Church's description.

Mormonism has long been known for its inconsistency and its vehement lack of acceptance.

However, the Mormon Church, which is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, supported a city law Tuesday that banned discrimination against homosexuals in their rights to housing and jobs, according to a USA Today article.

Quite a transformation from the days of Proposition 8 when the Mormon Church seemed firmly grounded in its stance to support the motion against gay marriage.

The issue I have with this series of events lies in the inconsistency of it all. First off, Utah is a politically conservative state. Next, according to the USA Today article, 80 percent of Utah's lawmakers, including its governor, Gary Herbert,, are Mormon. Third, people in Utah were not expecting the church's support because, quite honestly, it didn't exist before.

According to the article, Brandie Balken, executive director for Equality Utah - an organization that supports gay rights in the state - said the support is a historic event.

"I think (the church's support) establishes that we can stand together on common ground that we don't have to agree on everything, but there are a lot of things that we can work on and be allies," Balken said in the article.

And that is definitely the church's goal in making this move. Church leaders recognize that in establishing an understanding with the gay community in Utah, they can add a new group to their fast-growing membership.

In a YouTube video released by the Mormon Church that I watched a while back, membership was elevated to the point of worship. The video opens with an empty world map. Years tick by at the top of the screen and as if it were a miracle, states and countries light up as the count continues. A choir sings a joyful tune in the background, much like a Protestant church would sing in praise to God.

Mormonism is one of the world's fastest-growing religions and it is focused on membership. Furthermore, because it is known as a conservative religion that defines marriage as between a man and a woman, it isn't exactly characterized by its gay membership. Therefore, it would be to the church's advantage to gain membership in that minority group. Opportunity for growth is the main reason the church has made "strides" to support homosexuals in the city that is hub of all things Mormon. The inconsistency between the church's stances a few years ago and its current attempts to change that stance are not difficult to see.

Well-known gay rights groups have publicly stated their resentment toward the Mormon Church's treatment of homosexuals. According to a report released in March from the Human Rights Campaign, "Mormons funneled millions of dollars into California last year to pass Proposition 8." According to the report, Mormon leaders sent a private e-mail to Mormons in the state of Illinois urging them to help pass Proposition 8.

The Human Rights Campaign in Illinois wasn't too happy about that.

"It is irrefutably clear that the LDS Church is fighting an anti-gay crusade throughout the nation, targeting any form of equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community," the HRC board of directors said in a statement.

Having seen all of this, the Mormon Church will probably never gain gay support just because it has made recent attempts to cover its tracks.

Inconsistency cannot be rewarded, especially when it involves as sensitive a topic as this. While I don't appreciate the Mormon Church's attempts to oppress, I would rather it establish a solid view than change based on the possibility of increased membership.

Wyatt Kanyer is a sophomore news-editorial journalism major from Yakima, Wash.

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