Neon Trees’ Tyler Glenn – A Gay Mormon

Neon Trees’ Tyler Glenn – A Gay Mormon

Rolling Stone magazine reported Rock band Neon Tree’s lead singer Tyler Glenn’s recent announcement that he was gay. “I was going to learn to drive for my 30th birthday, but I came out instead,” Tyler said. [1]

Early Beginnings and Coming Out As Being Gay

TYler Glen Gay MormonTyler Glenn grew up in Murrieta, California, with Neon Trees guitarist Chris Allen. In 2005, after serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the “Mormon” Church), both men moved to Provo, Utah, and began performing locally.  Elaine Bradley, drummer, and Brandon Campbell, bassist, joined the band shortly thereafter, and Neon Trees became a global sensation. The band has now released their third album titled “Pop Psychology.” They have also planned a tour of Europe and North America, concluding in Salt Lake City, Utah on 16 June 2014.

Tyler penned a Facebook post to fans concluding with this advice: “Come out as YOU. That’s all I really can say. That’s what I’d say to me at 21, the scared return Mormon missionary who knew this part of himself but loved God too. You can do both. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t.”

Tyler also told Rolling Stone, “I don’t know what the rumors are, but we’re not taught that ‘homos are going to hell’ on Sunday in church,” he says. “Mostly it’s just about Christ and his teachings.”

Mormon Doctrine and Same-Sex Attraction

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though strongly supporting the doctrine that marriage is between a man and a woman, recognizes that some of its members are attracted to same sex gender. On its website mormonsandgays.org, The Church of Jesus Christ posted,

Few topics are as emotionally charged or require more sensitivity than same-sex attraction. This complex matter touches on the things we care about most: our basic humanity, our relationship to family, our identity and potential as children of God, how we treat each other, and what it means to be disciples of Christ.

Where the Church stands:

The experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is. Even though individuals do not choose to have such attractions, they do choose how to respond to them. With love and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, including our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

When asked why the Church doesn’t just let people be, Elder Todd D. Christofferson said,

This is a gospel of change. Jesus Christ is asking every one of us to change, and to become better and to progress and to follow in his footsteps. His ultimate commandment is that we become as He is and as His father. And none of us are at that point. None of us have things, are free of things that we don’t need to change in our lives and to improve. And the standard is always the gospel of Jesus Christ. And every one of us has to measure up to that standard because that’s where our ultimate happiness is going to be found. That’s where our ultimate freedom is going to come. And God being just and loving all of His Children is going to help everyone who wants to progress toward that ideal, whatever they may need to do in their lives to do that.

Conversations About Homosexuality

The Church posted conversations about homosexuality on mormonsandgays.org. Gay Mormons share their stories about being Mormon and gay in the Church.  Some left the Church to live a gay lifestyle and then returned to find spiritual fulfillment.

Ted shared,

There’s so many questions, there’s probably way more questions that there are answers for sure. I certainly don’t know anything, except for this. I know that God loves me. I am His divine child and I know He wants me to come back into His presence. I know that because He’s told me so. The mighty change of heart that’s not just a figurative thing, it’s a real thing, that He takes our hearts and makes them soft and fills us up with light. It doesn’t matter who we are, all can come unto Him. I am His and He loves me.

Ty shared,

I was in a couple of different relationships with people that I really cared about. And it was interesting because I felt more emotionally alive but I also felt a loss of light, and that was clear to me during that time. It was a slow decrease in light but I noticed it. At one point, I was feeling very, very distant, probably as far from God as I had ever felt, and I had this very strong spiritual experience, kind of a mystical experience, where I was almost being enveloped in this feeling of love. There was nothing in that that was ‘what you’re doing is right, what you’re doing is wrong’ it was just this feeling of ‘I love you.’ And I felt like God knew me, that he remembered me. And I needed that more than anything. Again, it wasn’t an affirmation, it wasn’t a rebuke, it was just ‘I love you.’ And so I continued just trying to move forward trying to find reconciliation, to be in places, I mean I kept attending church, and just to try to be in places where I thought the spirit could be present, to teach me. I kept trying to learn, and to read, and I kept trying to figure things out and at one point I was in a kind of a devotional address and the instructor was talking about Isaiah, “But if you take hold of the covenant, you shall have a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters.” And as he was talking about this verse, I just had again like this very powerful spiritual experience, that my place was in the Church, that’s where I needed to be. It was a very clear communication that whether you get married in this life or the next is of no matter, just stay with me. Stay with me. If you take life a day at a time, continuing to seek and cultivate the spirit in your life, every blessing that can be had will be yours. Just trust. That’s what I did and at that point, I resolved myself that I was going to get my life back in order. And I was able to totally release myself from cultural expectation. Like from now on, I was doing this journey in the Church, but this was between me and God. No more pressure to get married, no more timetables, no more anything. No more programs, this or that therapy, it was me and God, taking this a day at a time. If it something works, great, if it doesn’t, great not a problem. I’m with God and that’s all that I need. But that was enough for me to be able to feel a real hope. And to feel a joy in Christ and to feel a joy in the gospel that I had lost years before. And also, the natural desire to want to have companionship. But at this point, I knew I didn’t need that more than I needed God. It was God first, that was second.

For more information on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ position on same-sex attraction, visit mormonsandgays.org.

Mormon Reflections on the Word: Agency

This article was written by Katherine T., a student at Brigham Young University.

Alma 42:27 “Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.”

 

In our church we believe in free agency. We have the power to choose the course of action we take, and as a collective group we pattern our life after the Savior Jesus Christ. As a young adult (or emerging adult as my elders continue to remind me) I thought it was fitting to focus on a scriptures about free agency, because let’s face it I love being able to decide what to do. I love being in college and the freedom I have to decide for myself what to do, whom I hang out, and where I go. Finally I am at I point where I no longer have to follow the rules my parents have set for me, and what do I do?….I follow them anyway. (more…)

The Church of Jesus Christ: Nelson Mandela, Race and the Priesthood

The Church of Jesus Christ: Nelson Mandela, Race and the Priesthood

Following the death of Nelson Mandela, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church by the media and others) released a statement expressing its condolences at the loss of a national and world leader.

Remembering the Legacy of Nelson Mandela

Nelson MandelaFormer South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, passed away on Thursday, 5 December 2013 at the age of 95. Born on 18 July 1918 in Mvezo, Transkei, South Africa, he was the son of Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, a counselor to the royal house of the Thembu tribe, and Nosekeni Fanny Mandela. The name given him at birth was Rolihlahla Dalibhunga Mandela. He was later given the name Nelson by a school teacher.

Throughout his life he was known as both “the world’s most famous political prisoner” and “South Africa’s Great Black Hope.” [1] In a CNN report following his death, Mandela was described as a “freedom fighter, prisoner, moral compass and South Africa’s symbol of the struggle against racial oppression.” [2] He was the first Black President of the Republic of South Africa having been elected on 29 April 1994, and serving until June 1999. (more…)

Salt Lake City Utah Named 2013 National Bible City

Salt Lake City Utah Named 2013 National Bible City

There are people who purport that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church by the media and others) are not Christians. One of the main arguments that they use to substantiate their claim is that Latter-day Saints use another volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, instead of the Holy Bible. In fact, Mormons use both the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon in their teaching, as well as for personal study, and revere both volumes as the Word of God. The 8th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ states,

We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

The National Bible Association Recognizes Mormons as Bible Believers

Boy Reading Bible MormonThe National Bible Association, a New York based group, is a Judeo-Christian association which was established in 1940 to “encourage everyone to read the Bible … in every sector of society regardless of religious or political distinction.”  [1] Some may question whether or not Mormons should be included in that group of Bible believers. To answer this question, Richard Glickstein, the group’s president, replied, “Do Mormons read the Bible? Then they are part of the tribe.” [1] In fact, the Association chose Salt Lake City, Utah, headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ, as the 2013 National Bible City. (more…)

iPlates: Volume II reaches Kickstarter Goal

iPlates: Volume II reaches Kickstarter Goal

Jett Atwood and Stephen Carter, the writer artist team responsible for iPlates: Volume I, a Book of Mormon themed comic book, will now be producing a second volume. The two recently met their Kickstarter goal for iPlates: Volume II. The first comic book which is available on Amazon tells the story of Abinadi and King Noah. The story stays true to details from The Book of Mormon, and expands the story with fictional story lines that help build and explore motivations within the story.

Encouragement for Young Book of Mormon Readers

iplates-book-of-mormon
iPlates: Volume I is rendered in beautiful comic book style drawings, as will the second volume. The second volume will continue where the previous story left off, with Alma in the wilderness deciding what to do now that King Noah’s court is falling. The second volume plans to add more female characters to the story. Carter explained that part of his motivation in expanding the stories was because “I want it to be the most natural thing in the world for my daughter to imagine females as a part the Book of Mormon. I want to her to think of those women as intelligent, strong, and motivated.” [1] (more…)

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