Political rant:

Sharman Hunter Wilson posted something via The Huffington Post. Apr 29, 2015 3:10pm

House Republicans Want To Block Predatory Lending Protections For American Troops What the heck? Is this for real? Sorry, I can't hold back--all I can see right now are Hypocrites hiding behind their SuperPatriot flags and their "Support our Troops" and "In God We Trust" bumper stickers. I'm picturing Jesus going into their temple (House chamber) with his whip, driving out the blood (of the poor)--sucking money lenders. If I recall, THAT was the only thing that made Jesus lose his cool--NOT gays asking for wedding cakes and NOT US-born children begging to keep their undocumented parents from deportation. The good guys in the GOP need to clean House!

Temple wedding policy:

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. May 19, 2015 4:35pm

Strange Bedfellows: Marriages and Sealings - Rational Faiths | Mormon Blog rationalfaiths.com In becoming a worldwide religion, we Mormons have seen a lot of changes in church policy. Our doctrine of continuing revelation helps us adapt in an ever-changing world. So, when it's becoming clear that the harmful effects of a policy regarding LDS temple weddings and sealings far outweigh the benefits, AND when that policy is actually NOT applied in most counties in the world (because it's illegal in most places), AND when the policy did not even exist before the 1960's (the iconoclastic 1960's can be blamed for all kinds of backlash and retrenchment), then maybe it's time for some rethinking. This is a very emotional issue--ask practically any Mormon on the street in the U.S. or Canada if they wish there were a church-sanctioned way to include everyone in Mormon weddings. Most of us have a poignant story to tell.

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Oct 15, 2015 6:17pm

Federal Report Calls For End To 'Conversion Therapy' For LGBT Youth huffingtonpost.com This will save lives--if we can admit we've been holding onto many unfounded ideas passed down to us from those who accepted the conventional "wisdom" of times past. If we can learn from our mistakes and move on without pointing fingers, so much the better. God forgive the devastation we have caused in our ignorance, and change our hearts to move toward understanding and compassion--and then beyond that to affirming and welcoming all who come with good will.

Another broken-hearted attempt to process this new church policy re: gays:

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Nov 16, 2015 3:08pm

Mormons and Gays: Thoughts from a Long-Time Religious Educator patheos.com David Bokovoy is someone I look up to for his intelligent and compassionate perpective on Mormonism. His hope is that the recent policy changes will spark a backlash of LOVE toward those adversely affected. I've seen that loving backlash happening alongside the negative backlash: fellow Mormons mourning with those who mourn and comforting those who stand in need of comfort; Mormons who have gay-partnered family members or friends who cannot conceive of them as apostates to the faith; Mormons who know gay couples who value much of LDS theology and community and who are hoping to raise their children in the same way. Policies come and go as members and leaders' assumptions and worldviews align more and more closely with God's eternal purposes for all His children. We all play a part in that alignment--either by drawing us closer or further away.

Mormon LGBTQ dilemma:

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Nov 17, 2015 6:09pm

#15 HANDBOOK OF INSTRUCTIONS POLICY CHANGES outinzion.org This podcast was made after the first version of the policy was made public, before the partially softened version. If you care how policies made with good intentions can adversely affect people, listen and weep. Please consider that there happen to be many LGBTQ Mormons who still believe and who love the church. If they did not have to choose between a beloved life companion and the saving ordinances of the church, they would feel safe to return to their spiritual home and family, and to raise their children here. Before the policy change, even when they themselves couldn't participate fully, they wanted their children to be a part of the family. Now, we are disowning these parents and refusing the gifts they have to offer, which are amazing and needed. We are calling them super-apostates, whose "life-style" is so aberrant and abhorrent that they cannot be trusted to bring their children up in a way that wouldn't drive a huge wedge between them and the church. (Have we ever actually been around any non-traditional families?). Since it's obvious these families are beyond the pale, it would surely be best if we not complicate things even more for these poor kids. OK, that's enough snarkiness. Anyway, such a policy might make sense when parents vehemently disagree with each other about this, but we already have a clear policy stating that children need the permission of both parents to be baptized. How is it that we feel we must especially protect children of gay couples from the "inevitable" confusion and disharmony that would result from a church upbringing, even when the parents are pleading for them to be included? I can't wrap my head or my heart around that argument. Our theology has one of the most generous, expansive, universal, and loving views of salvation. Can't we adjust our policies to reflect the very best of Mormonism instead of painting ourselves into a miserly, narrow, and cold hearted corner?

Mormon stuff:

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Nov 18, 2015 2:41pm

Mormonism at its best: The sacrament of helping other people move - Flunking Sainthood janariess.religionnews.com One of a hundred reasons why Mormons who feel bad about certain policies don't "just leave." My family's move from Illinois to Colorado 28 years ago is another good example. I got very sick with food poisoning a few days before we were to leave, and I ended up sick and weak in bed on moving day, watching members of our DeKalb Ward--men, women, and young people--packing and loading up stuff for our young family of six. We had called the Bishop of the ward in the Boulder area where we hoped to live (we hadn't found a place after two reconnaissance trips out). We pulled into the chapel parking lot with our U-haul and Ram van, and church guys we had never seen before showed up to help us unload most of our stuff into a storage unit. When we finally got into a house, they were there again, helping us move stuff from storage into our house. My husband, kids, and I have been on the giving end, too--scores of times. It's a goodbye/hello ritual that I cherish!

I have pretty strong feelings about the treatment of LGBTQ people. Here's a Facebook post:

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Jan 27, 2016 4:55am

No, Franklin Graham, LGBTQ Children Are Not The Enemy patheos.com Have we forgotten that these kids were once our precious babies? Can we imagine how confusing and frightening it must be for lgbtq youth being raised in a traditional religious home that listens to the likes of Franklin Graham? How devastating must it be for these children to realize that they do not fit, neither can they change themselves to fit into the only mold deemed "natural" and acceptable by everyone they love and look up to, including God? Can you imagine how difficult it would be to risk rejection and, in a cry for help, come out to their parents? How would it be if, instead of allowing their initial shock to escalate into hot-headed condemnation and banishment, these parents sat down and really listened to their children. Maybe they could ignore the strident voices and take a little time to think and to get more information about it. Could they put away disproven theories and unexamined assumptions and be open to new understandings and reliable research? How might it change their perspective if they discovered there was no one to blame for any of this--no moral failures or bad choices made by anyone. They might come to that conclusion after some real pondering: our child tells us these feelings and dreams come unbidden, consistently, and out of her heart of hearts. It is not a choice for her. Can anyone really choose their feelings or their core identity? Why would anyone actually choose to have feelings that bring on such turmoil and rejection and that seem to jeopardize eternal prospects? After learning about more likely explanations and coming to understand what really matters, mothers could confound the "religious" hypocrites : "As my son grew inside my body, did he choose his genes, along with all the posible chemical or biological triggers that passed back and forth between us at crucial stages of his development? If not, then how is it right to condemn him out of hand? You don't know him or how he lives his life or how he treats others. Those are the things he does have a choice in, and that is where accountability lies. Besides, HE'S JUST A KID, for heaven's sake!" Rant over.