Causality is not what I understand people who are critical of the church’s theology are trying to prove. Rather, I think they’re trying to make more people aware that the theology causes severe psychological damage for most LGBTQ church members, and so it is therefore a likely contributing factor to suicides.
I would appreciate hearing Mr. Cranney’s views about the peer-reviewed 2017 study at the University of Georgia on LGBTQ Latter-day Saints, which showed that over 73% of the participants reported trauma and PTSD symptoms from repeated exposure to basic teachings of the church concerning sexuality, gender, marriage, and family. This stands in contrast to a baseline of 8% experiencing trauma / PTSD from those teachings (trauma / PTSD was not self-diagnosed, but shown through clinical methods derived from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder). The majority of respondents identified as active members with 31% holding current temple recommends. (https://oatd.org/oatd/record?record=handle%5C%3A10724%5C%2F38227; http://mormonsbuildingbridges.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20190928-U-of-U-MBB-Presentation-SIMMONS-FINAL.pptx).
Laurel LayMay 13, 2020
Thank you for your calm, measured, and statistically based article. This is a much needed counter balance to the wildly hateful rumor-mongering by many who leave the Church, but cannot seem to leave the Church alone.
Meghan DeckerMay 13, 2020
This is a thoughtful and nuanced discussion of an emotionally-charged topic. Thank you for your insight.
Diana WakefieldMay 13, 2020
No one can make you commit suicide.
Most suicides are the person trying to get help when they feel they have no other option. They think suicide will make everything ok. That it will take the pain away or resolve the problem. No pain and no problem is more important than your life. Jesus can heal all. You are a child of God.
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Evan SmithMay 14, 2020
Causality is not what I understand people who are critical of the church’s theology are trying to prove. Rather, I think they’re trying to make more people aware that the theology causes severe psychological damage for most LGBTQ church members, and so it is therefore a likely contributing factor to suicides. I would appreciate hearing Mr. Cranney’s views about the peer-reviewed 2017 study at the University of Georgia on LGBTQ Latter-day Saints, which showed that over 73% of the participants reported trauma and PTSD symptoms from repeated exposure to basic teachings of the church concerning sexuality, gender, marriage, and family. This stands in contrast to a baseline of 8% experiencing trauma / PTSD from those teachings (trauma / PTSD was not self-diagnosed, but shown through clinical methods derived from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder). The majority of respondents identified as active members with 31% holding current temple recommends. (https://oatd.org/oatd/record?record=handle%5C%3A10724%5C%2F38227; http://mormonsbuildingbridges.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20190928-U-of-U-MBB-Presentation-SIMMONS-FINAL.pptx).
Laurel LayMay 13, 2020
Thank you for your calm, measured, and statistically based article. This is a much needed counter balance to the wildly hateful rumor-mongering by many who leave the Church, but cannot seem to leave the Church alone.
Meghan DeckerMay 13, 2020
This is a thoughtful and nuanced discussion of an emotionally-charged topic. Thank you for your insight.
Diana WakefieldMay 13, 2020
No one can make you commit suicide. Most suicides are the person trying to get help when they feel they have no other option. They think suicide will make everything ok. That it will take the pain away or resolve the problem. No pain and no problem is more important than your life. Jesus can heal all. You are a child of God.
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