The Mormons had a rough go of it after Proposition 8 passed in California, when it came out that the church had donated money to get the anti-same-sex marriage bill passed. See, no one likes a bigot, and people especially don't like organized bigots with money and power and cohesion behind them.

But in a staggering turn of events, the Mormon church launched a website today — cleverly titled “Mormons and Gays” — in which they open-mindedly acknowledge that being gay isn't a choice.

And oh, if only they had stopped there. Instead, the site goes on to say that while people might not choose to be gay, if they act on their gay tendencies, well, that's a sin.

So be gay, but don't ever, ever have sex. Awesome! Here's the direct quote:

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.

To answer the question as to whether the church's position is evolving when it comes to gay marriage, the site has this to say:

From a public relations perspective it would be easier for the Church to simply accept homosexual behavior. That we cannot do, for God's law is not ours to change. There is no change in the Church's position of what is morally right. But what is changing — and what needs to change — is to help Church members respond sensitively and thoughtfully when they encounter same-sex attraction in their own families, among other Church members, or elsewhere.

It's brave of them, isn't it?

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