Is He Nuts?: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ

Is He Nuts?: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ by Dennis Schleicher

The author had an interesting childhood. His mother tended to get angry and then later calm down. They at first didn't go to church, then they started attended. Later his family would switch to "born again" church that he was not fond of. His relationship with them was significantly damaged by this experience. He later came out as gay and was beat up for it at school. He ended up telling this story on talk shows. He became a gay rights activist and worked in retail cosmetic related fields. He eventually left to do multi-level marketing sales for some company connected to Utah. He had been feeling the urge to return to a church, especially after his brother died of drug overdose. He did not think the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was accepting to gays. However, he met many members of the church that were fine with him how he was. He joined that church despite seeming contradictions with lgbt culture. He had struggles, but felt the love of the lord. There were some people that do or say things that seemed offensive, but often it was just a case of misunderstanding.

The book has a strong message, but does take a bit to get there. He does work in sales, so there does seem to be a bit sheen shielding what are deep felt feelings and passion. His is not a common or easy path. It does seem to go against common culture norms. However, it is not impossible. Catholic priests have been celibate for centuries. There have been many that have failed, but most strive to keep their vows. Celibacy goes smack in the face of modern culture, but represents an extra commitment. Religion continues to say "you have power over your life". The religious concept of repentance says you can control your behaviors to what you want, even if it is hard and involves many "failures". You could spend forever waiting for society or religion changing to meet your needs. Or you could just have faith and try to follow Christ, treating all changes as bonuses. (He sees some baby steps the LDS church has done to be more LGBT friendly.) Being gay and Mormon is not an easy path. Many on the lgbt side will declare the church homophobic and declare that it is better to seek life with a same-sex partner. In the church, there will be those that will encourage traditional family life and condemn same-sex relationships. It takes great strength and faith to straddle the two and live in a way that does not seem fulfilling by either side. In his story, "coming out as religious" seemed to be even more challenging than "coming out as gay".  It is a challenging path that will probably never be easy.