Eos noded a few ambiguous statements that I will endeavor to clarify:
- Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that God loves all of His children equally, regardless of what they do or say, including those who participate in homosexual activities (see unconditional love). Under no circumstances will a member of the Church be excommunicated for believing what is, in itself, Church doctrine. The Church, however, like many other Christian religions, does believe that homosexual acts are a sin, just as sex outside the bond of marriage is. As a result, there are Mormons who are homophobic, just as other members of other religions are, but this is an individual problem these members are dealing with and does not reflect Church doctrine.
- The witnesses who claimed to have seen the original plates never denied their testimonies, however they were extremely vehement in their dislike of the president of the LDS church, Joseph Smith, who they could not support in his position as a latter-day prophet.
The Church has some strict rules on excommunication, but many members of the Church "fall away" from the church, or stop attending, without being excommunicated. Generally, those who
aggressively work against the Church, its policies, and/or doctrine are excommunicated and are no longer associated with the Church. (But then why would they want to be a part of an organization they disagree with?)