I see the leadership switching course a little bit. The focus is on religious freedom. It's been a huge effort. Speeches. The Utah legislative effort where they described it as a compromise where religious freedom was protected. I think they very much imagine a future where Mormons are discriminated against because of views on gays, and they are trying to mitigate the future potential damage. They don't want a massive repeat of Prop 8 fallout where many members suffered loss of their careers and jobs as a result of their support of the church's efforts. Critics would say that they merely don't want to suffer the consequences of disapproval. But others would say that opposition to gay marriage and all that it entails should not merit the kind of action that has previously been seen (whether legal or illegal).
I'm just not convinced that the general membership is willing to go to war, Westboro style, over this issue. And that's where guys like Ute4ever jump in and talk about the wheat and the tares, and a sifting, and a smaller church. They want the war. I've heard the same language in my local congregation "we need to prepare to be unpopular." We already were unpopular. Now we must prepare to be pariahs over an issue that many of us don't see as the moral issue of our times.
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