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Utilisateur:InProgress/Same-sex attraction : Différence entre versions
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| − | "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is one of the two great commandments in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no teaching or commandment in the church that conflicts with this law. We believe all mankind are our brothers and sisters. All who are baptized into the church have made a covenant to "mourn with those who mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort". This is especially true of our brothers and sisters who are attracted to the same gender,{{ref|oaks95}} commonly referred to as gay or lesbian. | + | "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is one of the two great commandments in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no teaching or commandment in the church that conflicts with this law. We believe all mankind are our brothers and sisters. All who are baptized into the church have made a covenant to "mourn with those who mourn", and "comfort those who stand in need of comfort". (Mosiah 18:9) This is especially true of our brothers and sisters who are attracted to the same gender,{{ref|oaks95}} commonly referred to as gay or lesbian. |
| − | We welcome our gay brothers and sisters into the church, and affirm them as good people. We empower them to make decisions that will help them attain happiness in this life | + | We welcome our gay brothers and sisters into the church, and affirm them as good people. We seek to help them and advocate their cause. We seek to bring them peace, and empower them to make decisions that will help them attain happiness in this life. |
==The church welcomes gay people== | ==The church welcomes gay people== | ||
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The Church has published several publications designed to reach out to members with same-sex attractions. The most recent, God Loveth His Children, assures that "No one is, or ever could be, excluded from the circle of God’s love or the extended arms of His Church, for we are all His beloved sons and daughters."{{ref|GodLoveth}} Elder Oaks similarly stated: "Church leaders are sometimes asked whether there is any place in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for persons with homosexual or lesbian susceptibilities or feelings. Of course there is." {{ref|oaks95}} | The Church has published several publications designed to reach out to members with same-sex attractions. The most recent, God Loveth His Children, assures that "No one is, or ever could be, excluded from the circle of God’s love or the extended arms of His Church, for we are all His beloved sons and daughters."{{ref|GodLoveth}} Elder Oaks similarly stated: "Church leaders are sometimes asked whether there is any place in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for persons with homosexual or lesbian susceptibilities or feelings. Of course there is." {{ref|oaks95}} | ||
| − | Many are faithful members of the church, as evidenced by the several organizations formed by these members, such as [http://www.evergreeninternational.org Evergreen], [http://northstarlds.org North Star], and [http://www.ldslights.org Northern Lights]. LDS Family Services estimates that there are four or five members in every unit of the Church who is attracted to the same sex.{{ref|EvergreenIndividual}} Their stories have been profiled in the Ensign{{ref|EnsignSSA}}, and in Deseret Book.{{ref|quietDesperation}} General Authorities | + | Many are faithful members of the church, as evidenced by the several organizations formed by these members, such as [http://www.evergreeninternational.org Evergreen International], [http://northstarlds.org North Star], and [http://www.ldslights.org Northern Lights]. LDS Family Services estimates that there are four or five members in every unit of the Church who is attracted to the same sex.{{ref|EvergreenIndividual}} Their stories have been profiled in the Ensign{{ref|EnsignSSA}}, and in Deseret Book.{{ref|quietDesperation}} General Authorities attend these meetings, and the proceedings are published on the Church's web site.{{ref|hafen}} |
| − | The Church welcomes gay people, and gay people have responded by joining the church, in part because of the good news | + | The Church welcomes gay people, and gay people have responded by joining the church, in part because of the good news that the gospel brings for gay people. |
==The church affirms gay people== | ==The church affirms gay people== | ||
| − | Like all of God's children, the church teaches that gay people are beloved sons and daughters of God. In | + | Like all of God's children, the church teaches that gay people are beloved sons and daughters of God and as such, are loved by the church and its leaders. This love has always been extended by leaders of the church. In of the church's first pamphlets geared towards gay people, President Kimball reminds gay people to "Remember, the Lord loves you, the Church loves you."{{ref|kimball71}} President Hinckley has followed suit and repeated the love for gay people,{{ref|hinckley98}} and have affirmed the gays in the church as good people.{{ref|lattin}} |
| − | + | The affirmation that gay people are indeed good people are not limited to gay people who keep the standards of the church. In the Miracle of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball said that men who were pursuing same-sex relationships were "basically good people who have become trapped in sin."{{ref|kimball69}} | |
| − | + | The church always strives to affirm gay people in our love for them, and in their value as human beings. Elder Holland recounts a story of a gay man who came to him and was worried that because he was gay, he didn't know whether he could continue being a member of the church. Elder Holland affirmed to him that being gay did not impede him from being a good member of the Church. He follows up with another story of a man with same-sex attractions who was faithful in the church. Of him, Elder Holland said "I weep with admiration and respect at the faith and courage of such a man who is living with a challenge I have never faced. I love him and the thousands like him, male or female, who "fight the good fight" (1 Timothy 6:12). I commend his attitude to all who struggle with-or who are helping others who struggle with-same-gender attraction." {{ref|holland07}} | |
| − | + | The church has instructed leaders of the church that "when members with homosexual problems come to you for help, they may feel guilty and in despair, having been unable to change their lives. You can instill hope in them. Help them to know that you and their Heavenly Father love them and that they can be healed from their afflictions through the atonement of the Savior." {{ref|lds92}} | |
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== The Church helps gay people == | == The Church helps gay people == | ||
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While the Church seeks to help all people with their problems, a special call has been issued for members of the Church to help gay people. In 1995, Elder Oaks taught "All should understand that persons (and their family members) struggling with the burden of same-sex attraction are in special need of the love and encouragement that is a clear responsibility of Church members, who have signified by covenant their willingness "to bear one another’s burdens" (Mosiah 18:8) "and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2)."{{ref|Oaks95}} Three years later, President Hinckley echoed Elder Oaks remarks "We want to help these people, to strengthen them, to assist them with their problems and to help them with their difficulties." {{ref|Hinckley98}} | While the Church seeks to help all people with their problems, a special call has been issued for members of the Church to help gay people. In 1995, Elder Oaks taught "All should understand that persons (and their family members) struggling with the burden of same-sex attraction are in special need of the love and encouragement that is a clear responsibility of Church members, who have signified by covenant their willingness "to bear one another’s burdens" (Mosiah 18:8) "and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2)."{{ref|Oaks95}} Three years later, President Hinckley echoed Elder Oaks remarks "We want to help these people, to strengthen them, to assist them with their problems and to help them with their difficulties." {{ref|Hinckley98}} | ||
| − | There are many ways in which the church helps the gay population. For example, the church is an advocate for employment and housing rights for gay people. When Salt Lake City asked the Church for its opinion on whether to pass ordinance to protect gay people from housing and employment discrimination, the Church supported the measure calling it a "common-sense right" and a question of "human dignity".{{ref|LDS09}} Elder Holland said it could be a model for the rest of Utah.{{ref|Holland09}} This was done | + | There are many ways in which the church helps the gay population. For example, the church is an advocate for employment and housing rights for gay people. When Salt Lake City asked the Church for its opinion on whether to pass ordinance to protect gay people from housing and employment discrimination, the Church supported the measure calling it a "common-sense right" and a question of "human dignity".{{ref|LDS09}} Elder Holland said it could be a model for the rest of Utah.{{ref|Holland09}} This was done despite the fact that the legislature was against these rights. |
Beyond the legal protection for gay people, the church has also sought to protect gay people from physical and verbal abuse. Elder Oaks taught "Our doctrines obviously condemn those who engage in so-called "gay bashing"-physical or verbal attacks on persons thought to be involved in homosexual or lesbian behavior."{{ref|Oaks95}} | Beyond the legal protection for gay people, the church has also sought to protect gay people from physical and verbal abuse. Elder Oaks taught "Our doctrines obviously condemn those who engage in so-called "gay bashing"-physical or verbal attacks on persons thought to be involved in homosexual or lesbian behavior."{{ref|Oaks95}} | ||
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This was reiterated by Elder Oaks in 1997: "Surely if we are counseled as a body of Church membership to reach out with love and understanding to those ‘struggling with these issues,’ that obligation rests with particular intensity on parents who have children struggling with these issues... even children who are engaged in sinful behavior associated with these issues" {{ref|oaks07}} | This was reiterated by Elder Oaks in 1997: "Surely if we are counseled as a body of Church membership to reach out with love and understanding to those ‘struggling with these issues,’ that obligation rests with particular intensity on parents who have children struggling with these issues... even children who are engaged in sinful behavior associated with these issues" {{ref|oaks07}} | ||
| − | Families with gay members are strengthened through living the principles of love and respect taught by Jesus Christ and reiterated in the Proclamation to the World on the Family. One woman with a lesbian sister submitted an Ensign article in which she describes how the church has helped her with her relationship with her sister (Leigh). "I know the best thing I can do to have a close relationship with my sister is to have a close relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son. Leigh recently commented that it has been through the way our family has loved her that she has felt what she understood to be God’s love." {{ref|Leigh}} | + | Families with gay members are strengthened through living the principles of love and respect taught by Jesus Christ and reiterated in the Proclamation to the World on the Family.{{ref|lds95}} One woman with a lesbian sister submitted an Ensign article in which she describes how the church has helped her with her relationship with her sister (Leigh). "I know the best thing I can do to have a close relationship with my sister is to have a close relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son. Leigh recently commented that it has been through the way our family has loved her that she has felt what she understood to be God’s love." {{ref|Leigh}} |
One of the best services that we can do for our gay brothers and sisters is to help them feel the love of God through our actions. | One of the best services that we can do for our gay brothers and sisters is to help them feel the love of God through our actions. | ||
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There are many gay members of the church who find the teachings of the church to be encouraging. Elder Wickman explains that this is one of the reasons why the Church teaches about homosexuality: "One of the purposes of that discussion was to try to be hopeful and encouraging to those who do but nonetheless want to conform their lives to what they understand the Lord's teachings to be."{{ref|mormonismmodern}} | There are many gay members of the church who find the teachings of the church to be encouraging. Elder Wickman explains that this is one of the reasons why the Church teaches about homosexuality: "One of the purposes of that discussion was to try to be hopeful and encouraging to those who do but nonetheless want to conform their lives to what they understand the Lord's teachings to be."{{ref|mormonismmodern}} | ||
| − | Joseph Smith once taught that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things cannot produce the faith necessary for salvation. Certainly, we would want both | + | Joseph Smith once taught that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things cannot produce the faith necessary for salvation. Certainly, we would want both gay and straight members of the church to be able to produce the faith necessary for salvation. Our eternal family would not be complete without our gay brothers and sisters. |
=== The church helps gay people by empowering them === | === The church helps gay people by empowering them === | ||
| − | + | As a part of helping gay people live a life that will bring them peace, we also empower them to make choice that will bring peace by installing a hope that they are capable of living the commandments of God. We believe that all people have that capability. (1 Nephi 3:7) | |
| − | + | Outside of the church, there is a prevalent belief that gay people are created with only one choice about their sexual behavior. For example, in the Californian Supreme Court case "In Re: Marriage", the court ruled that for gay people "the choice of life partner will be, by definition, someone of the opposite sex."{{ref|CaliforniaSupremeCourt}} They ruled that this choice was already made for them, "by consequence of their birth" and was "immutable". This thought is very harmful to gay people. This takes away their agency and enslaves them to their carnal desires. Those who want to put off the natural man but are told that option is not available to them may feel trapped. This can bring feelings of hopelessness and despair. | |
| − | + | Some gay people have found such limitations have come in conflict with their inner desires to obey the commandments of God. Psychologists have found that instead of limiting a gay person's ability to determine the direction of their own life, that by increasing self-determination and autonomy that a psychologist can help a gay person find peace in their life.{{ref|SelfDetermination}} Instead, the American Psychological Association has instructed psychologists to help clients make their own choices and support them in living according to their own values, even in this means changing sexual orientation identity.{{ref|TherapeuticResponse}} | |
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| + | The message of the Church to all people is that "ye are free, ye are permitted to act for yourselves." (Helaman 14:30) While we teach against sexual relationships outside of a heterosexual marriage, we uphold that each individual is free to chose their own values according to the dictates of their own concious (AoF 12), and advocate their free exercise to act according to those values. (D&C 134:2) The ability to chose is considered one of the most precious gifts given from God to man, and is one of the reasons for the war in heaven. Without recognizing both options, a gay person does not truly have the ability to chose for themselves. | ||
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| + | ''God Loveth His Children'' affirms that gay people do have a choice and they are capable of living the commandments of God. It reads: "Notwithstanding your present same-gender attractions, you can be happy during this life, lead a morally clean life, perform meaningful service in the Church, enjoy full fellowship with your fellow Saints, and ultimately receive all the blessings of eternal life."{{ref|GodLoveth}} | ||
While other organizations say that gay people are incapable of obeying the laws of God, the Church tells them that they can. This empowers the gay person. It teaches that they are in control of their destiny, and they can make of their life what they want. | While other organizations say that gay people are incapable of obeying the laws of God, the Church tells them that they can. This empowers the gay person. It teaches that they are in control of their destiny, and they can make of their life what they want. | ||
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It can be argued that this is only pro-gay if operate under the assumption that these statements are correct. That is the assumption we are operating under. Being anti-gay has a lot to do with intentions, and we have no other intention than to bring peace to our gay brothers and sisters by bringing them to Christ. Directing his comments to gay people who pursue same-sex relationships, Spencer W. Kimball taught "the Church and the Lord have no ulterior motives - the only desire being for the restoration of you, yourself, a son of God, made in his image.{{ref|kimball78}} | It can be argued that this is only pro-gay if operate under the assumption that these statements are correct. That is the assumption we are operating under. Being anti-gay has a lot to do with intentions, and we have no other intention than to bring peace to our gay brothers and sisters by bringing them to Christ. Directing his comments to gay people who pursue same-sex relationships, Spencer W. Kimball taught "the Church and the Lord have no ulterior motives - the only desire being for the restoration of you, yourself, a son of God, made in his image.{{ref|kimball78}} | ||
| − | What is more important, there are gay people who also operate under the assumption that these things are true. These gay people deserve an organization that fights for their ability to chose an alternative lifestyle to the one the rest of the world presents. In no way, shape or form, is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints anti-gay. | + | What is more important, there are gay people who also operate under the assumption that these things are true. These gay people deserve an organization that fights for their ability to chose an alternative lifestyle to the one the rest of the world presents. In no way, shape or form, is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints anti-gay.{{note|larryking04}} We are a welcoming and affirming church for our gay brothers and sisters. |
==Related links== | ==Related links== | ||
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==Endnotes== | ==Endnotes== | ||
| + | #{{note|TherapeuticResponse}} Get ref | ||
| + | #{{note|SelfDetermination}} Get ref include gay affirmative stuff Yarhouse MA. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16281794?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Same-sex attraction, homosexual orientation, and gay identity: a three-tier distinction for counseling and pastoral care] | ||
| + | #{{note|CaliforniaSupremeCourt}} Get ref | ||
#{{note|Leigh}}[http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=35ce1a01e8d43210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD “The Best Thing I Can Do for Leigh,”] Ensign, Sep 2009, 62–65 | #{{note|Leigh}}[http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=35ce1a01e8d43210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD “The Best Thing I Can Do for Leigh,”] Ensign, Sep 2009, 62–65 | ||
| − | #{{note|kimball78}} [http://www.connellodonovan.com/horizons.html | + | #{{note|kimball78}} [http://www.connellodonovan.com/horizons.html New Horizons] |
#{{note|EvergreenIndividual}} Evergreen International [http://www.evergreeninternational.org/Individuals.htm Resources for Individuals] | #{{note|EvergreenIndividual}} Evergreen International [http://www.evergreeninternational.org/Individuals.htm Resources for Individuals] | ||
| + | #{{note|hafen}} - [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.lds.org%2Fldsnewsroom%2Feng%2Fpublic-issues%2Felder-bruce-c-hafen-speaks-on-same-sex-attraction&ei=7ZhjS7PaFo_-sgO45rmdAw&usg=AFQjCNG0NnHSPtjgTuxXZ9LD4KQyRTCkKw&sig2=NwjozIDi2qTV72sM8LJyZw Elder Bruce C. Hafen Speaks on Same-Sex Attraction] - LDS Newsroom | ||
#{{note|Hinckley87}}{{Citation | #{{note|Hinckley87}}{{Citation | ||
|last=Hinckley | |last=Hinckley | ||
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}} | }} | ||
#{{note|Holland09}} [http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13766464 LDS apostle: SLC gay-rights measures could work for state] | #{{note|Holland09}} [http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13766464 LDS apostle: SLC gay-rights measures could work for state] | ||
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|contribution-url=http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html | |contribution-url=http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html | ||
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#{{note|GodLoveth}}{{cite web |url= http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e1fa5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=3e05c8322e1b3110VgnVCM100000176f620a____ |title= [[God Loveth His Children]] |accessdate= 2007-12-07 }} | #{{note|GodLoveth}}{{cite web |url= http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e1fa5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=3e05c8322e1b3110VgnVCM100000176f620a____ |title= [[God Loveth His Children]] |accessdate= 2007-12-07 }} | ||
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#{{note|LDS09}} [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/statement-given-to-salt-lake-city-council-on-nondiscrimination-ordinances Statement Given to Salt Lake City Council on Nondiscrimination Ordinances] | #{{note|LDS09}} [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/statement-given-to-salt-lake-city-council-on-nondiscrimination-ordinances Statement Given to Salt Lake City Council on Nondiscrimination Ordinances] | ||
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#{{note|mormonismmodern}} {{Citation|title= In Focus: Mormonism in Modern America |quote= Every person on this planet has personal challenges. Some have challenges with same-sex attraction, some have problems with opposite-gender attraction that have to be controlled. |url= http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=143 }} | #{{note|mormonismmodern}} {{Citation|title= In Focus: Mormonism in Modern America |quote= Every person on this planet has personal challenges. Some have challenges with same-sex attraction, some have problems with opposite-gender attraction that have to be controlled. |url= http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=143 }} | ||
#{{note|oaks95}} [http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=43786e9ce9b1c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1''1995 Dallin H. Oaks Statement''], Official Site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. | #{{note|oaks95}} [http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=43786e9ce9b1c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1''1995 Dallin H. Oaks Statement''], Official Site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. | ||
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|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=27f71f1dd189f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=726511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD | |url=http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=27f71f1dd189f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=726511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD | ||
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| − | #{{note| | + | #{{note|packer01}} Packer [http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=67d1a1615ac0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 Ye Are the Temple of God] |
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#{{note|PlaceInTheKingdom}}[http://centurypubl.com/Place_Kingdom_Same_Sex_Attraction.htm ''A Place in the Kingdom: Spiritual Insights from Latter-day Saints about Same-Sex Attraction.''] | #{{note|PlaceInTheKingdom}}[http://centurypubl.com/Place_Kingdom_Same_Sex_Attraction.htm ''A Place in the Kingdom: Spiritual Insights from Latter-day Saints about Same-Sex Attraction.''] | ||
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#{{note|EnsignSSA}}For example, see [http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1997.htm/ensign%20january%201997.htm/becoming%20whole%20again.htm Becoming Whole Again] and [http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/2002.htm/ensign%20august%202002.htm/my%20battle%20with%20samesex%20attraction.htm My Battle with Same-Sex Attraction] | #{{note|EnsignSSA}}For example, see [http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1997.htm/ensign%20january%201997.htm/becoming%20whole%20again.htm Becoming Whole Again] and [http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/2002.htm/ensign%20august%202002.htm/my%20battle%20with%20samesex%20attraction.htm My Battle with Same-Sex Attraction] | ||
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Version du 1 février 2010 à 21:34
"Love thy neighbor as thyself" is one of the two great commandments in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no teaching or commandment in the church that conflicts with this law. We believe all mankind are our brothers and sisters. All who are baptized into the church have made a covenant to "mourn with those who mourn", and "comfort those who stand in need of comfort". (Mosiah 18:9) This is especially true of our brothers and sisters who are attracted to the same gender,[1] commonly referred to as gay or lesbian.
We welcome our gay brothers and sisters into the church, and affirm them as good people. We seek to help them and advocate their cause. We seek to bring them peace, and empower them to make decisions that will help them attain happiness in this life.
Sommaire
The church welcomes gay people
The Church welcomes all people to come unto Christ. President Hinckley has specifically extended this welcome to gay men and women. In 1999, he made the following statement:
"As I said from this pulpit one year ago, our hearts reach out to those who refer to themselves as gays and lesbians. We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God. They are welcome in the Church." [2]
The Church has published several publications designed to reach out to members with same-sex attractions. The most recent, God Loveth His Children, assures that "No one is, or ever could be, excluded from the circle of God’s love or the extended arms of His Church, for we are all His beloved sons and daughters."[3] Elder Oaks similarly stated: "Church leaders are sometimes asked whether there is any place in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for persons with homosexual or lesbian susceptibilities or feelings. Of course there is." [4]
Many are faithful members of the church, as evidenced by the several organizations formed by these members, such as Evergreen International, North Star, and Northern Lights. LDS Family Services estimates that there are four or five members in every unit of the Church who is attracted to the same sex.[5] Their stories have been profiled in the Ensign[6], and in Deseret Book.[7] General Authorities attend these meetings, and the proceedings are published on the Church's web site.[8]
The Church welcomes gay people, and gay people have responded by joining the church, in part because of the good news that the gospel brings for gay people.
The church affirms gay people
Like all of God's children, the church teaches that gay people are beloved sons and daughters of God and as such, are loved by the church and its leaders. This love has always been extended by leaders of the church. In of the church's first pamphlets geared towards gay people, President Kimball reminds gay people to "Remember, the Lord loves you, the Church loves you."[9] President Hinckley has followed suit and repeated the love for gay people,[10] and have affirmed the gays in the church as good people.[11]
The affirmation that gay people are indeed good people are not limited to gay people who keep the standards of the church. In the Miracle of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball said that men who were pursuing same-sex relationships were "basically good people who have become trapped in sin."[12]
The church always strives to affirm gay people in our love for them, and in their value as human beings. Elder Holland recounts a story of a gay man who came to him and was worried that because he was gay, he didn't know whether he could continue being a member of the church. Elder Holland affirmed to him that being gay did not impede him from being a good member of the Church. He follows up with another story of a man with same-sex attractions who was faithful in the church. Of him, Elder Holland said "I weep with admiration and respect at the faith and courage of such a man who is living with a challenge I have never faced. I love him and the thousands like him, male or female, who "fight the good fight" (1 Timothy 6:12). I commend his attitude to all who struggle with-or who are helping others who struggle with-same-gender attraction." [13]
The church has instructed leaders of the church that "when members with homosexual problems come to you for help, they may feel guilty and in despair, having been unable to change their lives. You can instill hope in them. Help them to know that you and their Heavenly Father love them and that they can be healed from their afflictions through the atonement of the Savior." [14]
The Church helps gay people
While the Church seeks to help all people with their problems, a special call has been issued for members of the Church to help gay people. In 1995, Elder Oaks taught "All should understand that persons (and their family members) struggling with the burden of same-sex attraction are in special need of the love and encouragement that is a clear responsibility of Church members, who have signified by covenant their willingness "to bear one another’s burdens" (Mosiah 18:8) "and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2)."[15] Three years later, President Hinckley echoed Elder Oaks remarks "We want to help these people, to strengthen them, to assist them with their problems and to help them with their difficulties." [16]
There are many ways in which the church helps the gay population. For example, the church is an advocate for employment and housing rights for gay people. When Salt Lake City asked the Church for its opinion on whether to pass ordinance to protect gay people from housing and employment discrimination, the Church supported the measure calling it a "common-sense right" and a question of "human dignity".[17] Elder Holland said it could be a model for the rest of Utah.[18] This was done despite the fact that the legislature was against these rights.
Beyond the legal protection for gay people, the church has also sought to protect gay people from physical and verbal abuse. Elder Oaks taught "Our doctrines obviously condemn those who engage in so-called "gay bashing"-physical or verbal attacks on persons thought to be involved in homosexual or lesbian behavior."[19]
The church helps gay people by steering them away from destructive patterns, such as blaming themselves for their sexual orientation.[20] The leadership has warned against therapies to try to change sexual orientation that have been shown to be abusive by the scientific field,[21] using marriage as a therapeutic step to change sexual orientation,[22] and have instructed leaders not to encourage gay members to cultivate heterosexual feelings, since it often leads them to frustration and discouragement.[23] They have assured gay members that being gay is not a sin[24] and if they remain faithful they can receive all the blessings that Heavenly Father has promised his children, with no requirement to change sexual orientation.[25]
The church helps family members of gay people
One way that the church helps gay people is by supporting their families, and encouraging them to love and reach out to their family members regardless of how they chose to live their lives. In a 1992 statement to Church leaders, the Church counseled: "If a person with homosexual problems chooses not to change, family members may have difficulty maintaining feelings of love and acceptance toward the person. Encourage them to continue loving the person and hoping that he or she may repent." [26]
This was reiterated by Elder Oaks in 1997: "Surely if we are counseled as a body of Church membership to reach out with love and understanding to those ‘struggling with these issues,’ that obligation rests with particular intensity on parents who have children struggling with these issues... even children who are engaged in sinful behavior associated with these issues" [27]
Families with gay members are strengthened through living the principles of love and respect taught by Jesus Christ and reiterated in the Proclamation to the World on the Family.[28] One woman with a lesbian sister submitted an Ensign article in which she describes how the church has helped her with her relationship with her sister (Leigh). "I know the best thing I can do to have a close relationship with my sister is to have a close relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son. Leigh recently commented that it has been through the way our family has loved her that she has felt what she understood to be God’s love." [29]
One of the best services that we can do for our gay brothers and sisters is to help them feel the love of God through our actions.
The Church helps gay people find peace
The mission of the church is to bring all people to Christ. We believe that this is one of the fundamental ways in which we can serve our fellow man. We believe we can come closer to Christ by taking upon us his name through the covenant of baptism, which includes a covenant to obey his commandments. Teaching and encouraging our fellow man to obey the teachings of Christ is an important part in bringing them to Christ. This is the greatest good we can do for our fellow man, and what will bring them the greatest joy.
The path that leads to eternal life is straight and narrow, but we want as many of our brothers and sisters to find that path as possible. Christ taught against fornication and adultery, and we believe that includes all sexual relationships besides that of a husband and a wife. We teach and encourage all to obey this commandment, as part of our duty to bring them to Christ. Elder Oaks explains the natural consequences if gay people do not follow the law of chastity: "Those commandments, if they are not adhered to, result in guilt. That guilt is painful to people. There are two solutions to that guilt. One is to disbelieve in God or hold a congress and pretend that you can change God's commandments. The other is to discontinue that kind of conduct to the best of your ability."[30] While the church may not follow the world's approach, we believe that our approach of promoting the commandments of the Lord will help alleviate the guilt people feel by inspiring them to live are higher moral code.
There are people who feel that by promoting this higher moral code, we are rejecting those who do not follow it. Elder Packer responded to this concern as to how it applies specifically to gay people. He said:
"We understand why some feel we reject them. That is not true. We do not reject you, only immoral behavior. We cannot reject you, for you are the sons and daughters of God. We will not reject you, because we love you. You may even feel that we do not love you. That also is not true. Parents know, and one day you will know, that there are times when parents and we who lead the Church must extend tough love when failing to teach and to warn and to discipline is to destroy." [31]
There are many gay members of the church who find the teachings of the church to be encouraging. Elder Wickman explains that this is one of the reasons why the Church teaches about homosexuality: "One of the purposes of that discussion was to try to be hopeful and encouraging to those who do but nonetheless want to conform their lives to what they understand the Lord's teachings to be."[32]
Joseph Smith once taught that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things cannot produce the faith necessary for salvation. Certainly, we would want both gay and straight members of the church to be able to produce the faith necessary for salvation. Our eternal family would not be complete without our gay brothers and sisters.
The church helps gay people by empowering them
As a part of helping gay people live a life that will bring them peace, we also empower them to make choice that will bring peace by installing a hope that they are capable of living the commandments of God. We believe that all people have that capability. (1 Nephi 3:7)
Outside of the church, there is a prevalent belief that gay people are created with only one choice about their sexual behavior. For example, in the Californian Supreme Court case "In Re: Marriage", the court ruled that for gay people "the choice of life partner will be, by definition, someone of the opposite sex."[33] They ruled that this choice was already made for them, "by consequence of their birth" and was "immutable". This thought is very harmful to gay people. This takes away their agency and enslaves them to their carnal desires. Those who want to put off the natural man but are told that option is not available to them may feel trapped. This can bring feelings of hopelessness and despair.
Some gay people have found such limitations have come in conflict with their inner desires to obey the commandments of God. Psychologists have found that instead of limiting a gay person's ability to determine the direction of their own life, that by increasing self-determination and autonomy that a psychologist can help a gay person find peace in their life.[34] Instead, the American Psychological Association has instructed psychologists to help clients make their own choices and support them in living according to their own values, even in this means changing sexual orientation identity.[35]
The message of the Church to all people is that "ye are free, ye are permitted to act for yourselves." (Helaman 14:30) While we teach against sexual relationships outside of a heterosexual marriage, we uphold that each individual is free to chose their own values according to the dictates of their own concious (AoF 12), and advocate their free exercise to act according to those values. (D&C 134:2) The ability to chose is considered one of the most precious gifts given from God to man, and is one of the reasons for the war in heaven. Without recognizing both options, a gay person does not truly have the ability to chose for themselves.
God Loveth His Children affirms that gay people do have a choice and they are capable of living the commandments of God. It reads: "Notwithstanding your present same-gender attractions, you can be happy during this life, lead a morally clean life, perform meaningful service in the Church, enjoy full fellowship with your fellow Saints, and ultimately receive all the blessings of eternal life."[36]
While other organizations say that gay people are incapable of obeying the laws of God, the Church tells them that they can. This empowers the gay person. It teaches that they are in control of their destiny, and they can make of their life what they want.
It can be argued that this is only pro-gay if operate under the assumption that these statements are correct. That is the assumption we are operating under. Being anti-gay has a lot to do with intentions, and we have no other intention than to bring peace to our gay brothers and sisters by bringing them to Christ. Directing his comments to gay people who pursue same-sex relationships, Spencer W. Kimball taught "the Church and the Lord have no ulterior motives - the only desire being for the restoration of you, yourself, a son of God, made in his image.[37]
What is more important, there are gay people who also operate under the assumption that these things are true. These gay people deserve an organization that fights for their ability to chose an alternative lifestyle to the one the rest of the world presents. In no way, shape or form, is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints anti-gay.[retour] We are a welcoming and affirming church for our gay brothers and sisters.
Related links
- l1=Myths about the Church and homosexuality
- l1=The Church and gay rights
- l1=Causes of Homosexuality
- /Can the Church welcome gay people while teaching against same-sex relationships
Endnotes
- [retour] Get ref
- [retour] Get ref include gay affirmative stuff Yarhouse MA. Same-sex attraction, homosexual orientation, and gay identity: a three-tier distinction for counseling and pastoral care
- [retour] Get ref
- [retour] “The Best Thing I Can Do for Leigh,” Ensign, Sep 2009, 62–65
- [retour] New Horizons
- [retour] Evergreen International Resources for Individuals
- [retour] - Elder Bruce C. Hafen Speaks on Same-Sex Attraction - LDS Newsroom
- [retour] Hinckley, Gordon B., (1987), Reverence and Morality off-site
- [retour] 1998 What Are People Asking about Us? Gordon B. Hinckley, Official Site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved on September 28, 2007.
- [retour] Hinckley, Gordon B. (Nov 1999). Why We Do Some of the Things We Do. Ensign.
- [retour] (2004), A Conversation with Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints off-site
- [retour] Holland, Jeffrey R., (2007), Helping Those Who Struggle with Same-Gender Attraction off-site
- [retour] LDS apostle: SLC gay-rights measures could work for state
- [retour] Kimball, Spencer W., (1969), The Miracle of Forgiveness Bookcraft
- [retour] Kimball, Spencer W., (1971), New Horizons for Homosexuals LDS Church off-site .
- [retour] (1992), Understanding and Helping Those Who Have Homosexual Problems: Suggestions for Ecclesiastical Leaders , Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church off-site .
- [retour] (1995), The Family: A Proclamation to the World , Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church .
- [retour] God Loveth His Children, off-site
- [retour] Statement Given to Salt Lake City Council on Nondiscrimination Ordinances
- [retour] Lattin, Don, (1997), Musings of the Main Mormon: Gordon B. Hinckley off-site
- [retour] (2004), In Quiet Desperation: Understanding the Challenge of Same-gender Attraction Deseret Book off-site .
- [retour] In Focus: Mormonism in Modern America off-site Every person on this planet has personal challenges. Some have challenges with same-sex attraction, some have problems with opposite-gender attraction that have to be controlled.
- [retour] 1995 Dallin H. Oaks Statement, Official Site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- [retour] Wickman, Lance B., (2007), Same-Gender Attraction , Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church off-site
- [retour] Packer Ye Are the Temple of God
- [retour] A Place in the Kingdom: Spiritual Insights from Latter-day Saints about Same-Sex Attraction.
- [retour] For example, see Becoming Whole Again and My Battle with Same-Sex Attraction