The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just launched a new website at mormonsandgays.org — a “collection of conversations; conversations with Church leaders, conversations with Church members who are attracted to people of the same sex, and conversations with the loved ones of gay spouses, children, or grandchildren who are dealing with the effects of same-sex attraction in their own lives.”
This website includes a combination of senior Church leaders (apostles) whose perspectives help explain the Church’s official position on homosexuality. Also included are personal experiences from individual Mormons — not representing Mormon doctrine on the subject, but candidly their own perspectives and experiences with relation to this topic.
Is the Church’s stand on homosexuality changing?
The website explains what is and isn’t changing with respect to the topic of homosexuality.
The Church’s approach to this issue stands apart from society in many ways. And that’s alright. Reasonable people can and do differ. 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.
The website addresses various topics, such as the following:
Our Common Humanity
Love One Another – the Great Christian Imperative
Being True to Religious Beliefs
An Eternal Perspective
Hope
Read more about this website at the Mormon Newsroom.
I think that homosexual love will be likely to be acceptable more and more in the world. It is just another form of love. Homosexual love has considered bad thing before. But now it becomes different. We can see this form of love easily these days. After I saw one of the movie related to homosexual love, I felt sorry that their love is considered as a dirty one. But I would like to cheer their love without any stereotypes. I believe that we can’t ignore any love form.
Kyung Min Kim,
Thanks for chiming in. There is no question that socially speaking, homosexual relationships are becoming more acceptable. This website acknowledges that “The Church’s approach to this issue stands apart from society in many ways. And that’s alright. Reasonable people can and do differ.”
But part of the Church’s mission is to teach God’s plan for His children and His commandments which are designed with that eternal plan in mind. As such, as the site says, even though “From a public relations perspective it would be easier for the Church to simply accept homosexual behavior…[t]hat we cannot do, for God’s law is not ours to change.”
We believe the law of chastity is from God, which puts bounds around sexual relationships as sanctioned by God only when between a man and woman legally bound as husband and wife. We realize that not everyone agrees with this, but this law is central in our belief to the plan of God, to an eternal view of the purpose of life.
You can read more about our beliefs in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.
Chrétiens , mormons et toutes religions confondues sont traumatisantes pour ceux et celles n’entrant pas dans le moule de la bienséance .
Quelles hypocrisies de toutes parts . Peut- on s’étonner des déviances malsaines et des vraies histoires d’amour cachées , car contraires à la normalité ?
Rome et ces curés en dentelles devrons , à minima lâcher du lest et aussi donner l’exemple alors , et tout ira mieux dans le meilleur des mondes , enfin presque !
J’ai aucune envie d’écrire des pages , sinon dire de laisser à chacun vivre sa sexualité comme il l’entend , sans nuire à autrui
J’entre régulièrement dans nos petites églises de France , sans raser les murs , ni baisser les yeux , et ça c’est une force !
Toutes les classes sociales son concernées ,
[translation: Christians, Mormons and all religions are traumatizing for those who do not fit into the mold of decency.
What hypocrisies on all sides. Can we be surprised by unhealthy deviances and hidden real love stories, which are contrary to normality?
Rome and these priests in lace should, at least let go of the ballast and also give the example then, and everything will be better in the best of worlds, well almost!
I have no desire to write pages, otherwise say to let everyone live his sexuality as he sees fit, without harming others
I regularly enter our small churches in France, without shaving the walls, or lowering our eyes, and that’s a strength!
All social classes are concerned,]
Thanks for your comment. There is definitely a tension that exists between standards of moral/sexual conduct and perhaps the level of welcomeness that people might feel or not feel in religious communities where sexual standards exist. I am sorry that you have felt traumatized, and I can understand (not perfectly, of course, since I am a married heterosexual), but in my mind and heart I can appreciate how the standards could appear or feel harsh if one’s life choices do not match those standards).
I cannot speak for all Christians, nor for Mormonism as a whole, but as I understand and engage the sexual standards we have, they do not prohibit people living their sexuality as they see fit, although I think it is worthwhile to consider that the overall survival and health of a society has some dependence biologically and socially on a model that allows for children to be born, first of all, and for them to be born in as stable a situation as possible.
Marriages between men and women are not perfect, but they are statistically the best structure for children to be born into. Children being born out of wedlock wreaks a great deal of havoc socially, emotionally, and culturally. Children not being born at all leads to demographic demise of societies and cultures. So sexuality in that sense is not just a personal choice, but does have some impact on a larger whole. Your personal sexual choices may not directly affect me, but I do believe sexual choices on the whole of any society do have an impact on that society and of course, everyone is responsible to their own conscience for such choices.
Religions such as mine do believe that God does have standards around sex, which influences my conscience and belief and behavior when it comes to sexuality. It’s not the intent to shame or traumatize others, but it does become a matter of integrity to belief. I can’t pretend to believe something that I do not. We do desire to respect others’ belief, and ask for the same privilege. Just as your frustrations about sexual standards are not personally directed at me, my personal beliefs about God’s standards about sex are not personal at you. But it would be wrong for me to impose my belief on you, or vice versa. In today’s world, we need to learn to co-exist and respect the differences that do exist.
I do hope you might be willing to consider WHY our standards exist. It’s difficult to understand the Mormon sexual standards without understanding our broader and deeper beliefs. For example, our beliefs about what happened before this life, why the earth exists, what happens after this life, why marriage between a man and a woman matters to God, and how Jesus Christ has made it possible for family relationships to exist beyond the grave all play into our standards around sex. It’s not just arbitrary. It’s all interconnected.
Different religions or churches may not take such a long view on life, God, or on the way sexuality may or may not play into a bigger picture and plan, but to understand Mormon views on sex, it is essential to understand more than just those standards. If you ever have a chance to talk to Mormon missionaries in your area, they could at least share a little more about the bigger picture view of our beliefs so you can have the context.
And you (and your partner?) would be welcome to visit our churches. Find times for Sunday meetings at lds.org.
I do wish you the very best in your life’s journey. Thanks for taking the time to comment.