Living in UT, specifically in Salt Lake City, where the church headquarters are located, we hear a lot of controversy between the church, and those that are opposed to the church. This past General Conference led to some protesting, and some heated debate here in Salt Lake City. I’m not sure who was actually debating (and I say that with only a little humor seeing as this is a serious issue), but there were a lot of people upset here in Utah about President Packer’s talk, Cleansing the Inner Vessel.
The talk in a nutshell was about avoiding temptations with immorality, and pornography. The words same-sex marriage, or gay and lesbian were never actually said in the talk, but it was definitely understood what he was referring to. The statement that led to the most upset among non-LDS members of the church was when he stated, “Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember he is our Father.”
Later, as part of a common practice that I was not aware of, until now, some slight changes were made to his talk. Instead, the word tendency was changed to temptation, and the question, “Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone?” was taken out completely. But, the message is still the same.
The church has held a strong opposition to gay marriage for a long time. In some instances, they have been more outspoken than others in taking a public stand. However, they have always held the position that you can still be an active member of the church, in good standing, even with those feelings, as long as you do not act on those temptations of same-sex attraction. They have always maintained that as members of the church, we should be loving, and kind to those that are different than us. No matter what the difference is. We are, after all, supposed to be a Christ-like people. Jesus Christ is our perfect example, and we should look to his example in how we treat our fellow man. The church released this statement that I believe is a very well thought out and articulated statement of how the church feels about this issue.
As President Packer has received many harsh comments and ridicule for his message, I believe that it is important to recognize that God’s laws are unchanging. They will remain the same, no matter what we do on this earth. We can vote how we please, but that does not change the laws of God. I can’t help but think of the Prophets of old that had to deliver difficult messages from God that the people did not want to hear. They were laughed at, mocked, and some were even martyred for their messages. Is it any different today? God’s message has not changed since the time of the Bible or Book of Mormon. His laws are still the same, and therefore, although it may be hard for others to hear those messages, His Prophets and Apostles are called to deliver them. That will never change.
I know that many families out there, both LDS and non-LDS struggle with this issue. It is a difficult one. We love those that are struggling with those feelings. We want to help them. Sometimes it is our brother, or sister that is dealing with this issue. Sometimes it is a dear friend. We do not have all the answers. We may never know in this life why some are born with these feelings, and some are never tempted by them. But, we are not expected to have the answers, we are only expected to love. In my opinion, as a member of the church, it should not be that difficult for us to stand for what we believe in, and also love those that do not agree with us. However, I know that it is more difficult for some. However, our Heavenly Father expects us to love all men. He does not say to love all of those that agree with us.
Related Articles:
October 2010 General Conference-Courageous Parenting
October 2010 General Conference-My Favorite Talk