We have a thread that discusses whether or not a person is born homosexual. You might want to check it out because that would be the best place for us to continue that line of discussion if you want. You can find it here
I'm jumpin in here way too late. But here's my $.02: I vote Nay.
Homosexual marriage can't be condoned in any way, because homosexuality cannot be condoned. It's hard for me to accept that we've got members who believe that it's just a matter of marriage.
Roz
Offtopic but, That gay Episcopalian bishop is setting a very scary precedent for other churches. |
It has taken me some time to find the articles, plus this is going to be a very long post ~ thus you are forewarned.
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FarSeer writes:Homosexual marriage can't be condoned in any way, because homosexuality cannot be condoned. |
This is news, but it is relevant as doctrine discussion here:
MARRIAGE DEBATE SPLITS CONGREGATIONS
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' endorsement earlier this week of an amendment to ban same-sex marriage was short and simple. If there was any debate or hand-wringing that accompanied the church's decision, it wasn't apparent in the 25-word statement.
https://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C...76265%2C00.html
It seems like ABC News had a special on the lives of "Gay Mormons". I felt very sad for some of these Brethren and the way they feel.
Gay Mormons Face Excommunication
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June 7, 2006 - Daniel Holsinger was born into a devout Mormon family. He went on a mission for two years to spread the faith, as young members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, or LDS, are supposed to do. But Holsinger is also gay, and he also knew that the church would not allow him to be himself. "I felt huge love and fulfillment, love and fulfillment in the church in many ways," Holsinger said. "I loved the values that were taught. I love things about the church, but there was obviously this very strong sense of what is being said about, fundamentally, who I am that doesn't make sense to me." Jay Christianson's background was similar - he is from a devout Mormon family, but he had a feeling his whole life that something was wrong with him. "I was confused because I was, I was being told one thing but I was experiencing a completely different thing," said Christianson. Holsinger is in his second year of medical school, studying human sexuality. Christianson is an architecture student. They are in their 20s, they are gay, and they're a couple. And that's a problem. "There is a very strong notion that I am a sinner, fundamentally who I am is hated and reviled by God. I am alone, there is no one else like me," Holsinger said. Christianson says their love for each other is genuine, though many in his faith would disagree. "People say that kind of love is not real but it's very real, very real," he said. Both men say they have known since childhood that they were attracted to the same sex. Both tried hard to fight it. "I fasted, you deprive yourself of food and you go for a period of time in meditation and prayer," Holsinger said. "I mean I did everything I felt like I was supposed to do to really communicate with God. So I figured if I did everything in this course, eventually that prayer would be answered. Eventually this nightmare would go away. Eventually I wouldn't hate myself because a new part of myself would appear. This new heterosexual part of myself would emerge. And it didn't." |
This may seem harsh, but sometimes I read these things and wonder if 'they' see the Church as a means for Salvation or as a Social Club? When one considers the eternities I do not know how being gay can even be an issue to consider when it comes to spiritual progression.
Exactly, JB. The bottom line is this: If the Church is true, God makes the rules. If God makes the rules, we are not to alter them. Also, he will provide a way for EVERY one of His children to follow the rules. I may have a congenital propensity to swipe silverware at dinner parties, but until I start stealing spoons, I am not a thief. Similarly, some may have a natural propensity to be sexually attracted to the same sex, but unless they act on it, they are not breaking the law of chastity. Even Christ was tempted, and nobody looks down upon Him for it. The difference is that He did not act on the temptations, except to resist them. God will provide a way out of every temptation, and a way to overcome the sins that occur when we fall. The returned missionaries in that article obviously do not believe nor understand the doctrine they were commissioned to teach for two years. Being gay, as a sin, is no different from being a smoker or a blasphemer or a liar or a thief. They each stem from a psychological hunger, which the sinner fills inappropriately with forbidden fruit. The solution for each problem is the same - the atonement of Christ. That is the message of the Church, and those who pout because the Church doesn't "meet their needs" need to reassess their "needs."
It's a really hard thing to discuss because you can't really know what it's like unless you actually are gay. I fully support our church and whatever God would have us do, but I still wonder what it's all about. Those who aren't gay can say that they should have the same rights as everybody, even to marry without God's consent. Those who are gay know exactly how it feels, but might not want to accept that there is a way to resist it and pursue life without pursuing a partner. I think everybody in life has their fair share of temptations for what they can handle, and that is a big one that they might have to just resist. I don't know what God has in store for us, or if the church will ever allow it, but we should always follow what the prophet says at this current state of time.