Posted in a prominent place near the top of the home page of the website is this message:
Where the Church stands:
The experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is. Even though individuals do not choose to have such attractions, they do choose how to respond to them. With love and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, including our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.
"The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is. Even though individuals do not choose to have such attractions, they do choose how they respond to them." That sounds a lot like every other sin known to man. We can't really choose whether we're tempted or not, but we can choose whether or not we'll yield to temptation. The state of being tempted by itself isn't sinful (unless, and this is only my own opinion, we allow our thoughts to linger on the temptation once we've become aware of it).
Something I also like from this website, and I wish I knew how to share it here, is a short video of a lady named Danielle sharing her opinion about how our beliefs don't have to get in the way of being kind to others. I don't know if I can share the video, but here's a transcript:
I think beliefs play a huge part in the way that we act in our own behaviors. And I do think they are very important. And they are also important around what you even choose to share with other people. It’s your belief system that guides what you think other people should know or what you feel like should be understood. So those things are important but I also think that regardless of what your beliefs are if you respect others, and if you love others, or if you are generally just cultivating the feeling of love, regardless of who you are talking to or how well you know them, your beliefs do not have to get in the way of how you treat others or how you understand others or the kinds of interactions that you have with them.
So, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe that all sexual behavior outside the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman constitutes a serious sin. That includes intimate behavior in same-gender relationships. However, that doesn't mean that we should be unkind toward anyone who feels attracted to people of the same gender, and it doesn't mean that we can't still be friends with them and respect them. Most of us have friends who smoke or drink, or who don't go to church or even pray. Everyone behaves in different ways, but I think that in most cases, we can be friends, or at least respectful acquaintances, despite our differences.
I guess this is good news for me. This means that I can oppose same-sex marriage without having any negative feelings toward people with same-sex attraction. I also think I understand better why we oppose same-sex marriage at all. Normally, I'd say it's their choice, but if same-sex marriages become legal, socially-accepted, and "normal," then I think some people join in same-sex relationships and engage in immoral behavior who otherwise might not have been strongly tempted by it. It's not the marriages themselves that I have a problem with, but the immoral behavior that's implied by such marriages, and it's not so much the people who want to get married that I'm worried about, but the people who might engage in such behavior if society teaches them that it's normal and okay.
I'm still not sure what all this means for me and my non-member classmate. Does this mean I can share the gospel with him without speaking against homosexual behavior? Actually, that doesn't make much sense, does it? If I saw a person rock-climbing without any safety equipment, I suppose I'd still be morally obligated to warn them of the dangers of such behavior, even if I have reason to believe that they've already been warned about it and they have chosen to go rock-climbing without safety-gear anyway because they think they're not really in danger of falling. So I have to say something. But what should I say, and how can I say it without it sounding like I don't like people who have same-sex attraction?
1 comment:
"The state of being tempted by itself isn't sinful (unless, and this is only my own opinion, we allow our thoughts to linger on the temptation once we've become aware of it)." I absolutely agree. Being tempted is not a sin, but entertaining and dwelling on the temptation is - not as bad as the action, but quite likely to eventually lead to it. "As a man thinketh" and all that.
As far as your friend, I would not try to hide or dodge your beliefs and the church's stand, but I would not lead with it, either. If he asks, then talk about it - including admitting that you don't yet know all that much as frankly it hasn't come up in your personal life much. But if he doesn't ask, talk about other gospel messages / principles first. If he is receptive, you will get to chastity. If he isn't, then the whole LDS/gay thing doesn't make a difference for him. He may want to discuss it with you even if he is not interested in the church. Discussing is fine. Arguing is not. You will know.
You have heard of (Gay) Mormon Guy. He writes a great blog. Certainly not just about being gay, but that, too. As far as trustworthy, sounds like it to me. Serves as a temple worker. That's a big recommend to me. "Visit" him and see his perspective.
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