This Mormon's view on "Gays"

Core to the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that we are all offspring of God.  And all deserve to be respected as such.   But there is a difference between respecting the person, and respecting that person's choices.

Getting right to the point ... is homosexuality a choice?  In my opinion, no.  I don't believe anyone makes a conscious decision to be attracted to their same sex.  Maybe there are exceptions.

In The Book of Mormon, Ether 12:27, we read: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble".

We all have weaknesses such as, for example ...... impatience, temper, addictions, laziness, physical problems, social disorders, mental illness ..... the list is endless.  Included in this list is homosexuality.  Does that mean it came from God?  I don't believe so.  But as part of this mortal experience in which we must learn to deal with trials, he allows it to be on that list.  None of us choose our weaknesses, but we do choose how we will respond to them.  The remainder of the scripture reads, "and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.."

Does this mean that homosexuality can be overcome?  Yes, but possibly not in this life.  Some have done it and have found happiness.  But most cannot.  Do these people, who struggle with this attraction during their earthly mortality, deserve our love and respect?  Yes.  Just as I hope others would respect me, with my own myriad of weaknesses.   Most importantly, we are not faulted for the attraction.  We are only judged on our behavior.  God would not, and does not, condemn us for that which we cannot choose.  Only for what we can.

So what about same-sex marriage and why does the LDS Church oppose it?  Because God forbids it.  That's the bottom line.  The Church could succumb to growing societal pressures and accept it, but to do so encourages or endorses a choice that could devastate souls.  We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  And to truly love someone is to care about their welfare tomorrow, as well as today.  Embracing anything that God has forbidden, is not a show of love.  It is an endorsement of a path of personal destruction.

Does that mean the person with this affliction must forego some blessings in this life?  Very likely, yes.  Just as my autistic grandchildren must do so through no fault of their own.  We firmly believe that eventually everyone who does their best to honor God's commandments, will have ALL blessings possible, including marriage and family.  It's those delayed eternal blessings for which we hope.  We don't want anyone to be denied anything.  We want their long-term happiness.  That may translate to remaining single and celibate during mortality.  Is this fair?  Of course not.  Neither is much else in this life.  It's an issue I hope to better understand someday, for I cannot imagine anything to be much worse than this.   I, like everyone else, fall victim to seeing only the narrow slice of eternity around us, as opposed to the whole picture.

My heart goes out to them.  They deserve our support, love, and compassion.  They are entitled to all legal protections in employment, housing, and other areas of potential discrimination.  The Church welcomes all of us with our many weaknesses, and offers hope for the day when those weaknesses do indeed become our strengths through the power of the Lord's atonement.  But until then, we cannot honor a forbidden lifestyle, for God has clearly stated his position.  And his position applies to all of us equally.  God's love is not exclusive and he has set forth a path towards eternal happiness that is available to everyone who chooses it.

Sadly, it's all too easy for us to be judgemental.

"If you had enough faith, you could beat this!" 

But maybe all the faith they can summon, barely gets them through the day, without lapsing into despair.  Heterosexuals cannot possibly understand how difficult it can be.   So judgement is not ours to use.  Compassion, as we stand by them through their pain, IS ours to give.