Michael Otterson, a representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently gave a statement regarding the Human Rights Petition delivered to the church pertaining to the comments of homosexuality being immoral. He gave a great statement but it doesn’t fix what was initially said.
Boyd Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church, made remarks that being homosexual is immoral and is a sin. He spoke about marriage being between a man and a woman, which will bring fulfillment and contentment to their lives. Packer stated “It is to be shared only and solely between man and woman, husband and wife, with that one who is our companion forever. On this the gospel is very plain.”
The Human Rights Campaign drafted a letter with 150,000 signatures telling the LDS church to “cease putting young people in real peril and acknowledge the scientific truth: sexual orientation cannot be changed, nor should it be.” The lesson given at the semi-annual general conference this October came across as offensive and ignorant to many people, not only to those who are gay.
Homosexuality is interesting to me purely because I can’t comprehend the emotions, feelings and desires of it at all. I go back and forth on my views because I think as humans we have the right to choose what we want. Sometimes I feel like homosexuality is a choice, it’s the cool thing to do now because we are so liberal these days.
During my middle school years, I went to a Christian school. I was influenced to believe that God created us in His image, we are perfect, and we are not gay. In the beginning, there was Adam and Eve, not Adam and John. I felt that I was leaning more towards a religious point of view based on what I was taught rather than what I needed to find out on my own.
Now I’m a little older with more life experience and a changed point of view. I believe that with all religion comes the socially acceptable moral aspect versus reality of life. The science argument that some people really are born gay has struck something in me. I believe in science, it’s factual and never lies, religious figures do. Our society tells us what is acceptable and what is not, science says it straight.
I don’t think any religious organization should be making statements that a homosexual way of life is the reason for suicides either. Yes, being judged hurts. But if a child that believes they might be homosexual is brought up in a loving home and told they are who they are, they are accepted and treated equal, I don’t think they will look to suicide to cure themselves of this “immoral” behavior. It’s the parent’s job to teach, love and nurture their children in the right direction. The support system at home is crucial to all family members. If there is a strong family support system in place, all members are more likely to succeed and be happy.
Boyd stated to families, “We raise an alarm and warn members of the Church to wake up and understand what is going on. Parents, be alert, ever watchful that this wickedness might threaten your family circle.” So what is the Church’s solution for a child who assumes he is gay? Tell them to ignore those feelings and try to live a “right” way of life. I think that would confuse a child or a teenager. I think it would cause that individual to not know how to live for himself or listen to what his heart wants. Aren’t we supposed to live a fulfilled life? Living a life that we don’t want does not lead us to happiness, it leads us to depression. So why are we persecuting those we are supposed to love because we disagree or don’t comprehend what they feel?
I don’t understand homosexuality and often find myself not agreeing with it. If we were created in God’s image then there would not be homosexual desires. My life’s path has left me questioning where we came from and I’m rethinking the religious communities beliefs in my own life. The science of life is being discovered all the time and questions are being answered; those answers do not follow religion. So what is true?
Honestly, I don’t care what another person does in their own home with the person they love. I really don’t care to see it in public either. I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to point the finger and tell them they will live a life confined in a “prison of sin, guilt and perversion” because they aren’t living according to someone else’s rules. After all, I believe the Bible is a guidebook on how to live your life, not a rulebook; everything in this life is individual and circumstantial.
Judging someone because of their decisions and desires is not showing love and kindness, its harnessing hate and aggression. That behavior is not Christ-like or righteous. Religious figures should be setting examples of love, not belittling anyone because their conscious tells them it’s wrong. Besides, in the end it’s not our place to judge, let’s leave it to the higher being to deal with that. It takes too much energy to worry what your neighbor is doing unless it directly affects you.