Over the last few days it has been interesting to hear the many different viewpoints on the talk given by President Packer in Conference. I must admit, I was surprised at the swift and strong emotions his talk seemed to evoke from people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Perhaps the reason I was so surprised was because all he did was reiterate the long-standing position of the Church on the matter of homosexuality. He really said nothing different from other talks I have heard on the same topic. For my curiosity's sake, I looked up same-gender attraction on the lds.org website, where it had a simple quote from President Hinckley:
"People inquire about our position on those who consider themselves so-called gays and lesbians. My response is that we love them as sons and daughters of God. They may have certain inclinations which are powerful and which may be difficult to control. Most people have inclinations of one kind or another at various times. If they do not act upon these inclinations, then they can go forward as do all other members of the Church. If they violate the law of chastity and the moral standards of the Church, then they are subject to the discipline of the Church, just as others are" (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 1998, 71).
Compare this to what President Packer said:
"We teach a standard of moral conduct that will protect us from Satan’s many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage. We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong. From the Book of Mormon we learn that “wickedness never was happiness."
Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father.
Paul promised that “God . . . will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” You can, if you will, break the habits and conquer an addiction and come away from that which is not worthy of any member of the Church. As Alma cautioned, we must “watch and pray continually.”
One of the reasons I'm so confused about the uproar is that I feel that President Packer actually gave this talk with the purpose of love and encouragement to those that struggle with same-gender attraction. I love how he talks about how God never tempts us "above that ye are able." This is true of ANY sin. I don't understand why President Packer is receiving so much negative press for speaking out on something the Church has declared to be a sin. He didn't change the position of the Church in any way, and he said nothing to try and alienate or make people feel unworthy. He was simply stating the doctrine.
I love the way Elder Holland put it in a simple story (I also love the quote he shares from President Packer):
"A pleasant young man in his early 20s sat across from me. He had an engaging smile, although he didn’t smile often during our talk. What drew me in was the pain in his eyes.
“I don’t know if I should remain a member of the Church,” he said. “I don’t think I’m worthy.”
“Why wouldn’t you be worthy?” I asked.
“I’m gay.”
I suppose he thought I would be startled. I wasn’t. “And … ?” I inquired.
A flicker of relief crossed his face as he sensed my continued interest. “I’m not attracted to women. I’m attracted to men. I’ve tried to ignore these feelings or change them, but …”
He sighed. “Why am I this way? The feelings are very real.”
I paused, then said, “I need a little more information before advising you. You see, same-gender attraction is not a sin, but acting on those feelings is—just as it would be with heterosexual feelings. Do you violate the law of chastity?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t.”
This time I was relieved. “Thank you for wanting to deal with this,” I said. “It takes courage to talk about it, and I honor you for keeping yourself clean.
“As for why you feel as you do, I can’t answer that question. A number of factors may be involved, and they can be as different as people are different. Some things, including the cause of your feelings, we may never know in this life. But knowing why you feel as you do isn’t as important as knowing you have not transgressed. If your life is in harmony with the commandments, then you are worthy to serve in the Church, enjoy full fellowship with the members, attend the temple, and receive all the blessings of the Savior’s Atonement.”
He sat up a little straighter. I continued, “You serve yourself poorly when you identify yourself primarily by your sexual feelings. That isn’t your only characteristic, so don’t give it disproportionate attention. You are first and foremost a son of God, and He loves you.
“What’s more, I love you. My Brethren among the General Authorities love you. I’m reminded of a comment President Boyd K. Packer made in speaking to those with same-gender attraction. ‘We do not reject you,’ he said. ‘… We cannot reject you, for you are the sons and daughters of God. We will not reject you, because we love you.’ ”
We talked for another 30 minutes or so. Knowing I could not be a personal counselor to him, I directed him to his local priesthood leaders. Then we parted. I thought I detected a look of hope in his eyes that had not been there before. Although he yet faced challenges to work through—or simply endure—I had a feeling he would handle them well" (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Helping Those Who Struggle with Same-Gender Attraction,” Ensign, Oct 2007, 42–45).
Now I realize that this is a sensitive issue. Dave has an uncle who is gay (and I will be the first to say that you will not find a kinder or more thoughtful person), but does that mean we push him away? Absolutely not. The Church is clear on the issue of this sin, as with any other. We love those who struggle, but we do not accept the sin itself. However, it is not wrong for us to profess and live our beliefs, which includes the fact that homosexuality is wrong.
To close, I would just like to say that I believe President Packer is a good, caring man. He has devoted his life to the church and has served very faithfully. I also believe that President Packer cares about all of us, including those with same-gender attraction. I truly believe that he is a man inspired of God, and that he was inspired not only with what to say, but when to say it.
Here is a link to his talk, please read it for yourself. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Cleansing the Inner Vessel
Here are a few links to other talks/articles the Church has on the issue:
Helping Those Who Struggle With Same-Gender Attraction
Compassion for Those Who Struggle
My Battle With Same-Sex Attraction
When a Loved One Struggles With Same-Sex Attraction
Same-Gender Attraction
Heidi,
ReplyDeleteUpon reading your blog entry I re-read President Packer's talk. I agree, he was not being hateful, but I remember being bothered by one thing he said. In the printed talk on lds.org you find this: "Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father."
This quote highlights the ability of all who suffer with temptations to not give in, including homosexuals. However what President Packer actually said in conference is the following: "Some suppose that they were pre-set 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?"
The final wording implicates that homosexuality (the same gender attraction) is purely a choice and by choosing to simply be attracted to the same gender is a sin. That is not the sin, as you well pointed out. Acting on the temptation of same gender attraction is like acting on any other temptation and is a sin. President Packer's actual statement is a step back from documents from the Church such as For God Loveth His Children and other talks by General Authorities like Elder Holland. I am not sure if President Packer actually meant to rephrase his statement that way, or simply misspoke.
Regardless his purpose was without a doubt one of compassion, encouragement and teaching the consequences of sin. He stated: "When we obey, we can enjoy these powers in the covenant of marriage. From our fountains of life will spring our children, our family. Love between husband and wife can be constant and bring fulfillment and contentment all the days of our lives.
If one is denied these blessings in mortality, the promise is that they will be provided for in the world to come."
How beautiful is that? Put off your urges if they are against God's will and you will be compensated in the eternities. It must be a huge sacrifice to go through this life and never marry or share in true intimacy, but for those who do shall receive even greater blessings than I in the eternities!!!
Of course, those who have chosen to live a homosexual lifestyle have endured discrimination in the past. Some of them have become hypersensitive to any talk about homosexuality calling the practice a sin. So, of course any time any church leader talks about the practice of homosexuality being a sin, proponents of that practice will speak up for their beliefs and against the doctrines of God and His church.
Ultimately, I think the feeling of President Packer's talk should be: why would God give us a temptation we could not overcome? Indeed He is a Loving Heavenly Father, and provides us with ways to overcome temptation and still find happiness in our earthly trials. This life is not all there is, indeed we need to be searching for eternal happiness. Many of us easily get blinded by earthly pursuits and limitations.