( NOTE: If you’ve landed initially on this post, please read my essay’s introduction first before continuing. It’s important to understand what I mean when I refer to “Discussion #1” and “Discussion #2.” Thanks! )
Very Briefly, Discussion #1
Discussion #1 is about homosexuality, morality and science. Despite an emerging body of scientific knowledge there’s very little harmony on topics surrounding LQBTQ physiology, psychology and the enmeshed religious implications. People inside and outside the Church debate lots of questions including, “Are people born gay?”, “Why doesn’t the Book of Mormon say anything about homosexuality?”, “Are the few Bible passages traditionally used to condemn homosexuality subject to out-of-context, misguided interpretations?”, “Does God consider homosexual behavior a sin across the board, both inside and outside of marriage?”, “Does the Bible really condemn homosexuality?”, “Why was the actual ancient scriptural word ‘arsenokoitai’ changed to mean ‘homosexuality’ in 1946, when it really doesn’t mean that at all?”, “Why are modern-day LDS scriptures silent on the topic of homosexuality?”, etc., etc.
I just finished reading a book by Reverend John H. Tyson, Ph.D. entitled, Homosexuality: A Conversion – How a Conservative Pastor Outgrew the Idea That Homosexuality Is a Sin. Dr. Tyson illustrates how “…most of us grew up with only part of the story concerning our gay and lesbian neighbors. We thought people chose to be homosexual, and that with God’s help they could choose to be straight. New scientific research shows that sexual orientation is determined in the waters of the womb, not in the waters of baptism. Being straight or gay is not an act of will, it is a gift of God.” The book outlines the growing understanding of the interplay between God’s love, the scriptures, Christianity, science and homosexuality.
I also just finished reading a new book by Dr. Gregory Prince, a renowned medical researcher and active member of the LDS Church entitled, Gay Rights and the Mormon Church. In his book Dr. Prince outlines the consensus of scientists’ and psychologists’ research pointing to DNA factors and “epigenetic” factors (mechanisms that cause an organism’s genes to express themselves differently during gestation and in turn control how genes function) as having a significant impact on those with same-sex attraction.
Dr. Prince sites the ever-growing body of conclusive research that points to homosexuality’s biological foundation. “It’s complex, and it’s nuanced, but the march of progress is in one direction,” Dr. Prince explains. “In the end, sexual orientation and gender identity are in the brain. Sexual orientation is permanent and can’t be changed.” Many studies are referenced in the book including research on birth order effect which documents how each subsequent male born from the same mother has a higher likelihood of being gay.
The bottom line is that people are born gay.
Historically “…all LDS policies, doctrines and attitudes toward homosexuality have been built on the assumption of it being a choice that can be unchosen,” Dr. Prince recently told The Salt Lake Tribune. His book addresses the Church’s changing positions over time from claiming it’s a choice to conceding that it does not appear to be a choice. It often feels like one step forward, one step back.
Dr. Prince continues,
“…in the October 2018 General Conference, he [Elder Dallin H. Oaks] for the first time tried to discredit science: You can’t trust the findings of science; you have to trust only the revealed word of God. I think he is worried about where biology is going, and since he can’t control the message, he is going after the messenger. I don’t know that he is the only voice for homophobia among the brethren, but he is the highest-profile one. In that General Conference, he was the only one who spoke against gay rights. In this month’s General Conference [April 2019], Neil Andersen briefly addressed the subject, but in terms of admiration for LGBT members who were living a celibate life.”
“When the MormonsandGays.com website came out in 2012, the most remarkable statement on the website was that gay is not a choice. It was immediately clear that the expectation was celibacy, but that was the Church’s first real admission that homosexuality is biological. That notwithstanding, the body language and words of some of them suggest that they still think it is a choice, and that people should make the opposite choice and get back in the fold.”
That’s all I have to say about Discussion #1.
Discussion #2
Discussion #2 is about us, both as individual LDS Church members and the LDS Church as an institution. It’s about how we respond to Discussion #1. It’s about how we behave individually and collectively. The remainder of this essay is about Discussion #2.
Question: “Could the LDS Church accept legally wed, same-sex couples in full fellowship without compromising its doctrine?”
My guess is that most LDS Church members would answer, “No.” But my answer is, “Perhaps we could.” And here’s why…
The Nine LDS Doctrines
By the Church’s definition, doctrines are “fundamental, unchanging truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” They’re not defined as fundamental, unchanging truths of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While some may think I’m splitting hairs it’s an important distinction. Joseph Smith said, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”
Doctrine #1 thru Doctrine #7
For reference, I’ve included short summaries below for the first seven of the nine LDS doctrines. The last two, Doctrines #8 and #9 are addressed separately:
LDS Doctrine #1: The Godhead – There are three separate personages in the Godhead: God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost.
LDS Doctrine #2: The Plan of Salvation – In the premortal existence, Heavenly Father introduced a plan to enable us to become like Him and obtain immortality and eternal life. Because of this plan, we can be perfected through the Atonement, receive a fulness of joy, and live forever in the presence of God.
LDS Doctrine #3: Jesus Christ’s Atonement – Jesus Christ was the only one capable of making a perfect atonement for all mankind.
LDS Doctrine #4: Dispensation, Apostasy, and Restoration – During the Great Apostasy, following the deaths of the Savior’s Apostles, people were without divine direction from living prophets. We are living in the last dispensation—the dispensation of the fulness of times, which began with Joseph Smith’s revelations.
LDS Doctrine #5: Prophets and Revelation – We sustain the President of the Church as a prophet, seer, and revelator and the only person on the earth who receives revelation to guide the entire Church.
LDS Doctrine #6: Priesthood and Priesthood Keys – The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act in His name for the salvation of His children.
LDS Doctrine #7: Commandments – Commandments are the laws and requirements that God gives mankind. The first two commandments are ‘love the Lord thy God…’ and ‘…love thy neighbor as thyself.’ The Ten Commandments are eternal principles necessary for exaltation. The Lord also commanded us to teach the Gospel to others. Other commandments include praying, keeping the law of chastity, paying tithing, fasting, forgiving others, having a spirit of gratitude, and observing the Word of Wisdom.
LDS Doctrine #8: Ordinances and Covenants & LDS Doctrine #9: Marriage and Family – (addressed separately below)
Doctrine #8 and Doctrine #9
For purposes of this discussion, Doctrine #8, Doctrine #9, the Church’s Family Proclamation, and “The Covenant Path” are inseparably connected. Together, they represent a singular idea that is foundational in Mormonism.
Doctrine #8: Ordinances and Covenants – Some ordinances are essential to exaltation and are called saving ordinances. The first saving ordinance has two parts—baptism by immersion in water by one having authority, and the receiving of the gift of the Holy Ghost. The other three saving ordinances are ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (currently for males only), the temple endowment, and the temple marriage sealing.
Doctrine #9: Marriage and Family – On the Church’s website, this doctrine is referred to as “The Doctrine of the Family.” In recent years the Church seems to have made this doctrine synonymous with a proclamation that was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message during a General Relief Society Meeting held in September of 1995 entitled, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
The Family Proclamation
I’ll be talking in detail about The Family Proclamation in the last post of this essay entitled “Charity.”
In summary, the proclamation says: 1) gender is an essential characteristic of our eternal identity, 2) marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, 3) the family is central to God’s plan, 4) the powers of procreation are to be employed only between a lawfully wed man and woman, 5) parents should raise kids in love and righteousness, 6) spouses should take care of each other and help each other, 7) fathers should preside in the home and provide a living, 8) mothers should nurture children, and 9) those who violate chastity covenants, abuse spouse or kids, or fail to fulfill their family responsibilities will stand accountable before God.
The Covenant Path
The term “Covenant Path” refers to a sequence of stepping stones that church members believe will lead to God’s greatest blessings in the next life. Use of the phrase continues to rapidly grow since it was first heard in General Conference in 2007. In fact, over the last year or so the phrase has been spoken from the pulpit during General Conferences 70+ times as shown by this linguistic analysis:
The LDS Church created this beautiful illustration to help teach young church members the concept of the Covenant Path.
From the April 2014 issue of the Church’s magazine, the New Era, where this image appears we read, “We all seek eternal life, which means being saved and exalted in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, where we can live in Heavenly Father’s presence as families.”
“In addition to faith in Jesus Christ and repentance, the ordinances and covenants of the priesthood allow us to enter the path that leads to eternal life. No matter when you entered this path or where you are on it—whether you were born in the Church or converted later, whether you have been active all your life or are just returning to Church activity—you can progress along it as you focus on your covenants and what you can do to receive and keep them.”
“And it’s important to know that priesthood ordinances and covenants don’t just offer the promise of a glorious future. They also give us the strength, comfort, and support we need right now in order to follow the path and endure to the end in righteousness.”
Desirable, But Not Essential
Principles Are Not Doctrines
Principles, by the Church’s definition are “enduring truths or rules that individuals can adopt to guide them in making decisions.” Doctrines on the other hand are “fundamental, unchanging truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
A doctrine is a belief while a principle is a fundamental assumption. It’s important to remember the differences between LDS doctrines, principles and policies. Doctrines are supported by principles and principles are administrated through policies.
The Principle of Chastity
The Law of Chastity (as it is often referred to in the Church) is a principle, not a doctrine.
The acceptance of legally wed same-sex couples in full fellowship does not require changing the Church’s stand on chastity. Refraining from sexual activity before marriage and complete fidelity during marriage is an important principle of gospel-centered living. The Church’s website provides the following overview of the principle of chastity:
“Chastity is sexual purity. Those who are chaste are morally clean in their thoughts, words, and actions. Chastity means not having any sexual relations before marriage. It also means complete fidelity to husband or wife during marriage.”
“Physical intimacy between husband and wife is beautiful and sacred. It is ordained of God for the creation of children and for the expression of love within marriage. In the world today, Satan has led many people to believe that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is acceptable. But in God’s sight, it is a serious sin. It is an abuse of the power He has given us to create life. The prophet Alma taught that sexual sins are more serious than any other sins except murder and denying the Holy Ghost (see Alma 39:3–5). Sometimes people try to convince themselves that sexual relations outside of marriage are acceptable if the participants love one another. This is not true. Breaking the law of chastity and encouraging someone else to do so is not an expression of love. People who love each other will never endanger one another’s happiness and safety in exchange for temporary personal pleasure.”
“When people care for one another enough to keep the law of chastity, their love, trust, and commitment increase, resulting in greater happiness and unity. In contrast, relationships built on sexual immorality sour quickly. Those who engage in sexual immorality often feel fear, guilt, and shame. Bitterness, jealousy, and hatred soon replace any positive feelings that once existed in their relationship. Our Heavenly Father has given us the law of chastity for our protection. Obedience to this law is essential to personal peace and strength of character and to happiness in the home. Those who keep themselves sexually pure will avoid the spiritual and emotional damage that always comes from sharing physical intimacies with someone outside of marriage. Those who keep themselves sexually pure will be sensitive to the Holy Ghost’s guidance, strength, comfort, and protection and will fulfill an important requirement for receiving a temple recommend and participating in temple ordinances.”
The excerpt above is from a page on the Church’s website that explains the principle of chastity in 1,456 words. Although I’ve stated that the acceptance of legally wed same-sex couples in full fellowship does not require changing the Church’s stand on chastity it would require removal of the following 3-sentence paragraph about homosexuality:
“Like other violations of the law of chastity, homosexual activity is a serious sin. It is contrary to the purposes of human sexuality. It distorts loving relationships and prevents people from receiving the blessings that can be found in family life and the saving ordinances of the gospel.”
The 3-sentence paragraph is made up of four ideas, each of which I touch on in this essay, namely:
1. “[homosexuality] is contrary to the purposes of human sexuality.” On the same page it mentions the two purposes of human sexuality: 1) “…the creation of children,” and 2) “the expression of love within marriage.” Intimacy in a same-sex marriage is only contrary to one of the two purposes, procreation—not both of them. The vast majority of the time sexual intimacy serves its second purpose, not its first—and while the two purposes are not mutually exclusive the assertion that homosexual intimacy within marriage is contrary to the purposes of human sexuality seems not entirely true.
2. “[homosexuality] distorts loving relationships…”. Inside the bonds of marriage, I guess I just don’t really understand what that means.
3. “…[it] prevents people from receiving the blessings that can be found in family life…”. This really isn’t true. There are many same-sex couples who receive the blessings of family life. Those who don’t are promised these blessings in the next life according to their faithfulness.
4. “…[it prevents people from receiving] the saving ordinances…”. This doesn’t need to be the case either, as I’ve suggested based on The Covenant Path’s eternal nature.
Chastity will always be an important component of gospel living. Accepting legally wed same-sex couples in full fellowship won’t change that.
His Love is Greater Than Our Fears
About a year ago, in an LDS General Conference Elder Robert C. Gay taught:
Where is our faith?
Perhaps all of us just need to have more faith when faced with such a limited understanding of the complexities of homosexuality and leave most of it in the Lord’s hands. Perhaps we should focus on what we do know, which is that it’s real. Perhaps our job isn’t to police the world on this topic. It’s OK. We can let go of that. There are so many beautiful and helpful things to focus on. Perhaps our job is simply to live and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to love, accept and help people in this life. The Lord knows all and one day He will make everything right.
Next, let’s talk about hope.
