Obedience to a prophet is a huge test in our mortal probation. How are we doing with some of these past commandments?
Have one year of food storage.
Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
Marriage is between one man and one woman
Men should not exercise unrighteous dominion
Pornography is a deadly sin
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart
Don’t speak ill of the Lord’s Prophets
The focus of this article is how can we love all people including the LGBTQ community and support the Savior with our Prophets teachings about gay marriage and homosexuality?
“Let us be clear: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that ‘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 [those with same-sex attraction].” Dallin H. Oaks
Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet by EZRA TAFT BENSON of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Feb. 26, 1980
First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
President Wilford Woodruff tells of an interesting incident that occurred in the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
I will refer to a certain meeting I attended in the town of Kirtland in my early days. At that meeting some remarks were made that have been made here today, with regard to the living oracles and with regard to the written word of God. The same principle was presented, although not as extensively as it has been here, when a leading man in the Church got up and talked upon the subject, and said: “You have got the word of God before you here in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants; you have the written word of God, and you who give revelations should give revelations according to those books, as what is written in those books is the word of God. We should confine ourselves to them.”
When he concluded, Brother Joseph turned to Brother Brigham Young and said, “Brother Brigham, I want you to take the stand and tell us your views with regard to the living oracles and the written word of God.” Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he said: “There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now,” said he, “when compared with the living oracles those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books.” That was the course he pursued. When he was through, Brother Joseph said to the congregation: “Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth.” [In Conference Report, October 1897, pp. 18–19]
Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.
Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
Sixth: The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture.
Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
Eighth: The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
Tenth: The prophet may be involved in civic matters.
Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer.
“I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord, then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain. How closely do our lives harmonize with the words of the Lord’s anointed—the living prophet, the President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency?” https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson/fourteen-fundamentals-following-prophet/
I feel the spirit of this article by Jana Riess is not following the Prophets. A lesser kingdom of glory seems a just reward for not obeying fully as you will read about below. The Lord loves us all equally but they are His commandments and He wants all of His Children to obey them completely.
Jana Riess: On oaks (and Oaks), LGBTQ issues and the exclusive Latter-day Saint heaven
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By Jana Riess | Religion News Service · Published: October 11
Updated: October 12, 2019
One of my favorite Robert Frost poems, “Reluctance,” explores how difficult it is to let go of that which we have cherished. I won’t quote it here because I don’t want the Frost estate to sue the pants off me, but there’s an especially poignant moment in which the poet uses the image of an oak tree to reflect upon human beings’ natural aversion to change.
In the backyard of the house where I used to live, there was a stalwart, beautiful oak tree that helped me to understand the botanical grounding of Frost’s imagery. Each autumn, the oak leaves would turn golden along with the leaves from the maple and other trees. Then those other trees’ dead leaves would fall to the ground to be raked or trampled, while the oak would still be clinging to its withered, browning foliage. There the dead leaves would remain through the winter until buds of fresh growth crowded them out in the early spring.
Frost’s poem, and the memories of that tree, stayed with me throughout President Dallin Oaks’s second talk in last weekend’s General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am not a believer in theories of nominative determinism, but I do find the image of the change-resistant oak tree helpful as I think about LGBTQ issues and President Oaks.
Parts of his talk, “Two Great Commandments,” were difficult to listen to. What I think Oaks was trying to communicate is that it is our task as Latter-day Saints to balance the love of neighbor with the love of God, which he equated with obedience to God’s commandments. But from the third sentence of the talk onward, it was clear that the explicit focus would be the ways in which LGBTQ persons are not following God’s commandments or keeping his laws. While Oaks stressed several times the importance of civility and kindness to all (are you listening, Twitter trolls?), his own passion defaulted to the side of obedience:
“Our zeal to keep [the second commandment, to love our neighbors as ourselves] must not cause us to forget the first, to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. We show that love by keeping his commandments.”
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All human beings are going to fall on one side or the other of this equation; I’ve yet to meet a single person I believed was consistently balancing the love of God with the love of neighbor, or perfectly inhabiting both justice and mercy. That’s why we need both kinds of people to build a living church.
But I am frustrated by the single-mindedness of many of Oaks’ recent talks and remarks. He has singled out marriage, gender, and sexuality as a trifecta of potential dangers, and some of his comments are singularly unhelpful to anyone who does not fit within the tiny fraction of humans who will be married for time and eternity in a Latter-day Saint temple to someone of the opposite sex.
Implicit in this particular talk is the notion that there is no Celestial Kingdom — the highest heaven in Mormonism — possible for LGBTQ saints who do not renounce this core part of their identity. He quoted from church President Russell Nelson in saying that the church was formed so that families could be sealed eternally, then noted that this has “important implications” for LGBTQ persons.
He continued:
“That highest destiny is possible only through marriage for eternity. Eternal life includes the creative powers inherent in the combination of male and female — what modern revelation describes as the ‘continuation of the seeds forever and ever.’ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW RELATED ARTICLES In ‘dark day’ for transgender Latter-day Saints, Oaks defines gender as ‘biological sex at birth’In a nod to Heavenly Mother, LDS Young Women’s theme changed to ‘Heavenly Parents’LDS Church President Russell Nelson talks temple recommends, a ‘First Vision’ celebration and humanitarian activismJana Riess: A progressive Latter-day Saint’s top 10 highlights of General ConferenceJana Riess: Why it’s important that Latter-day Saint women can now be official witnesses to a baptism
“. . . Modern revelation teaches that God has provided a plan for a mortal experience in which all can choose obedience to seek his highest blessings or make choices that lead to one of the less glorious kingdoms. Because of God’s great love for all of his children, those lesser kingdoms are still more wonderful than mortals can comprehend.”
It’s hardly new doctrine for a church leader to state that the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom is reserved for those who are married in the temple. And it’s not new doctrine to claim that “eternal life” (or exaltation, which is more than mere immortality) involves some kind of procreative possibility.
Why, then, has Oaks’ talk been such a source of pain for so many Latter-day Saints?
In part, I believe, it is because he is next in line to become the prophet, and people are projecting their own fear of what a Dallin Oaks administration might emphasize, such as a possible canonization of the family proclamation. But the hurt is also because of how frankly discordant his single-minded approach feels within the church today. During General Conference, we heard talks about a wide range of Christian questions and experiences:
- What is our responsibility to the poor? (Nelson)
- How are we to handle mental illness and emotional pain? (Reyna Aburto)
- How can our new youth programs strengthen the rising generation of Latter-day Saints and deepen their commitment to Christ? (apostle Quentin Cook, Young Women general President Bonnie Cordon)
- How do we keep our hope when our prayers don’t seem to be answered? (apostle Neil Andersen)
And that’s just a sampling. Within that range, Oaks’ preoccupation with sexuality and gender feels narrow and less focused on Christ than it is on preserving a certain strain of 20th-century culture. It is like a theological version of marcescence, the botanical phenomenon whereby some oak trees tenaciously cling to dead leaves.
His sermon on “Two Great Commandments” was supposed to be a talk about love, and yet it felt like a refortification of boundaries against LGBTQ people. Again.
I realize that how we consider questions about sexual identity has changed enormously since Oaks was a young man. It must seem a bewildering world. Friday, for example, is “National Coming Out Day.” Last month, Mattel introduced a new line of gender-neutral dolls. And right now the Supreme Court is considering a case that would make it legal for sexual orientation to be a fire-able offense in certain circumstances — a position the church has, through its law firm, filed an amicus brief to support.
So here’s my take and my promise. I do not believe, as Oaks said, that our ultimate concern in life is to make it to the Celestial Kingdom. We are Christians, and our ultimate concern should be to follow the teachings and example of Christ. My own exaltation is not of great importance to anyone else except to me and my family . . . and that’s a lot of eternal focus on “me” and “my” that Jesus never spoke about in the scriptures.
If I am so fortunate as to return to be with my Heavenly Parents and their son for all of eternity, that would be great cause for rejoicing. But it would be hollow and incomplete without the company of my LGBTQ brothers and sisters who have been knocked down, misunderstood and consigned to second-class status.
If they don’t get to sit at the front of the bus to the Celestial Kingdom, I’ll gladly hang out with them in the Terrestrial. Or wherever else. And that, to me, is the gospel.
Source: https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/10/11/jana-riess-oaks-oaks/ The views expressed in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.
Editors Note:
Pres Oaks said, “all can choose obedience to seek his highest blessings or make choices that lead to one of the less glorious kingdoms.” As Pres Oaks believes I believe, that being sextual with someone of the same sex is a choice. I don’t believe you are born that way.
God said to Adam and Eve,”multiply and replenish the earth”. Why would God give a commandment of choice to us if you couldn’t choose for yourself? Having sex has a purpose behind it of bringing children to the world, not just to satisfy our lusts. What is more important in life than to give others the opportunity to come to earth to gain a body and learn how to get back with our Father in Heaven? If you are not born, you have no hope into becoming like Christ.
A man and a man have no hope of ever having offspring, that is why it is a choice we make. Are some men born with a more inherently feminine side? Yes. Are some people born with a tendency to love both sexes? Yes. That doesn’t mean you are born that way, but you are given the same opportunity for choices as anyone else. Can unusual things happen to us because of wrong choices by our friends and family which affect our sexual choices? Of course. That doesn’t mean we are born that way. Saying I am born that way is an excuse to me to do what we want not what God expects. Listen, I am no ones judge. I love all people the same. I just have an opinion and I find it to be in accord with God’s Law.
Should we ever treat the LGBTQ community different than any other community? No! Just because I disagree with their interpretation of God’s moral law, doesn’t mean I don’t like them as a person. I believe this community is picked on and judged harsher than most, but that doesn’t mean they are doing what God wants. They are louder in their protest, but that doesn’t mean they are right. I believe committing adultery is Sin, having sex out of wedlock is Sin, gay marriage is a Sin, and all Sins can be overcome because of the Atonement of Christ.
Let’s stop watering down God’s commandments just so we don’t feel we are hurting someone’s feelings. Say what God would say. “I love you and want you to follow Me.”
Mormon and Gay
(LDS Church Website Below)
https://mormonandgay.churchofjesuschrist.org/beliefs?lang=eng
Same-Sex Attraction
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that same-sex attraction is a sensitive issue that requires kindness, compassion and understanding. The website mormonandgay.lds.org reinforces the reality that, in the words of one Latter-day Saint scripture, God “loveth his children” (1 Nephi 11:17), and seeks to help everyone better understand same-sex attraction from a gospel perspective.
The Church does not take a position on the cause of same-sex attraction. In 2006, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “The Church does not have a position on the causes of any of these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender attraction.”
Feelings of same-sex attraction are not a sin. Elder M. Russell Ballard said: “Let us be clear: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that ‘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 [those with same-sex attraction].’”
While same-sex attraction is not a sin, it can be a challenge. While one may not have chosen to have these feelings, he or she can commit to keep God’s commandments. The parent of a child who experiences same-sex attraction or identifies as gay should choose to love and embrace that child. As a community of Church members, Latter-day Saints should create a welcoming community.
Those who experience same-sex attraction or identify as gay can fully participate in the Church. As a Church policy says, “If members feel same-gender attraction but do not engage in any homosexual behavior, leaders should support and encourage them in their resolve to live the law of chastity and to control unrighteous thoughts. These members may receive Church callings. If they are worthy and qualified in every other way, they may also hold temple recommends and receive temple ordinances.”
The title of the Church’s website, “Mormon and Gay,” reflects the reality that a person doesn’t need to choose between these two identities — one can, in fact, be gay and live faithful to the teachings of Christ. Visit mormonandgay.lds.org to learn more.
Source: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/official-statement/same-gender-attraction
Mormon leader: Be kind to LGBTQ, but don’t forget God’s laws
A top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints laid out Saturday how the faith intends to navigate its delicate balance of firm opposition to same-sex relationships while being empathetic toward LGTBQ members By BRADY McCOMBS Associated Press
A top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints laid out Saturday how the faith intends to navigate its delicate balance of firm opposition to same-sex relationships while being empathetic toward LGTBQ members.
People should love everyone no matter their difference, but the zeal to achieve that doesn’t mean people should forget the faith’s belief that God’s laws prohibit gay marriage and prevent people in those relationships from receiving heavenly salvation, said Dallin H. Oaks, a member of a top church governing board called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“Our walk demands that we not compromise on commandments but show forth a full measure of understanding and love. Our walk must be considerate of children who are uncertain about their sexual orientation, but it discourages premature labeling because in most children such uncertainty decreases significantly over time,” said Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court Justice. “Our walk opposes recruitment away from the covenant path, and it denies support to any who lead people away from the Lord. In all of this, we remember that God promises hope and ultimate joy and blessings for all who keep his commandments.”
It marked the third time in the last month that Oaks or church President Russell M. Nelson has spoken about LGBTQ issues and the faith’s continued doctrinal rejection of gay marriage despite widespread societal acceptance.
Earlier this week, Oaks said in a statement released by the church that a person’s gender assigned at birth is “essential to the plan of salvation” and expressed mystery about why people face confusion over sexual identity or sexual orientation.
Oaks’ speech followed pleas by two fellow leaders during the twice-yearly church conference in Salt Lake City to adhere to the faith’s strict rules despite mocking from others or temptations by Satan.
Quorum member D. Todd Christofferson bemoaned what he called a “hedonistic age” that leads many people to ignore God’s teachings.
“This is a day of sometimes merciless attacks in social media and in person against those who seek to uphold the Lord’s standard in dress, entertainment and sexual purity,” Christofferson said.
Fellow Quorum member David A. Bednar said Satan tries to make people confused and unhappy and use their bodies “improperly” and “love as we should not love.” Complete Article Here:
Commentary: Did the 2015 LGBTQ policy drive a mass exodus from the LDS Church? No, but for many it was the ‘last straw’ By Jana Riess and Benjamin Knoll | Religion News Service
In April, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reversed an unpopular 2015 policy aimed at curbing the participation of LGBTQ church members and their children.
Since the reversal, children of same-sex couples are once again eligible for baptism, and their parents are not subject to possible discipline just for being in a same-sex relationship.
During the 3½ years the policy was in place, it was controversial — resulting not only in outside criticism but also in internal dissent. Media coverage emphasized that the policy alone was responsible for causing thousands of people to leave the faith. In the Next Mormons Survey, though, we did not see dramatic evidence that the “LGBT exclusion policy” by itself resulted in widespread disaffection.
For starters, as has been reported previously, American Latter-day Saints were generally positive about the 2015 exclusion policy. Close to a year after its implementation, the NMS found that 71% of Latter-day Saints in the United States were either somewhat or strongly in agreement with the first half of the policy, which defined “same-sex marriage as apostasy and automatically trigger[ed] a disciplinary council.” Support for the second half of the exclusion policy, which denied baptisms and baby blessings for children of same-sex couples, was somewhat lower but still in majority territory. Read complete article here:
Mormons free to back gay marriage on social media, LDS apostle reiterates
An LDS apostle reaffirmed recently that Mormons who support gay marriage are not in danger of losing their temple privileges or church memberships — even though the Utah-based faith opposes the practice.
In an interview Friday with KUTV in Salt Lake City, Elder D. Todd Christofferson said that individuals in the 15 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be in trouble only for “supporting organizations that promote opposition or positions in opposition to the church’s.”
Backing marriage equality on social media sites, including on Facebook or Twitter, “is not an organized effort to attack our effort,” Christofferson said in the interview, “or our functioning as a church.”
The KUTV interviewer asked further if a Latter-day Saint could “hold those beliefs even though they are different from what you teach at the pulpit?”
Yes, the apostle answered.
“Our approach in all of this, as [Mormon founder] Joseph Smith said, is persuasion. You can’t use the priesthood and the authority of the church to dictate. You can’t compel, you can’t coerce. It has to be persuasion, gentleness and love unfeigned, as the words in the scripture….
He was asked about Latter-day Saints who support same-sex marriage privately among family and friends or publicly by posting entries on Facebook, marching in pride parades or belonging to gay-friendly organizations such as Affirmation or Mormons Building Bridges? Can they do so without the threat of losing their church membership or temple privileges?
“We have individual members in the church with a variety of different opinions, beliefs and positions on these issues and other issues,” Christofferson said. ” … In our view, it doesn’t really become a problem unless someone is out attacking the church and its leaders — if that’s a deliberate and persistent effort and trying to get others to follow them, trying to draw others away, trying to pull people, if you will, out of the church or away from its teachings and doctrines.”
In the KUTV interview, Christofferson further acknowledged that LDS leaders have evolved in their thinking about homosexuality, while maintaining that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
“This is not a doctrinal evolution or change, as far as the church is concerned,” the apostle said. “It’s how things are approached.”
All elements of society, “including ourselves, have gained greater understanding, especially in recent years,” Christofferson said, “as we’ve seen more intercommunication, more sharing back and forth, more openness on all sides… [on the] social and physical science issues and all the other pieces to the puzzle.”
The issue is now “coming into focus, but there are still a lot of questions we are seeking added understanding,” he said. “We are still learning.”
Could there be a time when the LDS Church would change its position on gay marriage?
The apostle was unequivocal. Nope, he said.”
Complete Article: https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2301174&itype=CMSID The Salt Lake Tribune March 17, 2015
Scriptures about Homosexuality
Let us obey the Lord and not look for excuses to not obey Him! If you don’t believe homosexuality is sin, a reading of these scriptures should help. Please understand I do have love and empathy, but wrong is wrong.
Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
I Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Genesis 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
2 Timothy 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jude 1:7-8 Even ad Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
