Point #1
Instilled within every human being are weaknesses: tendancies to do wrong. Be it alcohol or gossip, violence or theft, grudges or laziness-- we all have our own, specific weaknesses, innate to us and hugely difficult to overcome. My first point here is that whatever our weaknesses may be, they can be overcome with the right attitude, and with the help of the Savior. Agency, or the ability to choose between right and wrong it given to every mentally capable person on Earth. A person loses that ability only upon forfeiting it to addiction.
Point #2
Moral right and wrong are determined by truth. What is truth? Truth is an unchanging, eternal principle that yields to niether opinion or popular vote. In other words, something is not made right or wrong simply because a majority of people think so. It is not made right or wrong by scienctific research or extensive study. Something that is right is so because it is good, and follows the laws of God, which lead to happiness and progression. If it is not sanctioned by God, it cannot ultimately lead to happiness or peace. One can convince oneself that one is happy in disobedience to a principle of truth, but this happiness is an illusion: shallow and temporary.
Point #3
Doing what is right is seldom easy. Before doing the right thing, people often look for the easy way out, for rewards or for praise of others. They need the assurance that doing what is right will ensure they will come out on top, and everyone will know it. The problem is, doing what is right doesn't always yield those results. The reason to do what is right is because it is right. Those who do the right thing are not always applauded or even acknowledged for it. They are sometimes even put down for it. But that does not change the rightness of the act. We strive to do what is right because we know that is what God asks of us, and we trust Him enough to know that He has our best interests at heart.
Although these three points can be applied to many different principles, I am writing them with one topic in mind: homosexuality.
There are two different types of homosexuality: The first involves a chemical inbalance of hormones which cause an attraction to the same gender. In psychology, this would be called "nature". The second type of homosexuality involves the environment around a person. This could be many different kinds of environment. One example is that a person growing up in a home where homosexuality is encouraged (albeith through words or demonstration) would have a good chance of developing an attraction to the same gender. Another example is just the opposite, in which a person is taught that homosexuality is so bad and so wrong that the pressure on said person actually backfires and pushes him or her toward homosexuality. In either case, people can become homosexual because of their environment. In psychology, this would be referred to as "nurture".
It is true that for various reasons, there are many people out there with same gender attraction. However, I believe that in most cases, it is a situation involving nurture. I believe that very few people are actually "born gay". Many others use this as a crutch, saying that it's "just the way I am", and "I can't help it" when in reality, they can help it, but choose not to. These people wish to avoid taking responsibility for their weaknesses, and would rather embrace it, and insist everyone else does too. If a person doesn't want to overcome their particular weakness or tendancy, they never will. However, there is often more than sheer will involved in overcoming our weaknesses, but that is another blog for another day.
Homosexuality is a moral issue and is therefore something that should be taken to God (who knows all truth and is never biased) to be resolved. In the Bible we read explicitly, and in several places that homosexuality is wrong, and in unnacceptable to God. This is further supported by modern prophets,
who have taught us that only marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. All others are unacknowledged by Him.
I have heard one arguement against the Bible's assertation that homosexuality is against the laws of God, saying that the Bible is out-dated and that if we lived by everything in it, we would still be burning sacrifices on altars and stoning our adulerating neighbors. Allow me to point out that anyone who has actually studied the Bible understands that such burning and stoning are parts of the Law of Moses (the lower law), which has in fact, been done away. It was given to the Israelites when they proved that they were not ready for the higher law. Heterosexuality is an eternal principle and part of the higher law (as well as the lower law) which God intends for us to live.
All that said, let me please be clear that I don't feel differently toward those with homosexual tendancies than anyone else. I target this issue today because it is a rampant issue that I think needs to be better understood by those of us who are less educated about it. One of my favorite quotes is, "I should not judge my brother because he choses to sin differently than I do." My biggest point is that there is no sin or no weakness that can be rationalized away by such false statements as "I can't help it". Everyone who wants to, can live the laws of God, and when they do, they are entitled to His blessings. I do not intend to discount homosexuality and how difficult it can be to overcome. Just like all other vices, it is a fire that grows larger and stronger, the more it is fed. But it can also be extinguished. Never forget the control you have over your own life.
It's time we all take responsibility for our own weaknesses, rather than insisting that society make room for them.
http://lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/covenants?lang=eng&query=gay+marriage
http://lds.org/family/proclamation?lang=eng
http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/cleansing-the-inner-vessel?lang=eng
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