I've never heard a story like this before.
This young woman who has been remarkable drawn to Joseph Smith and the church, yet comes from a very different cultural background, feels strongly that homosexuals deserve the same rights as others. She was baptized on Saturday and due to unfortunate coincidence was scheduled to be confirmed a member of the church immediately after the letter from the 1st Presidency encouraging members to support a state amendment against gay marriage was read.
Seated in the front of the chapel, she marched out in protest while the letter was read, only to have her name called from the pulpit to come up to be confirmed a member of the church.
Read here to find out what happened.
I appreciate the concerns about Church leadership getting involved in politics, but the old testament and especially the Book of Mormon have multiple examples of the prophets warning the people and political leaders that choices and conduct within society at large were not only in keeping with the Lord's commandments but would ultimately result in the destruction of that society if the people would not repent.
ReplyDeleteOf course, ancient Israel and the Nephites both had a more theocratic government establishment than the US constitution, but the point is the Lord commanded the prophets from those dipensations to warn the people in general and to counsel the members more specifically.
In this I don't see a discrepancy from the patterns of old. The Lord is in control, ultimately, and He sets the bounds. Prophets in all dispensations have condemned homosexuality as a sin. Prophets in our dispensation have been very specific from Brigham Young, to David O'Mckay, to Spencer W. Kimball to Gordon B. Hinkley that this is a sin. The Proclamation clearly explains the Church's doctrine concerning gender, marriage between man & woman and the warning that disintigration of the family as defined by God (they as his mouthpiece) will bring upon society the calamities foretold.
Now, please understand that I am not looking to condemn individuals, as I myself am a sinner and working on my own repentence for all of my weaknesses, I just see this as a matter of doctrine and warning (consistent with doctrines and warnings of old) and curious why members of the Church take issue here especially with the First Presidency?
"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. (D&C 1:38)"
Hey anonymous (or is it Darren?) ... didn't I just read this exact same comment over at MLG?
ReplyDeleteI'm not raggin' on you, just a heads up that I'm probably not gonna be the last person to notice - and a heads up for those folks so they don't need to read 3 paragraphs - like I just did - before figuring out where that sudden sense of déjà vu was coming from ...