ABA, Nigeria, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A Mormon temple in Nigeria has been
temporarily closed following a violent attack by armed men, church
officials say.
KSL News, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day
Saints, said workers at the temple in Aba have been moved to other
places in Nigeria, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
"The safety of our temple visitors and workers is always our first
concern," Scott Trotter, a spokesman, said. "Incidents of violence in
recent months in the area where the temple is situated are not
necessarily related to the temple but could put Church members at
risk."
An e-mail from a church worker in Aba, dated June 26, described four
men armed with AK-47s firing into the closed front door of the temple,
leaving eight bullet holes behind.
The temple, which was dedicated in August 2005, was the first built by
the Mormons in Nigeria and the third in Africa. The Mormons claim
68,000 members in the country.
Aba, in southern Nigeria near the coast, is a city of nearly 900,000.
The city is about 20 miles from Port Harcourt, the major port in the
Niger Delta where rebel groups have been fighting for years for a
greater share of oil profits to go to the local people.
And so what can an institution like the LDS Church do to aid those who are struggling with same-gender attractions, while the Church still maintains its core values?
First, acknowledge officially that this struggle is not a choice. It arises spontaneously in a small minority of humans from a combination of genes, hormones, and environmental influences that are fixed before the age of eight–when each homosexually oriented child is "innocent" by LDS revelation.
Second, LDS leaders should frequently urge those with this struggle to choose life on earth, not suicide.
Third, frequently urge parents not to reject or kick-out-of-the-house their children who are struggling with same-gender attractions.
Fourth, frequently urge parents not to reject their children who have decided to act upon those attractions. While maintaining a not-in-our-house rule, few parents of heterosexually active teenagers kick them out.
Fifth, LDS leaders should frequently encourage all parents to be long-suffering, emotionally available, verbally kind, and non-violent with their sexually active teenagers, so as not to force these vulnerable kids onto the streets as abandoned children or run-a-ways.
Are these things too much to ask of the compassionate men who are prophets, seers, and revelators of the LDS Church? I hope not, because none of the above recommendations violate any commandment or revelation of God.
Do LDS Policies Need to be Altered?
Next is the more difficult question of altering LDS policies–whether traditional or recent, formal or informal. At the most fundamental level, I recommend changes which are absolutely consistent with all the commandments and revelations of God.
First, change the General Handbook of Instructions to specify that there should be no punishments nor sanctions of any kind against Latter-day Saints who are struggling with same-gender attractions, without having engaged in sex acts. There should be no restrictions on Church service–including full-time missions–for simply being seriously tempted.
Second, the General Handbook should specify that the consequences of same-sex intimacy should be no more severe or long-lasting than the consequences for opposite-sex intimacy.
Third, the General Handbook should specify that, just as there are no penalties for male-female kissing by the unmarried, there should be no penalties for same-gender kissing in public or private.
Fourth, the General Handbook should specify that physically attacking persons suspected of being bisexual, homosexual, lesbian, or transgender is as serious a transgression as physically attacking anyone else, including battered spouses and abused children.
Fifth, at least once during each general conference, a speaker should restate the above changes during the first ten years after they are added to the General Handbook. Every one of them is completely consistent with the Gospel, and I hope I am mistaken in thinking they have not been added to General Handbook during the years since I last read it.
What about marriage?
Now, as to marriage. First, despite President Hinckley's emphatic statement in 1987 and despite the dangers of unhappy spouses and of children living with divorce, most LDS leaders and members believe that it would violate God's will if they do not encourage every homosexually inclined person to enter heterosexual marriage. Rather than a change in Church policy, I ask all Mormons two questions: "Would you advise your daughter or granddaughter to marry a homosexually oriented man? Would you advise your son or grandson to marry a homosexually oriented woman?" If you cannot answer "Yes" to both questions, then you should not counsel Mormons in general to do so. Make this your personal decision, and leave the rest to God and His revelations to each individual struggling with same-gender attractions.
Second is the question of civil unions or legal marriage for persons of the same gender or same sex. I ask all LDS leaders and members with pioneer Utah ancestry to remember that the plural marriages of their Mormon ancestors had no detrimental effects on "the institution of marriage" or "traditional marriage" in Boston or anywhere else during the nineteenth century. The same is equally true for the legalized same-sex marriages now being performed and lived in New England, in Iowa, in Canada, and in much of Northern Europe. Historically, and to the present, the unusual marriages of a very small minority have not damaged the traditional marriages of the vast majority.
Let civil proceedings occur in "the land of the free" without interference by religious groups. After the legalization of same-sex marriage, religious officials can still decline to perform those marriages, just as Southern Baptist ministers were not required to perform interracial marriages after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loving v. Virginia. Ministers have the privilege to perform civil marriage, not the obligation to do so–even after being licensed with that authority. A licensed minister can decline to perform any marriage. ...
Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review
Volume 1, Issue 1, 2009
Table of Contents
Review Essays
Reviews
The Public Affairs Department is pleased to announce the launch of the Newsroom Blog. The purpose of this blog is to supplement the Newsroom Web site with additional stories from the Church that may not lend themselves to a news release, and to provide additional context and background on stories that appear in the news media.
You may notice a different, more conversational tone on this blog than you would see in official news releases on the Newsroom Web site. The information here will be reliable and accurate but should not necessarily be viewed as official statements from the Church. The purpose of this blog is to provide journalists, bloggers and the public with additional context and information regarding public issues and news stories involving the Church.
The article goes on to note that questions and comments to posts will generally not be posted.
Over 100 scholars and Mormon studies enthusiasts are putting final touches on their presentations for the annual Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium. This years theme is "Celebrating Mormon Women's Contributions to Church and Culture."
One of the panels looks at two historians who wrote about Emma Smth 25 years ago. Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery wrote a frank biography of the founding prophet's wife. "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith" was highly acclaimed with multiple awards, but there were repercussions for the authors. The panel will explore impact of their biography.
According to Mary Ellen Robertson, Sunstone Director of Outreach and Symposia, "Both the symposia and Sunstone Magazine have been front runners in the field of Mormon Studies well before Mormonism became a popular area of academic study ... We've provided a venue for academics, lay historians, and Mormon history buffs to present their research."
A sampling of other topics at this year's symposium include:
Sunstone is celebrating it's 30th year of operation. Robertson says during that time it has become a vast archive of research "documenting issues in Mormon history as well as keeping a finger on the pulse of contemporary issues and interests in the LDS community." Thousands of articles and mp3 audio presentations are available at the sunstone website.
The symposium runs from August 12th-15th and is open to the public.
