Mormonism & the Mormon church

Here are some links that Mormons struggling with homosexuality may find helpful:

• LDS.org: Homosexuality (Same Sex Attraction) — a library of information
• LDS.org: Same Gender Attraction — an interview with Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Wickman
• Ask Gramps: What is the Mormon church’s position toward transgendered persons and gay marriages?
• Ask Gramps: How can I overcome same sex attraction to become a faithful Mormon?
• Ask Gramps: Science and Sexual Orientation
• Evergreen International — a non-profit organization that helps people who want to overcome homosexual behavior.
• Superchastity — an interesting idea to change the semantics of homosexuality in the Church and improve understanding and kindness

Last weekend I attended the FAIR Conference where, among other good speakers, I heard Marcus Martins speak about being a “black man in Zion”. Marcus joined the Mormon church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1972, a time when the Church did not allow blacks to hold the priesthood. In 1978 when the priesthood was extended to all worthy males regardless of skin color, Marcus received the priesthood and was the first black to serve as a Mormon missionary.

Here are my notes from his talk:

• The priesthood ban is an “undeniable part of history but an insignificant part of the present”.
• Blacks have an opportunity to exercise faith that other races will never have.
• I believe the priesthood ban was never part of the everlasting gospel, but a custom or law in response to a societal situation
• Priesthood ban not instituted by revelation? “For me this would be enough to explain the ban.”
• “The ban didn’t prevent me from receiving blessings”
• The Nephi-Sam continuum: “To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know…” while “to others it is given to believe on their words” (D&C 46:13-14). Sam apparently didn’t experience what Nephi did but he believed Nephi and was blessed.
• We must ask ourselves: Am I faithful, obedient, loyal?
• The 1978 revelation extending the priesthood to blacks helps fulfill D&C 1:20, and was another step in “restoration of all things”.
• The lifting of the priesthood ban parallels the extending of the Gospel to the Gentiles in biblical times.
• It’s His Church. He can do whatever he wants with it.
• Time is a time for activity, not activism. All I want to do is serve in the Church.
• We can teach the past without opening wounds.
• There’s so much war and hatred and people who can’t let go of past prejudices. They should follow the counsel of Paul to be an “example of the believers”.
• My experience is a result of my ancestors being brought to Brazil as slaves by others of my ancestors
• Joseph in Egypt (a symbol of the Savior) also sold as slave and knows what it’s like
• Someday I will have thrones, principalities, and dominions
• In 1973, President Kimball met with my father (Helvecio Martins) and told him that if he remained faithful, he’d receive all blessings of the Gospel. He repeated the promise at the laying of the cornerstone of the Sao Paulo temple in 1977.
• Should Church apologize so we can move on? I don’t think so. No apology needed because the ban was not instituted by Revelation.
• President David O. McKay considered lifting the ban but received “not now”. Harold B. Lee also received a “not now”.
• If Lord took away the priesthood again, I wouldn’t have to hometeach! (Just kidding)
• Some people still harbor racism.
• The ban wasn’t racist but it was a religious justification for racism in some members.

Additional reading:
The Need for Greater Kindness, by President Gordon Hinckley
BlackLDS.org, a website dedicated to black members of the Mormon church
Black Latter-day Saints: A Faith-FULL History
FairWiki: Blacks and the Priesthood

The official title of the Mormon church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The name was given by revelation from God to the prophet Joseph Smith in 1838. It is common, though incorrect, to see a lowercase “t” in the “The” or an uppercase “D” in “day”.

When used in the media, it is preferred that the full title of the church be used, as opposed to “Mormon church”, “LDS church”, or “Church of the Latter-day Saints”. These variations leave out the most important part of the Church’s name — the name of Jesus Christ — and perpetuate false notions about the Mormon church not being Christian. Additional references to the Church may use the term “the Church” or “the Church of Jesus Christ”.

Church members may be referred to as “Latter-day Saints” (better) or “Mormons” (okay). The culture, doctrine, and lifestyle of the Church together may be called “Mormonism”.

For more information, see Style Guide - The Name of the Church.

While these guidelines are important for naming the title of the Church in the media and preventing misconceptions, the use of more colloquial phrases like Mormon church or the Mormons is an important part of reaching out to persons of other faith. Both on the Internet and in person we should use language that is familiar to persons of other faiths and not expect them to understand our esoteric language. As they become more familiar with Mormonism, we can begin to explain the less familiar terms.

Among the latest news around the Mormon church is a letter from Church leaders to local members addressing an upcoming Senate bill that would amend the Constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. The letter from the Church asked members to “express themselves on this urgent matter to their elected representatives in the Senate.” (See KSL.) This effort by the Church is seen by gay rights advocates as discriminatory, and I suppose there are probably gay Mormons within the Church that feel similarly.

The Church rarely takes a position on political issues, except in some family and societal matters, which makes this recent letter all the more interesting. In fact the Church has a policy of being politically neutral:

In this election year, we urge Church members to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then vote for those they believe will most nearly carry out their ideas of good government. Latter-day Saints are under special obligation to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are ‘wise,’ ‘good,’ and ‘honest,’ (see Doctrine and Covenants 98:10). (LDS.org)

The Mormon church’s position on homosexuality is that it’s a behavior and as such can be overcome. I don’t think this denies the possibility that gays may have a biological tendency toward homosexuality, making it difficult to overcome for some. I tend to look at it like a person of Irish descent saying (and I have heard this), “I’m Irish; I have a temper. That’s just the way I am.” No doubt there are tendencies toward certain temperaments, but that doesn’t mean we can’t overcome our tendencies.

FYI, Evergreen International helps gay Mormons overcome homosexuality.

See the following searches at LDSsearch.com for more information:
Gay Mormons
Gays and the Mormon church

When I was growing up in Las Vegas, we often went to “Warm Springs”, a natural hot springs located about 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas off of I-15. It was originally owned by Howard Hughes but somehow ended up in the hands of the Mormon Church many years ago. It has since been the location of many campouts and activities for Mormon girls and boys. I’ve camped several nights there and even had a birthday party there one year.

This week the Southern Nevada Water Authority announced that it will pay $7.2M to the Mormon Church to lease water rights from the springs for the next 20 years. I don’t suppose this will mean the end of the fun for Mormon girls and boys in Las Vegas, but I did find it interesting.

A new TV show from HBO called Big Love tells the story of a polygamist family in Salt Lake City, an upsetting concept to the Mormon Church because of its potential among other things to confuse viewers.

Some members of the Mormon church practiced polygamy after its founding, but its practice was discontinued in 1890. Since then, no polygamist can be a member of the Church. So called “fundamentalist Mormons” that practice polygamy aren’t actually Mormons. Setting a TV show about polygamy in Salt Lake City seems sloppy on the part of HBO since (non-Mormon) polygamists today are most likely to be in rural Utah, Arizona, or Texas. And it’s a bit irreponsible since it perpetuates myths about Mormonism.

The Church has released at least one press release about Big Love, mentioning three concerns:

• Concern for abuse victims
• Confusion over the continued practice of polygamy
• Concern over the moral standards of television entertainment

My favorite part of the press release touched not only on Big Love, but the general “unhealthy preoccupation with sex, coarse humor and foul language”:

Big Love, like so much other television programming, is essentially lazy and indulgent entertainment that does nothing for our society and will never nourish great minds. Parents who are casual about their viewing habits ought not to be surprised if teaching moral choices and civic values to their children becomes harder as a result.

Mormons, however, may have little to worry about since the show appears to be a flop:

From what I can tell, the goal of [Big Love] is to prove that life can be just as mundane, colorless and boring with three spouses as it can with one or none. Mission accomplished…. Nothing [the actors] do breathes life into these characters or their problems, most of which seem to center on the inherent difficulty of scheduling three intertwined households. (USA Today)

A recently released survey from Princeton Review rates Mormon-owned Brigham Young University the best value among colleges.

Source: BYU gives most bang for buck, review says