Blacks and Homosexuals
Okay, time for my take on things.
I do think that the Church moves with social changes, albeit with caution, preparing members for the change. Janadele talks about eternal law, which is also referred to as "Celestial law" since it is how God governs the Celestial Kingdom. Eternal law and Church doctrine are not
always the same thing, which is why we have a Prophet to instruct us on what God wants us to know.
We don't know why Brigham Young took the priesthood away from the blacks, the Church has no official statement; there is a lot of speculation, but no revelation has ever been found. However, even after the passing of Brigham Young, the Church continued the ban on blacks and the Priesthood. While the Civil Rights movement probably had something to do with the reinstatement of the priesthood; the primary thing, at least
according to the Church, seems to be the building of the temple in Brazil.
Race and the Priesthood said:
In 1975, the Church announced that a temple would be built in São Paulo, Brazil. As the temple construction proceeded, Church authorities encountered faithful black and mixed-ancestry Mormons who had contributed financially and in other ways to the building of the São Paulo temple, a sanctuary they realized they would not be allowed to enter once it was completed. Their sacrifices, as well as the conversions of thousands of Nigerians and Ghanaians in the 1960s and early 1970s, moved Church leaders.
Three years later, the priesthood was restored to blacks of African descent.
The gay rights movement has been moving in the same sort of direction over the last 5 years, or at least so it appears to many. The Church stands firm that marriage is between a man and a woman, and any sexual intimacy outside of marriage is sinful. However, their attitude toward gays has changed pretty dramatically, since Prop 8 (2008). The following is from the
Huffington Post
Huffington Post said:
In 2008, Mormons faced "intense criticism" after church authorities offered vocal support and funding for California's Propositon 8, a ballot measure that called for a ban on gay marriage.
The backlash was swift -- and church leaders say they were "stunned" by the negative response. Since then, the Associated Press writes, the church has been actively reaching out to the LGBT community "to heal tensions."
One change (MormonsandGays.org) that it made was that sexuality is
not a choice. "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."
Another change 2009 is the Church officially endorsed gay rights initiatives in SLC that stopped just short of civil unions or marriage, it exempts local churches (all faiths), and small businesses. But it's still a big move in that it recognizes the rights of those outside the Church.
Unlike in times past, the Church does not necessarily advise those with same-sex attraction to marry those of the opposite sex.
Of course the other place that the Church has changed is that they're putting more pressure (and rightfully so) on the membership to be kind and sensitive toward gays whether they're in our families, our churches, or our world.
mormonsandgays.org said:
But what is changing — and what needs to change — is to help Church members respond sensitively and thoughtfully when they encounter same-sex attraction in their own families, among other Church members, or elsewhere.
Even BYU has altered its code of conduct to allow gay students to be open about their homosexuality without the fear of expulsion. I sat in tears last night while I watched the video filmed on campus entitled, "
It Gets Better." To listen to young people talk about being gay, and that they once thought that their suicide would be easier on their parents than telling them they're gay... that was especially heart-wrenching.
In 2010, the church put out the following statement following the death of several young gays who were bullied throughout the US.
While we disagree with the Human Rights Campaign on many fundamentals, we also share some common ground. This past week we have all witnessed tragic deaths across the country as a result of bullying or intimidation of gay young men. We join our voice with others in unreserved condemnation of acts of cruelty or attempts to belittle or mock any group or individual that is different – whether those differences arise from race, religion, mental challenges, social status, sexual orientation or for any other reason. Such actions simply have no place in our society.
As a church, our doctrinal position is clear: any sexual activity outside of marriage is wrong, and we define marriage as between a man and a woman. However, that should never, ever be used as justification for unkindness. Jesus Christ, whom we follow, was clear in His condemnation of sexual immorality, but never cruel. His interest was always to lift the individual, never to tear down. [my emphasis added]
These may seem like small changes, but they're big coming from the LDS Church. It's hard to get an entity the size of the LDS Church to admit that they've made mistakes, but they've done it in a few areas, and yes, I respect that tremendously.
One last thing that I see that is interesting, on mormonsandgays.org. "From a public relations perspective it would be easier for the Church to simply accept homosexual behavior. That we cannot do, for God’s law is not ours to change." That really makes it sound like it's
possible for God to change the law...
Most all of this is entirely contradictory to the sites that Janadele has been sending in by extreme right wing conservatives about a "gay agenda." The hatred that comes from those sites is not the attitude of the new and improved LDS Church.
Even