MBB

This is another brain dump post. It is an amalgam of ideas I hear on the Mormons Building Bridges Facebook page, and my own understanding of the Gospel and society.

One theme I hear repeated on MBB page is that a person 1) knows God loves them 2) Knows they're Gay 3) Knows the Church is true. 4) Knows their gay partner is a blessing to them.

----There are a number of issues I don't know very much about, and some of them seem related to the next idea I want to write about. It may be that my ideas are unsophisticated and inaccurate, but such it is for the time being.

The plan of salvation  -- the proclamation to the world on the family -- claims that gender is essential to our premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. It sets forth the idea that marriage is between a man and a woman; in other words, two people of opposite genders.

Homosexuals feel that they have no place in the plan of salvation.

We are sent here to the earth to learn by our own experience to choose good, to choose God's way because we recognize that it is the loving, joyful, sustainable, compassionate, and just way.

God put us here in families: a man and a woman create offspring. The parents teach the child about God and mortal life. In order for the plan to continue, the offspring (most of them, anyway) must find a mate and produce more offspring.

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New topic ---  An idea about LGBT Mormons --- the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said that being gay is not a sin. Acting on that tendency *is* a sin. Here's how I heard the objection (paraphrase): "It's okay to be gay. As long as you don't do gay things, like have sex with someone who's the same gender as you."

It seemed that that idea was preposterous to these people. *NOT* have sex? Or that the Church was asking people not to have sex. Their response: "THAT's not going to work!! All those monks and nuns for centuries who were told not to have sex did *not* do well with that." It seemed like what they were saying was, "I'm gay and my sexuality is a big part of who I am (because I'm gay). So not having sex would be to deny a big part of who I am. Or -- not flirting or acting interested in gay relationships would be like denying who I am, and that would be *wrong*.

Did Christ say something about denying ourselves? But God told us to multiply and replenish the earth. As a heterosexual person, that doesn't make sense -- to both deny myself my sexual tendencies but also have sex and make babies.

As a homosexual, it's different, because having sex *doesn't* lead to having babies.

I was trying to think of a correlation with a hetero person. Say I'm hetero. I know the Church is true, and I love it. I know God loves me. But the only guys I'm interested in are married. I keep trying to be interested in single guys, but I can't seem to help myself. I decide that, since that's just how I am, and God loves me the way I am and wants me to be fulfilled as a person, then I'm just going to go ahead and have some physical relationships with whatever married man is willing.

I can't help that I'm only interested in married people. I was born that way. Ever since I was a kid, I never had any attraction to other kids. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I realized I was always interested in married people! And it's not against the law! If I'm an adult now, and my partner is consenting, then we can do whatever we want. I think it's wrong for the Church to tell me that I can't have a relationship with the people I'm attracted to. We need to re-think the idea that a man and a woman have offspring and raise them jointly. There's no place for me in that scenario! Sure, I can have offspring, but my kids won't fit in the Church because their friends will all know that they're illegitimate. I'll be excommunicated and my kids won't be welcome.

Ah -- there it is. The kids of an heterosexual person currently in an adulterous relationship *would* still be able to become members of the Church, at whatever age. But the Church has made a policy saying that children whose parents are currently living in a homosexual relationship are not allowed to be baptized.

Why has the Church not made a similar policy for the heterosexual adulterer? Is there a similar policy regarding the children of these adulterous unions? What is it?

It makes sense to me that a child whose parent(s) were currently living in an adulterous relationship would be denied baptism at the age of 8. But the issue is -- whether the current, written policies reflect this or not. Should they reflect it? Do all things need to be equal in this regard? Must be dictate every law for every situation?

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Another issue I feel is that homosexuals feel they have been treated poorly by the Church, it's doctrines, its leadership, etc. They are hurt and want the Church to say "sorry", and to accept LGBT as members in good standing.

Is this true? Is this what the LGBT community is asking for? I can see no way to reconcile the idea of living a fully realized LGBT lifestyle with being an active member of the Church in good standing. I have heard that many LGBT people are hoping for a revelation or something. That's the only way to maintain the relationship with both the Church and the LGBT ideals.

***  Anyway -- the Church (and society at large, if I may say), has treated LGBT people poorly in the past. Now, society at large has accepted LGBT lifestyle as an acceptable alternative lifestyle. The Church has not. Therefore, the past hurts caused by the Church cannot be forgiven?? Is this what the issue really is?