LDS Church Advocates For Diversity While Having Historic Teachings of Racism and Homophobia: Part 1
The September issue of Liahona has a primary focus on diversity and many of the articles discuss how important unity is and how all members of the church should help create an environment that is welcoming to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, age, gender, education, socioeconomic status, ability level, or any other difference. It preaches that Jesus Christ (and by extension the LDS Church) condemns racial and cultural prejudice in any form. It also reminds members that “not only is creating unity in our diversity a commandment (see John 17:21; Doctrine and Covenants 38:27), but also it’s an opportunity for us to learn from and be blessed by our brothers and sisters of other cultures, ethnicities, and experiences. We hope this month’s issue helps all of us live more united in Christ”.
However, if you take a close look at the Church history and doctrine you can see that historically this has not always been the attitude presented. Not only were past teaching incredibly homophobic and racist, these teaching still permeate through current teaching and beliefs today.
Homophobia
I have heard many Latter-day Saints try and make some excuses as to why some of the teachings of past Prophets would by today’s standards be called homophobic, or politically incorrect. People have argued that Prophets were men of their time and that living in a culture where racism was acceptable, or where we did not have a good understanding of sexuality meant that a Prophet could base teaching off personal belief/current knowledge rather than being guided by the Holy Spirit. In Mormon terms this is known as “speaking as a man” because when the church has had to explain or change a previously held belief they will claim that the past “revelation” was not the leader speaking as a Prophet of God, but rather it was them “speaking as a man” and that is why further revelation was needed to correct the teaching.
When it comes to the LDS view of homosexuality it would be fair to say that they are not as direct as they once were with some of the language, but their stance on it being sinful and a sign of cultural deterioration has not wavered. They still do not even properly acknowledge what being gay or lesbian means (let alone exploring any other kinds of sexuality), they only refer to it as having “same-sex attraction”. While they do now recognise transgender as a term, members of the Church are discouraged from any kind of transitioning, and the church warns that there are consequences for transitioning in the way of “membership restrictions”. Technically speaking this could mean anything from not being allowed to give/take the sacrament, being deemed unworthy to go to the temple, or even being excommunicated all together. The church advises against using labels like "gay or lesbian because they believe that they“can affect how we think about ourselves and how others treat us and may expand or limit our ability to follow God’s plan for our happiness”. While members of the church can choose whether they want to use a sexual identity label they do warn that doing so may have “undesired consequences in the way one is treated”. You will notice in many recent talks given by church leaders they will generally only use the term “same-sex attraction”, this in part works to take away the identity of someone who identifies as something other than straight.
Overcoming Racism and Prejudice: We Can Build Bridges
This article has a lot to say on the topic of abandoning prejudice and promoting respect for all of Gods children. It starts off by reminding readers that “each of us has a divine potential because each is a child of God. Each is equal in His eyes”. It reminds readers of their doctrinal commission to “be one” (John 17:21–23; Doctrine and Covenants 38:27), and that as we work towards this goal we should abandon “attitudes and actions of prejudice”. Members can work together to build Zion and at the same time “build bridges of friendship, cooperation, and understanding”.
The writer explains that there is “room for everyone” in the church and members should be looking to see how they can help create a community of Saints where everyone feels welcome regardless of their differences. “We are all connected…If we have any hope of reclaiming the goodwill and sense of humanity for which we yearn, it must begin with each of us, one person at a time.”
Furthermore, this article discusses the fact that if there are members who “find in ourselves anything that reflects attitudes or behaviours based on prejudice, we need to abandon it in our efforts to become one, because if we are not one, we are not His…Members of the Church should lead out in promoting respect for all of God’s children.” In short they should “strive to be persons of goodwill toward all, rejecting prejudice of any kind”. If a Latter-day Saint finds themselves guilty of such prejudice they are directed to use “Prayer, study, and humble reflection” to help them see how they can better love God and all of His children. The process of “establishing goodwill may mean overcoming our own biases, assumptions, or stereotypes as we interact with each other. Making an effort to understand the experiences of those who aren’t like us can open our eyes to different but important perspectives”.
This article is particularly frustrating to read because while it brings a strong message of love and support, these values are not reflected in LDS Leadership. The LDS church has a very dark history surrounding its treatment of LGBTQ+ members, their behaviour ranges in intensity from disdain or name-calling, all the way up to condoning experimental aversion therapy at BYU. I will cover this in more detail in another article (in the meantime you can read more here), but this history is important to be aware of because it gives context to just how much abuse that people have had to face simply for who they love - this type of thinking has helped shape not only the views of leaders but of all members of the church who have been exposed to this narrative.
These are just a few of the more recent quotes made by church leaders:
“There is room for those with differing sexual attractions. In short, there is a place for everyone who loves God and honors His commandments as the inviolable measuring rod for personal behavior…‘Come as you are,’ a loving Father says to each of us, but He adds, ‘don’t plan to stay as you are” - Jeffery Holland (2017)
“We are confronted by a culture of evil and personal wickedness in the world. This includes: dishonesty, pornography, perversions, the diminishing of marriage and childbearing, the increasing frequency and power of the culture and phenomenon of lesbian, gay, and transgender lifestyles and values” - Dallin H. Oaks (2019)
“Our walk must be considerate of children who are uncertain about their sexual orientation, but it discourages premature labeling because, in most children, such uncertainty decreases significantly over time.” - Dallin H. Oaks (2019)
(when asked about how to give hope to those with “same-sex Attraction”) “The central truth of that plan is the Atonement of His Only Begotten Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. If we trust in the Lord and His plan, we will have the strength to resist the satanic imitations and satanic temptations to abandon our quest for eternal life, “the greatest of all the gifts of God” - Dallin H. Oaks (2020)
“Flawed reasoning and Satan’s deceptions have produced distracting philosophies that claim to eliminate the need for obeying God’s commandments, especially the law of chastity. Satan’s opposing voice is loud, and his philosophies are often enticing…male and female spirits were created to complement each other. That is why gender is not fluid in the eternities—because it provides the basis for the ultimate gift Heavenly Father can give, His kind of life.” - Elder and Sister Redlund (2020)
“[Satan’s] plan is in direct opposition to the family proclamation. It is an insidious attempt to destroy the nuclear family and God’s moral values. He disguises his plan of attack with alluring labels such as “pro-choice” for abortion, “love and compassion” for endorsement of same-sex marriage, and “environmental emergency” for promotion of a zero-growth population agenda…Each of these proposals, however, constitutes a frontal attack on the family unit and its survival. These “solutions” are nothing less than time bombs wrapped with glitter and a glamorous bow. Ultimately, the day of reckoning will come and the explosion will occur” - Tad R,. Callister (2021)
Each of these statements carries a strong message to the LGBT+ community within the LDS Church. It tells them that the love and attraction they feel for another person is a temptation from the devil, something that should be rejected and overcome like any other temptation to sin. It tells them that it is something that can and should be overcome, and their feelings will likely fade with time. In an interview in 2006 With Elder Wickman and Elder Oaks they discuss the churches stance on homosexuality in more detail, in this interview Elder Oaks states “I encourage you, as you struggle with these challenges, not to think of yourself as a ‘something’ or ‘another,’ except that you’re a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. Elder Wickman then added “we live in a society which is so saturated with sexuality that it perhaps is more troublesome now, because of that fact, for a person to look beyond their gender orientation to other aspects of who they are. I think I would say to your son or anyone that was so afflicted to strive to expand your horizons beyond simply gender orientation”.
The fact that the Church actively discourages the use of terms that may help people to better understand and describe who they are, and actually help them to connect with people like themselves is a huge warning sign because it works at stripping back a part of someone's core identity. Whether the Church wants to accept it or not someones sexual orientation does make up a big part of who people are, and when you tell someone that the positive feelings they experience (like love, admiration, attraction) are in fact temptations from an evil being it can have a direct effect on how someone sees themselves. The Church purposefully withholds the tools that are needed for LGBTQ+ members to better understand their identity and to explore who they are in a safe and loving environment. It tells members that someday these feelings will lessen, that they can be controlled if the person tries hard enough, and that they should not think about this thing that is a huge part of who they are. Elder Oaks advises “…feelings are controllable. If we cater to the feelings, they increase the power of the temptation. If we yield to the temptation, we have committed sinful behaviour”, he went on to say that these feelings were “the same for a person that covets someone else’s property and has a strong temptation to steal”. I hope that it goes without saying that feeling love or attraction for someone the same gender as yourself is not at all the same thing as being tempted to steal, lie, cheat, or any other “immoral” thing that the Church deems immoral. Being LQBTQ+ is not a learned behaviour, it is not something influenced by external circumstances or something that should ever be compared with selfish, greedy, or unlawful actions.
It is worth noting that the LDS Church (and many of its believing members) do not actually see any issue with the teachings mentioned above. They may even go as far as to claim that all LGBTQ+ individuals are loved and that the Church is welcoming (as the introduction mentions) to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, age, gender, education, socioeconomic status, ability level, or any other difference. The church leadership has been very vocal in the September Liahona Magazine about how Jesus Christ condemns racial and cultural prejudice in any form, and how members should take every opportunity to learn from people who have different experiences, yet they continue to demonise the LGBTQ+ community. This is seen as recently as a few days ago (23 August 2021) when Elder Holland gave a talk at Brigham Young University where he discusses his sadness and disappointment at those who had not made any effort to defend the churches doctrine on marriage being the union of man and woman, in this he also takes a former student who had mentioned his sexuality as part of a valedictorian speech. He accused the student of " commandeers a graduation podium intended to represent everyone getting diplomas in order to announce his personal sexual orientation” when in actual fact the student had his speech fully vetted by the university and only spoke of his sexuality in the context of his university experience. So Elder Holland deliberately framed the situation in a way where implied that there is some “gay agenda” being forced on campus and this further perpetuates the idea of a hidden agenda that must be fought against
Elder Oaks once said, “over past years we have seen unrelenting pressure from advocates of that lifestyle to accept as normal what is not normal”. So to anyone reading this I would ask the question, do this sort of language (and the other examples given in this article) sound like the sort of loving and welcoming place that someone who is LGBTQ+ would feel safe in? As someone who is a part of this community I can safely say that the LDS church is not welcoming, loving, or accepting of LGBTQ+ people OR their lifestyles - because they are both intertwined. By telling a person that their very thoughts and desires are straight from Satan himself, comparing their feelings to criminal activity, and creating some sort of non-existent “gay agenda” that must be fought against they are making the LGBTQ+ community outsiders. This is not how we should be treating people that we love, and at the end of the day how someone chooses to live their life is not anyone's business but their own.
