Although it’s clearly a “sin,” the Mormon church is leading a “significant” outreach to gays and lesbians.
Church officials insist they haven’t changed the Mormon teaching that marriage is only between a man and a woman and that same-sex relationships are sinful. However, the website states that Mormons should be loving and respectful toward gays and lesbians, while appealing to gay and lesbian Mormons to stay in the church.
“Reconciling same-sex attraction with a religious life can present an especially trying dilemma,” church leaders wrote on the website. “Anyone who lives in both worlds can attest to its difficulty. But with faith, love and perspective, it can be done.”
Some gay and lesbian leaders welcome the move.
My hope that this assists our most vulnerable, our youth, to have a safe place to be able to talk about their identity and maintain a safe place within their families and communities,” said Valerie Balken, of Equality Utah, the state’s largest gay rights advocacy group.
Balken said her organization was alerted earlier this week to the website launch, but was not consulted over the two years the church developed the site.
The site is titled, “Love one another: A discussion on same-sex attraction.” It states this:
Where the Church stands: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. With love and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, including our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.
The site also states that same sex attraction isn’t a sin, but “yielding” to it is.
The website rarely uses the words “gay” or “lesbian,” the terms preferred by the gay community. Instead, the site refers mostly to people “with same-sex attraction.” Still, John Gustav-Wrathall, 49, said it was significant that the site used the term gay or lesbian at all. He was excommunicated from the LDS church in 1986 after revealing to his bishop that he was gay.
“This is huge,” said Gustav-Wrathall, who has been with his partner for 20 years. “I don’t see any hint of condemnation.”
