On Tuesday, January 27th, 2015 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced they were presenting a news conference at 10am mountain time. Elder D. Todd Christofferson told the media before the conference, “We (LDS Church) don’t hold news conferences very often; perhaps every year or two when we have a major announcement to make or something significant to say.” This announcement definitely pricked the ears of all members living in the United States and we listen very intently when the Church does hold a conference.
Sister Neill Marriot, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland addressed the media by talking about the debate which has been going on for years over the advocates of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Tran-sexual) and many Christian groups.
Neill Marriot started with “The debate we speak of today is about how to affirm rights for some without taking away from the rights of others. On one side of the debate we have advocates of LGBT rights. This movement arose after centuries of ridicule, persecution and even violence against homosexuals. Ultimately, most of society recognized that such treatment was simply wrong, and that such basic human rights as securing a job or a place to live should not depend on a person’s sexual orientation.”
How strongly we, as Latter-Day Saints, agree with this statement. Those living fulfilling lives of service and meaningful employment should always be respected and loved regardless of sexual preference and should not have to defend their rights.
Dallin Oaks talked of the LDS Church’s stand on this debate which follows the principles based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. That is:
• “We claim for everyone the God-given and Constitutional right to live their faith according to the dictates of their own conscience, without harming the health or safety of others.
• We acknowledge that the same freedom of conscience must apply to men and women everywhere to follow the religious faith of their choice, or none at all if they so choose.
• We believe laws ought to be framed to achieve a balance in protecting the freedoms of all people while respecting those with differing values.
• We reject persecution and retaliation of any kind, including persecution based on race, ethnicity, religious belief, economic circumstances or differences in gender or sexual orientation.”
By the same token, those who believe in the Christian ideals should also be respected and loved for their contribution and religious rights. This road travels both ways. Christians should be respected for their convictions just as much as those who advocate any other groups who want peace.
Jeffry Holland touched on this with his words: “What kinds of religious rights are we talking about? To begin with, we refer to the constitutionally guaranteed right of religious communities to function according to the dictates of their faith. This includes their right to teach their beliefs from the pulpit and in church classrooms, share their views openly in the public square, select their own leaders, and minister to their members freely.”
The whole media presentation centered around all souls who want fair and free opportunity to live their private lives without harming the health or safety of others. All of God’s children want to be treated fairly, regardless of their sexual orientation or religious preference. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints support this ideal.
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As this trio of presenters spoke of the importance of tolerance and finding ways to show respect for others and their beliefs, we can see that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is very concerned with the welfare of all of God’s children and not just its members.
This is Christianity at its best. As was mentioned in this conference, considerate citizens should “respect those who object to performing abortions or artificial insemination for a lesbian couple, or for those who decline to carry the ‘morning after’ pill.” Actions of bullying or boycotting places of business that support this ideal should be considered intolerance to other people’s convictions.
The news conference was a good reminder to everyone of what really matters in the world: Respect and kindness for both sides of a debate. We can live together peaceably even with differences of opinion.
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
Hi! I’ve read your article and understand where you’re coming from, however, God’s will does not change for man’s will. Homosexuality is a sin, plain and simple. What I’m getting out of this article is that you support the idea of same sex relationships and marriage, and that you’d rather be popular and mainstream rather than following the true biblical word of God, and entering his kingdom. No Christian should ever defend, support, or attend an imitation marriage ceremony. That’s making a public statement that you approve of Satan’s lie and not God’s truth. God never changes, and his word stands corrected. As a Christian, I support the biblical definition of marriage. Marriage is the covenant between man, woman and God. Now, does this mean that I hate the LGBT community? Absolutely not, but I love them enough to correct and pray for their salvation as God told us to do through the bible, and I will not stand and feed them Satan’s lie because that would make me a straight up hypocrite. I would be very careful on how you teach God’s word, because life is not forever and there will be consequences when God calls us to be judged. We are not here to sugar coat and pervert the word of God, and we are definitely not here to love our brothers and sisters into hell. Lastly, this is not the era to be quiet and passive when children of God are being misled and deceived into hell. We are just as responsible for them as these false pastors and teachers are. Please, understand where I am coming from. We are living in the last days and this isn’t the time to fall back and cater to the world.