I am a Latter-Day Saint, or Mormon. I also struggle with same sex attraction, also known as homosexuality.
That all being said I personally loved Packer's talk. I didn't find any of the hatred or intolerance that others found in it. In fact, it was far from it.
Click on this link to read the full article:Nonetheless, tactics used this week ostensibly to accomplish these purposes were counterproductive. Instead of seeking genuine common ground around issues of mutual concern, activists began this week with a grossly misguided caricature of the LDS Church's support of traditional morality.
The tactic is now all-too familiar: take a statement out of context, embellish it with selective interpretation, presume hostile intent, and then use the distortion to isolate an entire group, in this case a church.
Doctrine, not opinion
Posted by bellarossa07 on October 4, 2010 at 5:22 PM
Elder Packer was not just voicing conservative Mormon thought, he was stating Church doctrine. Homosexuality is a serious sin, and those who practice it and repent not, bring upon themselves the judgments of God.
Elder Packer is not some old, grizzled, extremist whose views are out-of-date; he is an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ. And when speaking as such (as in General Conference) his word is the mind and will of the Lord.
And another thing: the Church is not struggling with the issue of homosexuality, it's the LGBT community that is struggling with the Church because they want it to abandon the Lord's standards.
And stop suggesting that the love of God embraces sinful behavior (which homosexuality is). The Lord's love for us doesn't mean he will save us in our sins (He hates sin); or, that he will deny his word by ignoring his own commandments. If men want to take advantage of the atonement, they need to forsake their sins, take up their cross, and follow the Master. Not try to get Him to follow them.
African-Americans targeted for harassment. Swastikas scrawled on churches and religious books burned. Homes defaced and people hounded from their jobs because of their political beliefs.
Has the Ku Klux Klan returned? Are neo-Nazis or fundamentalist right-wing hate groups on the rise?
Guess again. This is the work of a sizable number of activists who have decided that any bullying, brown-shirt tactic is fair game in their battle to impose gay marriage on America.
Follow this link to read the entire article.
I voted YES on prop 8.
Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court is welcome. The issue the court decided was whether California citizens validly exercised their right to amend their own constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The court has overwhelmingly affirmed their action.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes the deeply held feelings on both sides, but strongly affirms its belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman. The bedrock institution of marriage between a man and a woman has profound implications for our society. These implications range from what our children are taught in schools to individual and collective freedom of religious expression and practice.
Accordingly, the Church stands firmly for what it believes is right for the health and well-being of society as a whole. In doing so, it once again affirms that all of us are children of God, and all deserve to be treated with respect. The Church believes that serious discussion of these issues is not helped when extreme elements on both sides of the debate demonize the other.
The lawyer for one of two B.C. men accused of practising polygamy is
planning to invoke Canada's gay marriage laws as part of his defence arguments.
Blair Suffredine, who's representing Bountiful resident Winston Blackmore, says they'll be making the argument that the Canadian definition of marriage, which includes same-sex couples, should then also include multiple partners....
The landmark cases against Blackmore, 52, and James Oler, 44, which will determine whether polygamy practised in the name of religion is legal in Canada, began Wednesday.
Support California Prop 8
The violence and intimidation being directed against the LDS or "Mormon" Church, and other religious organizations - and even against individual believers - simply because they supported Proposition 8 is an outrage that must be stopped.
Excerpt from a full-page ad in Friday's edition (12/5/08) of the NY Times by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
