Lds statement on gay marriage
Church Leaders Counsel Members After Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Decision
The following letter from the Council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is being read in Church meetings across the United States and Canada beginning Sunday, July 5. (The Church issued this brief public statement immediately after the court's decision on June 26, )
Click to download a PDF version of the introductory letter, statement and background material.
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Full introductory letter, statement and background material below:
TO: General Authorities; General Auxiliary Presidencies; and the following leaders in the United States and Canada: Area Seventies; Temple, Stake Mission and District Presidencies; Bishops and Branch Presidents
Dear B
Statement on the Signing of the US Respect for Marriage Act
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following statement on Tuesday, December 13,
We extend a heartfelt appreciate you and our congratulations to all who played a part in the passage of the amended Respect for Marriage Act. Their efforts to defend religious freedom as Congress sought to codify the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision are both historic and commendable.
The amended Respect for Marriage Act specifically recognizes that “diverse beliefs about the role of gender in marriage are held by logical and sincere people based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises.”
As restated last month, “the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints related to marriage between a man and a woman is well known and will remain unchanged.” Congress has now reaffirmed that our beliefs “are due proper respect.”
The fresh law demonstrates that respect. The law states that it can't be used to harm religious or conscience rights for faith-based institutions. It prote
Same-Sex Marriage
Legal proceedings and legislative action in a number of countries have given civil recognition to same-sex marriage relationships, and the doubt of same-sex marriage continues to be widely debated. As we confront this and other issues, we encourage all to bear in mind our Heavenly Father’s purposes in creating the ground and providing for our mortal birth and experience here as His children. “God created human in his control image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” “Therefore shall a dude leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”Marriage between a dude and a noun was instituted by God and is central to His plan for His children and for the well-being of society. Strong families, guided by a loving mother and father, serve as the fundamental institution for nurturing children, instilling faith, and transmitting to future generations the moral strengths and values that are adj to
Same-Sex Attraction
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that same-sex attraction is a sensitive issue that requires kindness, compassion and understanding. The “Same-Sex Attraction” section of reinforces the reality that, in the words of one Latter-day Saint scripture, God “loveth his children” (1 Nephi ), and seeks to help everyone better understand same-sex attraction from a gospel perspective.
The Church does not grab a position on the cause of same-sex attraction. In , Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “The Church does not have a position on the causes of any of these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender attraction.”
Feelings of same-sex attraction are not a sin. President M. Russell Ballard said: “Let us be clear: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that ‘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 include such attractions, they do choose how to respond to them. With devotion an