I started working full-time last week in honor of Summer vacation. This has resulted in my being paid to be mostly unproductive. Also, I got a raise at work. So I'm getting paid even MORE to be mostly unproductive. It's pretty awesome. But that is not the point of this blog.
The point of this entry is to share an article I came across on Mormonlife.com (today is the first time I've ever been to this site, but I actually really enjoy it). Homosexuality is a sensitive subject, so I usually stay out of public debates and discussions. They usually serve no other purpose than to rile everyone up anyway. But this article really impressed me and I wanted to share it with my family and friends. It's just so rare to find an optimistic take on this issue.
Here is the article: Living With Same-Sex Attraction
In a nutshell: Ty Mansfield, an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a returned missionary and BYU graduate, felt an attraction to members of the same sex. He also had testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and had a very real relationship with our Savior and with our Heavenly Father. He was asked to contribute about his experiences in a book, and after much consideration, decided against using a pseudonym, and decided to stand as a witness of his personal testimony about these experiences. He received revelation that he would eventually marry, and at the right time, began dating and ended up marrying Danielle. A lot of their privacy on the issue was obviously forfeited with his public disclosure, so they received a lot of scrutiny. But they love each other and they love the Lord and they are happy. (If you opted to read my condensed version of the article rather than the article itself, I urge you to read the article. It is much much better.)
I love this article. I so admire Ty and Danielle Mansfield for sharing their experiences with the world. I've had LDS friends who experience same-gender attraction and act on those feelings or who get very upset with the way the church responds to same-gender attraction. When Ty struggled with the conflict between doing what he desired to do and doing what the Lord desired him to do, he went to the Lord. That should always be the answer, regardless of the question! Whether your personal struggle involves narcotics, pornography, homosexuality, pride, or whatever it may involve, when you trust in our gracious, perfect, loving Eternal Father, he will see you through.
I read the comments on the article, and a recurring theme was that "Good effort, but your marriage will inevitable fail." The Family: A Proclamation the the World says, "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon
the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and
families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer,
repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome
recreational activities." I believe that just about any two individuals can have a successful marriage when they follow that counsel.
I understand that experiencing same-gender attraction and having a testimony of the gospel of Christ simultaneously is very complicated, but I mean, when you put your relationship with God first, how can you fail at anything?
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What a refreshing story! Thank you for posting this. Although I am very sad that a certain family member of mine has chosen to act on his attraction, I am grateful that his struggles have served as a teaching tool for our family. And in the comments, there is a woman who has been happily married 30 years to a man who lived a gay lifestyle for 14 years prior to their marriage. So I suppose there is always hope.
ReplyDeleteWe all come to be, having natural gifts and natural problems. I am an alcoholic. I have an addiction-oriented personality. But I choose not to drink nor participate in any of my addictions. This does not mean that I am free of them, I simply choose to manage them through sobriety. I do this because I know that God has commanded us to be sober. I cannot be sober if I given in, in any degree, to my desire.
ReplyDeleteIt is much the same thing for people with same-sex attraction, or any other sexually related problems. No kind of adultery, same sex or heterosexual, is tolerated by Heavenly Father. So those who have these tendecies, natual or learned, simply need to manage their lives to be in tune with His laws and commandments.
No one should condemn another for inclinations which may be natural. None are perfect. We need to learn love and tolerance for all people. But God has given us some lines that we must not cross, and consequences if/when we do.