LDS Church need not change doctrine, just attitude

by John Hales in Living in QUtah | 3 comments

Dear LDS Bishop Kevin Kloosterman,

Apology accepted.

I felt true sincerity in the words you spoke last weekend at the “Circling the Wagons” conference, held to “create space where [Mormon] LGBTQ or SSA individuals and their families and allies can gather to acknowledge, explore and honor shared experiences.”

I was very touched when you said, “I’m sorry. Deeply, deeply sorry,” for the pain endured by Utah and/or Mormon LGBTQ persons. It was refreshing, if also somewhat surprising, to hear you acknowledge that much of that pain had been caused by reactions and responses to LGBT people from the LDS church and its members.

It takes a mature, sophisticated understanding of LDS doctrine to reach the place you’ve reached. You understand.

LDS founder Joseph Smith said in 1843, “If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a Mormon, I am bold to declare before heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination.”

Basically, Joseph Smith said he would defend the right of a person to live according to their belief and conscience even though he himself felt their belief was wrong.

That’s tough to do, but I think you get it.

So do I. That’s why I stand up for the right of the church to believe what it wants to. Any principle that would trample upon the rights of the church is quite similar to the one trampling now upon the rights of LGBT people.

I may be out of step with many in the LGBT community who would like to see a change in LDS doctrine regarding homosexuality. As a religion, I think the church has the right to its own doctrine.

But the church should be mindful of how its declarations or exhortations about that doctrine affect others.

You told journalist Joanna Brooks on ReligionDispatches.org, “The leadership of the LDS Church has taken a lot of steps forward. … I think it’s fair to say that some of the LDS membership has not completely caught up to where the leadership is now.”

True. We’re seeing positive signs. But one of the reasons for the lag is because church leadership hasn’t necessarily gone out of its way to rectify mistakes of the past.

For instance, Boyd K. Packer, next in line as president of the church, spoke about same-sex attraction last year, refuting that such “tendencies” were inborn. “Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone,” he asked.

In an official report of Elder Packer’s speech, the church omitted that question.

Maybe that was a step in the right direction.

Perhaps the church realized how unempathetic, offensive and painful that question was to people who wrestle with devotion to their church on one hand, and the realization of who they are on the other. Such people are ultimately faced with the question: “Well, if God didn’t do this to me, then who did? Because I sure didn’t do it to myself,” (something too many straight people just don’t understand).

LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter later said that the edit “clarified” Elder Packer’s intent. But without further explanation about the emendation or the “intent,” there’s really no clarification at all because, let’s face it, everyone knew what Elder Packer really said.

There’s a similar issue with remarks Elder Packer made in 1976, in what became a pamphlet entitled “To Young Men Only.”

In the speech/pamphlet, Elder Packer recalls a conversation with a missionary who beat up his companion because his companion was gay, and, we are only left to assume, had made an unwelcome advance.

Elder Packer replied to the young man, “Well, thanks. Somebody had to do it, and it wouldn’t be well for a General Authority to solve the problem that way.”

To my knowledge, that pamphlet — casting violence toward gays in jocular light and from someone with high rank and official position — is still published and disseminated by the church.

But, Bishop Kloosterman, knowing there are people like you out there is comforting. People who know that “sticks and stones might break my bones, but some words even worse can hurt me” are important — on both sides — if any progress is to be made toward mutual understanding.

Sincerely,

John Hales

Note: A video and transcript of Bishop Kloosterman’s talk can be found at mormonstories.org/?p=2179.

 

john@qsaltlake.com

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