Evergreen Update Newsletter
July 27, 2007
You may be interested in the following story that appeared in the
Deseret News on July 27, 2007. (It can also be found at
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,695195383,00.html). For your
reference, after the text of the Deseret News story, we provide the
text of the new Church pamphlet that is mentioned in the story.
LDS leaders speak out on same-sex attraction:
Pamphlet attempts to clarify stance on issue
By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret Morning News
LDS Church leaders have posted a new pamphlet on their Web site this
week, answering questions often raised by church members regarding
same-sex attraction and how to deal with it.
The new resource, which is being announced through a letter to LDS
bishops and stake presidents, seeks to assure troubled church
members of God's love despite challenges and questions, "including
some related to same-gender attractions, (that) must await a future
answer, even in the next life."
It does not touch on scientific theories about homosexuality or its
origins but addresses how to deal with it from a spiritual
perspective. The text uses the term "same-gender attraction" rather
than "gay" or "homosexual" to distinguish between a lifestyle choice
and an attraction only.
Church leaders were unavailable for comment on Thursday.
While few people have yet had a chance to study the new text, one
therapist familiar with the content said it is a valid attempt by
church leaders to reach out, acknowledging that anything official on
such a volatile subject "can be misread. I feel for them," said
David Pruden, executive director of the locally based Evergreen
International — which specializes in counseling Latter-day Saints on
the topic.
"People often ask why they don't talk more about it, but any time
they try to, everyone is trying to manipulate what they say to read
what they want to read into it," he said. The text has a
compassionate and understanding tone, which some gay Latter-day
Saints have said is lacking among some fellow church members.
The three-page document, expected to be made available soon in print
form at the church's official Distribution Centers, is written in
much the same tone as that used by top church leaders within the
past decade, seeking to reach out and reassure Latter-day Saints
that such "attractions alone do not make you unworthy."
"If you avoid immoral thoughts and actions, you have not
transgressed (God's law of chastity) even if you feel such an
attraction," it states, a point that has been emphasized by church
President Gordon B. Hinckley and other top church leaders.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the church's Quorum of the Twelve has
delivered speeches and wrote an article on the subject for the
church's official magazine, the Ensign, in 1995. That article is
quoted within the text, as are other past statements in official
church publications.
The new document re-emphasizes the difference between attraction and
behavior, citing the importance of faith in God, self-control and
obedience to the church's law of chastity for members. "The desire
for physical gratification does not authorize immorality by anyone,"
it states.
"True happiness depends on more than the expression of physical
urges. These urges diminish as more fundamental emotional needs are
met — such as the need to interact with and serve others," it says.
"True happiness comes from self-control, self-respect and positive
direction in life," as well as a "testimony of true doctrine."
It urges those who have felt rejected by fellow church members to
"show love and kindness to others" in order to help change attitudes
and "follow Christ more fully. No member of the church should ever
be intolerant."
At the same time, "it is not helpful to flaunt homosexual tendencies
or make them the subject of unnecessary observation or discussion,"
the document says. "It is better to choose as friends those who do
not publicly display their homosexual feelings. The careful
selection of friends and mentors who lead constructive, righteous
lives is one of the most important steps to being productive and
virtuous."
Pruden said the effort to produce such an official church document
has been under way for at least a decade, and as church members deal
more openly with the topic, a new resource was necessary. Opinions
and input were sought from across a wide spectrum of LDS
professionals and scholars, he said, noting his organization had no
formal role in producing the document but was aware of the effort
and provided limited input.
"Anything is better than where we are. I don't mean that in a
negative way. This is a hard subject, and silence is hard on people
who are often looking for input and ideas," Pruden said. "Some are
begging for anyone that will give them some help and hope and a
little clarity. From that standpoint, doing something (like this) is
important."
He lauded administrators at church-owned Brigham Young University
for their attempt earlier this year to clarify the subject for
students worried about whether they are breaking the school's honor
code if they are attracted to others of the same gender. "They were
really trying to help students — not confuse or frighten anyone.
They were trying to turn the temperature down under the pot," urging
students to seek counseling from school officials without fear.
"A lack of information often leads people to speculate," he said,
adding officials are seeking to help church members understand the
faith's stance without "turning it into a drama."
To see the new document, titled "God Loveth His Children," go to
www.lds.org, click on "gospel library" then search under "support
materials."