"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."Prophets is plural for a reason...meaning more than one. When God declares His word and will it doesn't just come from one person. In the second book of Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 1 it reads:
"...In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."If there was only one person declaring the will of God it would be easy to not hear it, but when multiple people are declaring it it's not so easy.
Think about it for a minute...throughout all of history God has called prophets like Noah and Moses...do you really think that God would leave us stranded today without somebody called of God to declare his will to the inhabitants of men? It doesn't seem likely. No loving God would leave his children without guidance.
I believe and know that our Heavenly Father continues to call special witnesses to testify of Him, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. The prophets and apostles are alive and living today. As such, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a proclamation called "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles" in which they do as they were called and testify that He lives!
In 1995, the First Presidency of the LDS Church released "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" where they "solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."
Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has recently come under fire from gay rights activist groups within the past week for his talk/speech he gave during the Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There have been protests and petitions for Elder Packer to rescind his "hateful" and "anti-gay" remarks. Please read his remarks before reading more.
All done? Let me just say this, marriage between one man and one woman is one of the core doctrines and beliefs of the LDS church, and there is absolutely no way that will ever be rescinded in any shape or form. Does that make the Church and its members hateful and full of bigots. No. They are expressing what they believe to be right just as others can do the same. Love the person, hate the sin. Active members of the Church make a covenant to keep the Law of Chastity where the sacred procreative powers should only be used in the bonds of matrimony between a man and a woman. Anything outside of this is considered immoral and unatural and considered a sin against the commandments of God.
The LDS church is led by a prophet and a quorum of apostles. In answer to the title of this blog, Yes. I know for myself through the Holy Ghost that they are called of God and their words are the word and will of God.
Let me end with some remarks my brother left throughout a lengthy discussion to one of his Facebook friends who is actively gay and was raised a Mormon:
" For those in the gay and lesbian community: You owe your life to a man and a woman who chose to come together and create a child--you! If you desire to have a family, you have to adopt a child who was a result of a man and woman coming together to procreate.
A man and man together cannot create a child. Nieither can women. Legislation would create a token relationship between the couple, but you would never have the ability to create a family, which is what marriage is all about.
The ultimate harm and threat of homosexuality is the total disegration of the family unit which is the building block of any society. When the family unit is gone, so will be the society you live in.
Even though our beliefs differ on this subject, I have not been offended. I still consider you a friend and I have appreciated the opportunity to voice my personal opinion. I have said my peace, now I will be done."
3 comments:
The written text has at least one changed paragraph, that seems to soften it a bit. There are probably others, but these are the changes that stood out to me:
What was said at Conference:
"Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember, he is our Father."
Published changes:
"Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father."
There's a big difference between saying that homosexual tendencies are not inborn and can be overcome and saying that temptations can be overcome.
Being hetero I really don't think I could "overcome" my tendency to be attracted to men. However, I can, and do, successfully overcome the temptation to have extramarital sex.
When I received my patriarchal blessing many years ago the patriarch blessed me with something that made my eyebrows raise (and my parents). After the blessing and during the next several days as the patriarch reviewed the taped blessing the actual printed blessing excluded the item that raised my eyebrows. The patriarch explained to me that it is difficult sometimes to interpret what the Spirit of the Lord is trying to communicate and difficult to put in words and there are many times where after he listens to the blessing things need further interpretation and ends up being a little different than first expected.
That being said, I don't know if you read the official Church statement explaining the published changes - you can find it at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=576&sid=12749665 - A church spokesman points out that it is common for conference speakers to review their speeches/talks and made edits just like my patriarch did.
Regardless of the changes, it doesn't change the core of the message of the message. The family is central to God's plan, marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and agency is given to man to choose good or evil.
The argument has been made that people are born homosexuals and therefore have no choice in the matter. Whether it is scientifically proved or not they still have a choice and for some people that is their trial in life. The Law of Chastity has not changed or never will be - homosexuality is a clean cut sin and the Lord will not tolerate it.
I realize these are strong words, and it bugs me to the core when people try to "skirt" around the issue for what it really is...a sin. If it offends some people they have that choice to be offended and to react to anything anyway they want - it still won't change that it's a sin like any other immoral behavior. This doesn't mean that I or God hates the sinner for God has unconditional love. He may not like the things we choose just like any father would not like it if their children made choices contrary to their will. It's their choice. God never gives us any temptation, tendency, or trial that we are unable to bear.
interesting read:
http://beta-newsroom.lds.org/article/church-mormon-responds-to-human-rights-campaign-petition-same-sex-attraction?ref=nf
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