That We May Be Homosexualists

Deseret Book, the commercial publishing arm of the LDS Church, has a new book out, That We May Be One, A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith & Family, "One"apparently referring to being united as a church in embracing homosexuality.  Come again? The author, though he freely invokes the name of Christ, is certainly not about repentance or redemption through Christ. There seems to be no understanding of the gospel at all, only the same old vaporous, irreligious talking points, calling upon Christ but denying the power thereof, which power exists to change the very desires of our hearts. No, he's not about overcoming his lusts. He's gay, he's happy, he's Mormon. And he's anti-Christ. It is obvious that this book is yet another leap toward the acceptance of all things homosexual within the Church, or perhaps it's the last nail in the coffin. We are here at last, living in a worldwide, modern-day Sodom. But ultimately more disturbing, this highly-promoted book sets a sweeping precedent for denial of the reality of sin and denial of the power of Christ to change us through repentance (which comes down to the denial of God Himself and all Creation--see 2 Nephi: 2:13).

Much is being done to promote the book prior to its release. Magazine and newspaper articles, a documentary, interviews, and a Q & A panel discussion scheduled for Oct. 5 at the University of Utah, to be moderated by Sheri Dew. In the past couple weeks we have received two Des. Book mailers highlighting this book.

We have read the promotional materials and listened to a lengthy interview with the author. From what we've seen so far, this book is yet another effort by some with influence in the Church to make over homosexuality into a "delightful" identity, a personal truth that should be welcomed into our midst, while at the same time holding to the idea, though rather weakly, that this "delightful" homosexual lust need not and should not be acted on. In other words, be that way but don't act that way. Or at least don't tell us you're acting that way. And yet we have the author of the book saying his sex life with his homosex partner of two decades was "delightful," and beneficial to individuals and society. Really? Sodomy?

"I'm old but not that old," Christofferson giggled. His interviewer lady giggled, too. Really? Does anybody seriously doubt that this is all about lustful sex?

What kind of person tells the whole world about his sex life, wait, his perverse sex life? He may clean up like a GA and talk quiet and slow like a GA but his words sound like they are coming from a dirty old man.

It makes our heads spin.

People's heads were spinning even faster after General Conference this past weekend when Elder Oaks reemphasized the Family Proclamation, confirming the two sexes and their traditional roles and repeatedly denouncing gay marriage in no uncertain terms, reflective of the late Elder Packer's and many others' similar stance, that is, family values. As in the 1995 all-but-forgotten Family Proclamation.

The documentary on this man and his book was scheduled and advertised to air between General Conference sessions this past Sunday. Mysteriously, something else aired in that time slot, though its title remained on the schedule. It's now been rescheduled for Oct. 15. 

No doubt there is a lack of communication within the church leadership. Or something. Still, this incomprehensible book rolls on.

Apart from what everybody heard from the pulpit, how is this happy-gay-celibate-Mormon tactic working? It's not. What it's doing is encouraging homosexualism, making those who are all-the-way-pro-gay mad, and confusing and/or dismissing the deeply-held beliefs of everybody else.Everybody in between is thoughtlessly going right along with the softening-on-homosexuality flow.

In an effort to placate or stall off both sides of a very controversial issue, the Mormon Church is disaffecting people on both sides of the homosexual juggernaut. Contrary to countless previous pronouncements, it has previously bought into, big time, the false idea that the LGBTQI+ identity is natural and permanent. See mormonandgay.org. But in a stunningly incomprehensible leap, it insists on, at least in some obscure handbook, prohibiting and stigmatizing homosexual behaviors. Yes, it's perfectly delightful for gays to desire same-sex sex, but a huge no-no to actually do that perfectly delightful stuff they fantasize about. And yet any disciplining is left up to local leaders (who are untrained lay people and may well be homosexualists/progressives/leftists themselves) on a case-by-case basis. The way things are going, this amounts to homosexuality in all its outward forms being welcomed and highlighted and celebrated in wards and stakes, while orthodox, traditional family values members are made to shut up and endure all this nonsense. And watch it proliferate. Gay marriage, that is, all things homosex, that is, Sodom and Gomorrah, here we come. And how did that work out?

This book shows how the LDS Church, while ostensibly upholding God's most obvious boundaries for outward sexual morality, is promoting the idea of a special kind of gay, a Mormon gay, homosexuals and lesbians and transgenders who are perfectly happy with themselves the way they are, that is, sexually lusting after people of their own sex, while representing that they are not actually acting on that lust, however that is defined or lied about or responded to. Mormon gays are special gays, the Church says. They don't actually do the things they really wish they could do, or they say they don't (and everyone should know they don't mind lying). But of course the behaviors are going on in all degrees. All this we can and must accept, even celebrate. They are heroes!

Wait. Heroes? The author of this book is 60 but looks older. We have his word only that he has given up decades of practicing sodomy. Presenting himself as religious and invoking Christ's name, he never mentions sin or repentance. And by his own admission, he continues to enjoy lusting after men. Can it be that he only left off sodomy (if he really did) so he could get back into full fellowship in a church culture in the process of embracing homosexuality and cash in on his gay position as a high ranking church leader's gay brother? Is any of this heroic?  People are slobbering over him? There's a scripture that warns against those who do these things, along with warning against those who have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:32.

What about people who actually repent of these lusts and turn their lives around and rely solely on Christ for salvation? Sad to say, we could write a book on how the Church isn't interested in those kinds of people or their very real experience in living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We get it. Prosperous churches that like good PR have a tendency to steer clear of whatever is unpopular to keep certain rich patrons happy and/or to appear loving and peace-promoting to the world. But if those are a Christian church's priorities, it has lost its way. It's the church of Christ without Christ, to say the least.

Regarding the issue of homosexuality, the LDS Church's tactics are backfiring. All it is doing is encouraging homosexuality, making Mormon homosexuals and homosexualists impatient for more equivocating to come, and alienating the faithful, that is, those who are faithful to Christ. For instance, several people in our own Utah Valley ward are (relatively suddenly) all about openly celebrating all things homosex, while those who have taken a stand against it are marginalized and mocked. 

To explain, a gay-married lesbian Mormon's blog is all about about her great faith and piousness and self-proclaimed "divine mission," that "pleases our heavenly parents," her gay Mormon identity being "exactly what the Lord is asking of her." We found her latest post to be extremely self-serving and phony-sounding (it's so sad how people fool themselves). And yet about it a man in our ward wrote,

"This blog post illustrates this [lesbian, "married"] couple's joy and warmth as well as a sense of the magic of their love. . . I would like to meet her and her wife. So Laura, if you're ever in Utah Valley, the door of my home stands open and ready to greet you both."

Yikes. Magic of their love? Women can love each other without sex. Mothers and daughters, sisters, cousins, friends. But here are two women pretending, not at sisterhood, not at friendship, but at marriage. Marriage is the only human relationship that's supposed to have sex in it. So what we have here are two women who have based their relationship (by getting "married") on arousing sexual feelings in each other. Hello? And, as for the above invitation about opening one's house to these lesbian strangers, what kind of man invites strangers to his house based solely on the type of sex they do, in this case, weird sex? The scripture says "even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature" (Romans1:26). This means Roman people in the apostle Paul's time had gotten so wicked that even women, who are supposed to be less likely to act homosexually, were doing it. Yes, lesbianism is a purely sexual thing. Whatever else they are to each other, unlike any other relationship they have with other people, these women sex around with each other. And everybody knows that, including this man.

Again, there are sins of the flesh, and then there are those who take pleasure in them that do those sins. Just saying. Case in point: Years ago our teenage daughter left an outdoor movie party when she saw two girls making out with each other obviously to turn their boyfriends on, and perhaps themselves. That's a fact: sexuality is just sexuality if there are no boundaries; any and all of it can turn people on. So we'd stay away from this man if we were these ladies. (They were probably both sexually abused by adult males as children, poor things, and have never gotten over it. And no one cares. They exploit themselves and continue to allow themselves to be exploited.)

Aside from the one being a female-looking bride and the other being dressed in pants, i.e. pretending at male/female marriage at the same time being proud lesbians, look how Mormony and modest and attractive they look. Given these wholesome appearances and the world's wholesale embrace of sexual immorality in this low form, it's easy to see how gullible people of weak faith are buying into it. In addition, there are going to be twisted perverts out there getting a kick out of any and all of it, including getting a sexual thrill out of this new Mormon homosexualist book. (Please note that we are not saying the man in our ward is a twisted pervert. We're just saying he, in his over-the-top, inappropriate, pro-homosex zeal, needs to know he is sounding like one.)

Celibate or not, to claim a gay identity and/or celebrate the gay identity is to promote all things homosex, from lust to sodomy. These people are made victims of, and heroes of, all the while getting pleasure from their sinful lusts and acts. Yes, sin is pleasurable . . . for a time. And it's only pleasurable, for those doing it and those watching it being done, because these people's egos have completely killed off the Spirit of the Lord. They are past feeling the influence of righteousness.

Bottom line, you can't use the methods of the devil to build the kingdom of God. It's a great mistake to work to marry heaven and hell, as C. S. Lewis put it. Whatever your excuses for slobbering over homosexuality, what you are building belongs to the devil.


Note 11/5/17: The homosexualist book, That We May Be One, was held up in our ward's Relief Society meeting 10/22/17 by the bishops' wife, an instructor. We weren't there, but it was reported to us that the book was touted as being a wonderful book everybody should read.