Facebook Flop

I have too many friends.

Facebook is lovely, but it's difficult when you have friends from so many different walks of life.

I love my LDS friends--but a recent thread illustrates the idea that some of my LDS friends have no sense sense of the world outside the LDS community.

And my non-LDS friends aren't really open to anyone telling them that their way of life might not be so swell.

While in graduate school, I tried to make it very clear that I was LDS. I didn't drink or have sex, BUT that was because I had made a covenant with God not to do those things. And I didn't judge any of them for doing those things because they hadn't made the same commitment to God. I loved them and supported them in whatever commitments they wanted to make. And when they wanted to talk religion, I was always happy to share my faith with pride and joy.

Last week, I posted a comment to my LGBT friends. I was thinking specifically of friends from graduate school who had nothing to do with the LDS Church. I was afraid that they might read remarks about Pres. Packer's speech and believe the rumors that LDS people were hateful to the gay community. My only way of fighting this was to remind them that I loved them--and that I was LDS.

I wanted to give a statement that might cause them to think twice before saying anything against ALL LDS people--just as I'm sure they would want me to think twice before making a blanketed statement against all LGBT people.

But the thread got away from me. One "friend" misread my words and thought that I was making a statement against the church. She called us all to repentance--not realizing that she was making these statements to many people who weren't LDS in the first place. Her words were accusatory--and rather than address me privately where we could have discussed it openly--she publicly accused me of being ashamed of the prophet and the apostles.

This invited other friends to express more vehemently--and their words DID seem to challenge the church. I sat and watched friends attack my church--and other friends attack myself--and I didn't quite know what to do--because again--the original intent was simply to extend a hand of fellowship to my LGBT friends.

I tried to maintain the original intent with every post. But now I am vastly misunderstood.

Let me make it clear: I believe that the duty of the Prophet and the Apostles is to give us words that will lead us to leave the happiest lives here and in the future.

Some quotes from President Packer's speech "Cleansing the Inner Vessel":

"We teach a standard of moral conduct that will protect us from Satan’s many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage. We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong. From the Book of Mormon we learn that “wickedness never was happiness.”13

Again I reiterate--their job is to teach us actions that will lead to our happiness. And to help us to have faith in our ability to adhere to those actions.

"There are both moral and physical laws “irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world” that cannot be changed.17 History demonstrates over and over again that moral standards cannot be changed by battle and cannot be changed by ballot. To legalize that which is basically wrong or evil will not prevent the pain and penalties that will follow as surely as night follows day.

Regardless of the opposition, we are determined to stay on course. We will hold to the principles and laws and ordinances of the gospel. If they are misunderstood either innocently or willfully, so be it. We cannot change; we will not change the moral standard. We quickly lose our way when we disobey the laws of God. If we do not protect and foster the family, civilization and our liberties must needs perish."

And I believe that he speaks the truth here. I believe that as a prophet and seer he can see the dangers that will come if we disregard the laws that say marriage is between a man and woman. And he is sharing this with us in order to help us to avoid the unhappy consequences of ignoring these laws.

Some have accused Pres. Packer of being insensitive to the rash of suicides caused by bullying and hateful anti-gay tactics. They say that this speech could be used to inspire other acts of violence against gays.

I didn't feel that. I think that wicked people can use any excuse to exercise wickedness. The wickedness I speak of here is the extension of hatred towards anyone struggling against same-sex attraction.

Same-sex attraction is real. It is not something that people make up to justify sin. It is not a choice. People have the choice whether to act upon it or not. And according to the prophets, to act upon that choice is to bring less happiness into your life. That is what I understand his words to mean.

As a follower of Christ, I do not need to understand everything. I will be given light and wisdom as I exercise faith and obedience. But, I do not need to understand everything before I exercise that obedience. There is a lot about this issue that I still do not understand. But I have faith and I believe that a clearer understanding will be given to me as I exercise faith and obedience.

I will express my love and support for all of my friends. I will have faith in the Prophet and the Apostles.

And lastly--since this is getting very long--I would like to express my faith in the individual's ability to receive their own personal revelation. God has given us this beautiful ability to speak with Him and to know His will concerning our own lives. I have friends who have struggled with same sex attraction who decided to leave the church in order to find greater peace. And I trust that they are following a particular path that God has given them--individually--that will help them to make peace with themselves and God.

It is my duty to have faith in God and obey my leaders. As a friend, it is my duty to love and support them and to have faith in their own ability to judge what is best for their lives. Heaven knows, life is complicated--and I would never presume to understand what it must be like for anyone else in this crazy world.

So there. That's my stance.