On Homosexuality

I’m going to try something crazy here; I’m going to write on a super controversial topic.  No, seriously.  I chose this topic because it’s something that has bugged me for years and years and today I finally received some clarity on the matter.  As you’re reading this, please do so with an open mind and recognize that I’m not trying to change your mind or incite a riot; I’m just trying to explain why my religion takes the stance that they do.

If I had to choose one problem that I had in the past with my religion it would be their stance on homosexual relations.  When you’re reading the bible, you do see mention of some homosexuality, but it’s not really specifically called out as a sin.  People with same-gender attraction are just as capable of being loving parents (I’ve known several), just as capable of loving God, and just as worthy of my respect and love as anyone else.  It frustrated me to no end that my church fights against their right to be married and raise families together.  I read a ton of information that the church has put out regarding homosexual relations: what you’re advised to do if you find yourself struggling with same-sex attraction, what to do if you discover your child is homosexual, what to do if your spouse tells you they are attracted to the same gender, et cetera.  I never really felt like a satisfactory answer was given though: Why are we so against their happiness?

I’ve heard it argued that it’s because homosexual partners cannot produce children, but that didn’t seem right to me.  There are plenty of heterosexual couples who are sterile; are they bad too then?  I’ve also heard that children need a mother and a father, and while I agree to a point, I have seen some very happy and stable children come from families with homosexual parents.  There had to be more to it than just that.

And then today I realized something.  It’s not that we’re against their happiness; it’s that we’re FOR their happiness in the long-term.  Before you throw your computer against the wall and send me hate mail, please listen to why I say that.

In my religion we believe that this life is just a very very tiny amount of time, and the majority of our growth and development will take place in the next life.  We believe that in the next life we will have the opportunity to become gods, to create our own worlds, and to populate those worlds with our own children.  We believe that God himself went through a mortal life like we’re doing now, that He performed admirably, and because of that He was able to become a god.  We believe that every human that has lived on Earth is a spiritual child of God created in the same way that children are created here on Earth. 

We do not believe that homosexuality is a phase or a means to attract attention; we recognize that those feelings are real and that it is a lifelong struggle if you choose to forgo a homosexual lifestyle.  We do not see it as a weakness, but as a trial.  Just like all other trials faced here on Earth, we believe it will be lifted from our shoulders in the life to come. 

The Mormon church tells us often to look at things “in the eternal perspective.”  Instead of focusing entirely on this life, we are asked to look into the future and recognize that we are working for a higher purpose than just our mortal lives.  That was the piece of information that sparked my epiphany today.

I’m going to sum up the points I just made, and then put them all together for you.

1. Our mortality is a VERY small portion of our lives.  There is much more to follow.

2. In the next life we will have the opportunity to become gods and fill our worlds with our own children.

3. Homosexuality is a mortal trial, not an eternal characteristic.

*Edit: The Man wanted me to emphasize that this is not the church's official position, as the prophet has not come out and said this exact idea.  This is my personal understanding of the issue, but it is based off of church doctrine.

Almost everybody wants to progress and become more than what they currently are.  In the next life progression is becoming a god.  As gods and goddesses we will have the responsibility to create worlds and children to populate those worlds.  There is no adoption in Heaven.  Heterosexual couples that struggled with infertility on Earth will have that trial lifted from their shoulders, and they will have the ability to create.  A homosexual couple would not have that same ability, since the method of creation is the same as on Earth.

The reason my church fights against homosexual relations is because we believe that in the next life homosexual partners would have no means to progress to the status of gods.  They would be literally unproductive, and nobody deserves a future in which they cannot progress.  God would not allow His children to be damned to a life without progression, which is why we believe homosexuality is a trial that will be lifted in the next life.

We do not believe that homosexuals are bad people.  “Homophobic” behaviors go against everything Christ stood for, and we do not condone those actions.  The church does not try to disrespect homosexual partners by fighting against their marriages; we honestly believe that staying out of a homosexual partnership is more beneficial for their eternal happiness.

Like I said in the introduction; I’m not trying to persuade you to believe what I’m saying.  I recognize that if you’re not religious this sounds insane.  What I’m trying to do is help you understand why my church holds on to its beliefs about homosexual relationships.  Maybe it can help you have an open mind about the seemingly close-minded doctrine of the Mormon church.