Editor's note: an earlier version of this appeared here on February 13, 2016.
(Revised and
Enlarged)
President Gordon B. Hinckley knew exactly
what he was talking about when, in a 1997 general conference, he
cautioned members of the Church, saying: “I hope you will never look to the public press [or bloggers/social
media] as the authority on the doctrines of the Church.” His point was
that most commentary from such sources fails to one degree or another to
accurately represent or communicate Church doctrine, practice, and policy. The
result is that many readers are given a false impression of the Church’s
position and judge it falsely thereby. Of course, such a result—misunderstanding
and confusion—is usually what the reporter or blogger—often a gay
activist—seeks. They know there is nothing easier to sway than an outraged but misinformed
audience.
The Position of the Church
The Proclamation
on the Family, issued by the
First Presidency, teaches that “All human beings—male and
female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or
daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and
destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal,
and eternal identity and purpose.”[1] The First Presidency has further
stated:
We of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reach out with understanding and respect
for individuals who are attracted to those of the same gender. We realize there
may be great loneliness in their lives but there must also be recognition of
what is right before the Lord. As a doctrinal principle, based on sacred
scripture, we affirm that marriage between a man and a woman is essential to
the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. The powers of
procreation are to be exercised only between a man and a woman lawfully wedded
as husband and wife. Any other sexual relations, including those between
persons of the same gender, undermine the divinely created institution of the
family.[2]
During an occasion when activists
and media were agitating, President Hinckley stated the following, which is the
same thing he would say today if he still lived:
