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Continue ShoppingPresident Oaks Urges Members to Respect the LGBTQ Community While Keeping to the Family Proclamation
“Individuals or groups who do not treat our LGBTQ members with empathy and charity are not aligned with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ. At the same time, ignoring God’s laws has never been the Savior’s pattern for showing love.” —Elder Clark G. Gilbert
On May 17th, 2022, President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority of the Seventy, spoke to hundreds of gathered students at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. During the session, the duo discussed the topic that "requires great love and concern in the modern world" and proceeded to discuss Latter-day Saints and the LGBTQ community.
“In seeking common ground, we encourage fair treatment and respect for others, and we ask the same for ourselves,” President Oaks said. "Such respect “does not mean we walk away from our beliefs and fundamental doctrine on the family and its importance to God’s ‘plan for the eternal destiny of His children as revealed in the Family Proclamation.”
Elder Gilbert said LGBTQ issues require a measured approach rooted in the love and laws of God.
“Individuals or groups who do not treat our LGBTQ members with empathy and charity are not aligned with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ,” Elder Gilbert said. “At the same time, ignoring God’s laws has never been the Savior’s pattern for showing love. Remember, Jesus asked us to love God first.”
President Oaks also stated something very important about the role that the General Authorities of the Church play in terms of the worldly discussions that are taking place in society.
“Please remember the responsibility we members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have as Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must declare the truth as God has revealed it. We are not free to pick and choose which truths we will preach and defend.”
Richard Ostler, author of the series Listen, Learn, and Love, wrote:
Over my lifetime, I realize I formed unearned opinions about LGBTQ people, people with honest questions about our Church, people who left our Church, people finding happiness and joy in their current religion, people in other political parties, people of other races, women, undocumented workers, people with mental health challenges, people living in poverty, younger generations, etc.
As I’ve matured (I have a long way to go), I try to listen to a wide range of people in a group to develop informed conclusions and insights—which helps me better see them as members of the same human family. It helps me know what I can learn from them, what I can do to lift their burdens—and for Latter-day Saints to better help them feel welcome, needed and a sense of belonging.
Listening helps us learn what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us so we can get past the ‘massive iron gate’ of what we thought we already knew.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!
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