I happen to have several friends who are homosexual. Some of them are actively involved in relationships, some of them are not. I have seen most of them struggle with their personal relationship's they have with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So after last weeks conference my Facebook lit up with status'. I did not comment other then to offer love and support. I heard the talk but I guess I wasn't listening. There is a huge difference.However, when my friend Janine posted this viewpoint it made sense, I understood why everyone was so upset.For me this view came from an entire different place and that is why I am reposting it here and why I am sharing the following story.
I love Janine dearly, she is one of the most amazing people in the world and I just so happen to be blessed to have her in my life. To be able to call her my friend. She and I reconnected about a year ago and I found out she had made some changes in her life. Some changes I never would have imagined her doing. But she did, as she will explain in her writing below.
I first met Janine in 1994, she had just moved to Utah and was looking for a job. She had come to the group home for an interview. I talked about the hours and the days.
She asked me, "Do I really have to work on Sunday."
I said "Yes, I cannot shut down the people we support on Sundays it doesn't work that way. Everyone that works here has to take there turn working on Sunday."
She said "Her church wouldn't allow it."
I said "Sorry, if you are not willing to work Sunday's I cannot hire you. "
She left the interview and I figured I would never see her again. She called me a few days later. She said she had talked to her bishop and that he said this sort of job was different than working retail. It was service. I immediately hired her.
I then saw her change......
Another view of President Packer's talk~Janine M.
I have read several comments, articles and statements issued by different organizations over the past several days regarding a talk given this past weekend by a leader in the LDS Church, Boyd K. Packer. I decided to comment not to defend what was said or to criticize those who have responded but to merely share my experience on the issue.
I joined the LDS Church in 1994 when I was 19. I only remained an active member for a little over six months. In 1998 I had my first same-sex relationship. It lasted about six years. I lived the gay lifestyle until the beginning of 2007. I had very supportive friends, some whom where members of the LDS Church and many who were not, who simply supported my desire to be happy. At the end of 2006, beginning of 2007 I felt there was something missing in my life. After taking a look at several different areas of my life it became clear to me I had totally shut down my spiritual self. I think everyone has different ways that they honor that part of themselves, and for me I found there to be truth, peace and comfort in the teachings of the LDS Church. To live aligned with what I believe as true I made the choice to change the life style I was living. There was no pressure from family to do so as I am the only member of my family that is a member of the LDS Church, as I said before, I had many friends who supported me in whatever lifestyle I chose to live. My choice in changing the lifestyle I was living was based solely on the desire to live in alignment of what I believe to be truth.
With that being said I’d like to share what I heard from Boyd K. Packer’s talk on Sunday. These are not quotes but my experience of what he said. If anyone wants to hear quotes they should listen to the talk themselves. I heard that we are all given free agency to do what we choose to do in this life. That we will never be given a trial we are not able to handle. He said that the LDS Church believes marriage to be ordained of God and that it is to be between a man and woman. I heard him say that acting on same-sex attraction is not in alignment with the teachings of the Church and that if one does act on these attractions or one does have an addiction to some type of drugs or pornography that those actions and or addictions can be handled and if desired that person can over-come them and live the teachings of the Church and find the happiness that those teachings promise. His comment referring to someone not being born gay, to me says we have a choice. I firmly believe that to be true, I feel I lived it. I also made the choice as to what I acted on. He stated our Heavenly Father would not do this to someone, what I feel that statement means is that our Heavenly Father would not send us to this life and have a “condition” be placed upon us that we could not change and then tell us we are wrong for it. There was nothing in the talk that said anyone is hated, that anyone should be looked down on or cast out. It was a talk that reminded us that no matter what struggles we have in life there is hope, there is a way to overcome them and there is a way to be our whole selves. If someone doesn’t feel their lifestyle is wrong, no one is saying they HAVE to change. That is the beauty of have the freedom to choose. What if the message got to that one teen who has been struggling with wanting to change because they completely believed the message of the Church but feeling he or she can’t because “they were born this way” what if the message was to them and it was a message of hope to them that they can change just as our agency allows us to choose to live one lifestyle that same agency can be used to choose to live another?
I don’t mean to try to interpret what was being said, what was said was. I am simply giving my experience of what I heard. My love for my friends and the people in my life, no matter what lifestyle they lead, is unchanged from his talk. It is not a place for me to judge for anyone else if their lifestyle is right or wrong, it is, however, a choice for me to make as to what I believe to be true for me to live. I would hope anyone concerned over what was said would first take the time to listen to the whole talk given by President Packer and be open to just maybe he is not preaching hatred of those who are different but maybe he is delivering a message of hope to those who are looking for some. Any message can be taken as positive or negative. What would it hurt it we found the positive in this one?
I joined the LDS Church in 1994 when I was 19. I only remained an active member for a little over six months. In 1998 I had my first same-sex relationship. It lasted about six years. I lived the gay lifestyle until the beginning of 2007. I had very supportive friends, some whom where members of the LDS Church and many who were not, who simply supported my desire to be happy. At the end of 2006, beginning of 2007 I felt there was something missing in my life. After taking a look at several different areas of my life it became clear to me I had totally shut down my spiritual self. I think everyone has different ways that they honor that part of themselves, and for me I found there to be truth, peace and comfort in the teachings of the LDS Church. To live aligned with what I believe as true I made the choice to change the life style I was living. There was no pressure from family to do so as I am the only member of my family that is a member of the LDS Church, as I said before, I had many friends who supported me in whatever lifestyle I chose to live. My choice in changing the lifestyle I was living was based solely on the desire to live in alignment of what I believe to be truth.
With that being said I’d like to share what I heard from Boyd K. Packer’s talk on Sunday. These are not quotes but my experience of what he said. If anyone wants to hear quotes they should listen to the talk themselves. I heard that we are all given free agency to do what we choose to do in this life. That we will never be given a trial we are not able to handle. He said that the LDS Church believes marriage to be ordained of God and that it is to be between a man and woman. I heard him say that acting on same-sex attraction is not in alignment with the teachings of the Church and that if one does act on these attractions or one does have an addiction to some type of drugs or pornography that those actions and or addictions can be handled and if desired that person can over-come them and live the teachings of the Church and find the happiness that those teachings promise. His comment referring to someone not being born gay, to me says we have a choice. I firmly believe that to be true, I feel I lived it. I also made the choice as to what I acted on. He stated our Heavenly Father would not do this to someone, what I feel that statement means is that our Heavenly Father would not send us to this life and have a “condition” be placed upon us that we could not change and then tell us we are wrong for it. There was nothing in the talk that said anyone is hated, that anyone should be looked down on or cast out. It was a talk that reminded us that no matter what struggles we have in life there is hope, there is a way to overcome them and there is a way to be our whole selves. If someone doesn’t feel their lifestyle is wrong, no one is saying they HAVE to change. That is the beauty of have the freedom to choose. What if the message got to that one teen who has been struggling with wanting to change because they completely believed the message of the Church but feeling he or she can’t because “they were born this way” what if the message was to them and it was a message of hope to them that they can change just as our agency allows us to choose to live one lifestyle that same agency can be used to choose to live another?
I don’t mean to try to interpret what was being said, what was said was. I am simply giving my experience of what I heard. My love for my friends and the people in my life, no matter what lifestyle they lead, is unchanged from his talk. It is not a place for me to judge for anyone else if their lifestyle is right or wrong, it is, however, a choice for me to make as to what I believe to be true for me to live. I would hope anyone concerned over what was said would first take the time to listen to the whole talk given by President Packer and be open to just maybe he is not preaching hatred of those who are different but maybe he is delivering a message of hope to those who are looking for some. Any message can be taken as positive or negative. What would it hurt it we found the positive in this one?
2 comments:
This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing it. If you dont mind, I may pass this post along. :)
Share away!!! That's why I did:)
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