Love the homosexual, not homosexuality

Faith, baptism, repentance, the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to

the end are central tenets of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But what is

amazing about membership in Christ's church is not only our

understanding of these central principles but the framework into which

they are fitted. We often call this framework for the gospel the "Plan

of Salvation." As wonderful as this "great plan of happiness" is, even

more amazing, is the minutiae, or the startling specificity that a

loving God has provided us about his plan for us.God has given us

amazing detail about our pre-mortal, mortal, and post-mortal existence

so that we can make informed decisions about how to live and conduct

our lives based on a clear understanding of what He expects of us and

anticipates for us. And it is within this framework that we must

approach the recent decision by the California Supreme Court,

accompanied by abundant social commentary and a spate of op-ed pieces

by social analysts extolling the humanity and intelligence of those who

support same-sex unions. Homosexuality is a highly charged topic laced with deep-seated emotion

because often it has impacted those we know and love. To begin to sort

out a position one must first look to the example of Jesus Christ and

his constant attention to distinguishing between sin and sinner. As

social reformer Josephine Butler once explained, "God hates the sin of

your lives, but he loves you."There is no room in the gospel of Jesus

Christ for antipathy toward any other human being. God loves

homosexuals but he hates the sin of homosexuality, just as he loves