Comments about ‘Don't succumb to cultural confusion, Elder Hafen urges’

Now, I'm relatively new to the area... But this is news? In a newspaper? Printing about Christ's atonement outside of a quote, as if it a proven fact, like evidence in a case or a recorded temperature from last week's weather? I hope this is an editorial piece of some kind, otherwise I am shocked and would never, EVER but your newspaper or visit your website.
Secondly, this idea is extremely offensive to most people with what this Elder calls "same gender attraction" and the rest of the social and scientific would calls homosexuality. The idea that a family should only consist of a mother and father and children should be offensive to EVERYONE, since everyone should know at least one person who is divorced, widowed, or must raise children on their own or with a same-sex partner. This does not make their family any less valid, their love any weaker, or their devotion any less worthy. Denying one's true nature only hurts more people in the long run, and this Elder should be ashamed of himself.

Its hard to believe that it is 2009 and the church still feels this way. The church is walking a fine line in seperation of church and state issues. They might need to remember they are tax exempt as a church. With all the weekly meetings around the world, you think they could focus on something else. Maybe love one another.... No strings attached!

I like how Elder Hafen disputes evidence brought forth from BYU's own experiments stating that SGA can be changed through therapy. Although it sometimes is possible, it is less than .04% effective in its applications.

Hence why the Church changed it stance on Homosexuality

I am the last person someone would suspect to have this issue. It has caused great heart ache and the most difficult part for me is to see people who are gay who I understand and some who are my friends and then the church which I love being in this constant war. I wish both sides would learn to love, not accept, condone or give in to what the other side thinks and believes. But when people attack gays or Mormons it hurts. Both sides are at fault in this area. I am not a fan of Evergreen and consider it a crock. I went to a meting and was asked not to return because I could nolt guarantee that I would be there EVERY Thursday. What a slap in the face. I have a family, a career, and a life. This is not everything in my life. It stinks to be on my own.

kc: We love all people, no matter what. It sounds like you would benefit from sitting down with active LDS people and allow them to explain why the church does not condone people living a gay lifestyle. You may be surprised.

I don't believe that people have a choice as to who they are attracted to. Nor do I think going to church can change your attraction. I know someone who tried to live the "normal" life with a wife (even had 4 children) only to realize that he should not be lying to himself AND to his family. No one should have to make themself miserable trying to lead their life as something that they are not...something they have no control over.

@ new to utah - get used to it, sorry.

I admit to being an active LDS member who advocates same sex marriage rights, so I may be biased, but I do find this talk to have been a little politically charged for a leader of the Church. It seems somewhat insincere for him to make arguments re: how society has historically functioned and how it functions best when history says otherwise and our own Church taught otherwise a century ago.

Though not gay myself, I have had a number of gay friends. They told me that they just realized at some point when they were kids that they were homosexual. I think people are born straight or gay, ac or dc. Now, the LDS Church asks its gay members to spend a lifetime fighting their true natures, which is biologically homosexual. They are consigned to a lifetime of torment.

However, anyone feels about this issue, it's evident these people are in a rough situation.

I can understand the shock of someone posting above, new to the area and surprised this would be printed in the newspaper. Welcome to Utah. Myself, I'm a former member, I'm eldest in a LARGE LDS family, have a brother on a mission right now. I believe members are mostly smart and very good people, but I believe (generally) extremely ignorant about their religion and the rest of the world. You just have to come to a level of understanding and peace for yourself. As a whole they will not change, their beliefs will all continue on. All you can do is help them understand their reasoning better on small decisions, help them question authority.

MWB,

Please do not preach. You have your beliefs, AWESOME. Stick by them. It is funny, you want to change others and their beliefs, but do not want to change yours? Let them be, and if they join you, it is because THEY want to. Not because you are forcing them too. The same goes for your beliefs. Think about what you said. It goes both ways, here: "MWB: We love all people, no matter what. It sounds like you would benefit from sitting down with a gay person and allowing them to explain why the church does not condone people living an LDS lifestyle. You may be Surprised." See? You are making your case WORSE.

If, at an annual conference someone gets up and says that same gender that there are myths sorrounding "same-gender attraction" and that,

#1 the first myth is that it is an inborn trait.

Therefore, the person is holding up that the opposite must be true and that in fact, it is not inborn.

No disrespect to the office, but rather to the idea.

This sounds in direct conflict with the idea that 'we don't know what causes gay people to be gay."

Second, the myth that therapy cannot help. I don't believe that Evergreen has shown that therapy has shown clear success with their methods.

In Evergreen's website, the document shown to rebut the recent APA release that therapy is counter-productive does not show what it claims to want people believe, and that it that therapy is indeed beneficial and productive.

im sorry, but i have got to say something here, i came out of the closet in june, to my whole family, both of my "paternal" grandfathers attempted to kidnap me and took me to detox for "being gay" i was released four hours later by the hospital, proving i was fine, merely gay and in love with my wife. now, just trying to get emancipated from the church has been a mess.

I wish the LDS church would quit torturing homosexuals with talks like that. You can't change what you are and someday even Salt Lake might figure out that homosexuals deserve to live a life free of theological persecution.

To say that Evergreen has "no affiliation" with the LDS church is a lie. A friend of mine's father has a church calling which was to head up his local evergreen. It used to, I am not sure if they might have left, operate on the BYU campus. It was founded and is run by primarily LDS leaders.

i can't speak for anyone else but i was born gay...i had the most wonderful parents in the world, without them i don't know where i would be today...i can tell you this though...in grade school and all the way through jr. high and hige school i was teased unmercifully every single day...i was abused (not sexually) mentally...i endured beatings and bullying daily and the entire faculty saw it all happen and not ONE TIME did any of them come to my defense...i was a non mormon in a school that was 98% mormon...
don't think i haven't prayed all my life to be straight...but i finally gave in to who i really am and life has been much better...if there are any of you out there who had to go through school this way ican totally relate to your suffering...sincerely, bob tanner.

I used to pray weekly with Spencer W. Kimball and he told me I was cured. I was not. What truly cured me and made me truly happy, was leaving the church and its superstitious beliefs behind.

I am a straight girl who has always been attracted to guys. If one day someone came up to ME and said... "You need to CHOOSE to only be with other girls, marry a girl, and never cheat...... if you can't do that then just be celibate FOREVER" I think that would be SO MESSED UP!

Right on, Vince! Of course homosexuality is "in-born". NOBODY wakes up one day and says "Hm, I think today I am now gay". I am convinced that there are those who have the INBORN PROPENSITY to develop into a homosexual/emotional person. It does not mean that a person with the propensity to become gay does so, but that person does have a greater chance of becomming gay more than one who is not born with that propensity.

It was a big mistake for Elder Hafen to make that comment.

Bob Tanner, I went throught the same thing. Take care :).

Welcome to Utah! Remember, you are free to listen to anyone you like or buy any newspaper you like, no one will really care one way or the other. That's the beauty of living in the USA.