Does the LDS Church Approve of Same-Sex Marriage?

Does Jehovah?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently issued a statement regarding the pending “Respect for Marriage Act”, declaring that “this approach is the way forward”. Some have interpreted this statement to mean the LDS Church now condones same-sex marriage and the lifestyles of those who describe themselves as “LGBTQ”. Here is the church’s official statement (I have added capitals for emphasis):

Statement on the US Congress Respect for Marriage Act (churchofjesuschrist.org)

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following statement on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.

"The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints related to marriage between a man and a woman is well known and WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED.

"We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ENSURE THE RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT INCLUDES APPROPRIATE RELIGIIOUS FREEDOM PROTECTIONS while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

"We believe this approach is the way forward. As we work together to PRESERVE THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM together with the rights of LGBTQ individuals, much can be accomplished to heal relationships and foster greater understanding."

Commenting on this statement, one participant in another forum, I think not LDS, declared:

“The LDS Church is showing itself to be a cult, not a religion.”

Here below are my thoughts on the matter:

The idea that the recent pronouncement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints referencing the Same-Sex Marriage Act is somehow a doctrinal affirmation of same-sex marriage or the LGBTQ lifestyle is nonsense and conflicts fundamentally with the church's gender-based theology and long-standing declared positions on marriage and family, as set forth in the church's 1995 "Proclamation on the Family":

The Family Proclamation (churchofjesuschrist.org)

      THE FAMILY - A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

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.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As most even remotely informed people are aware, on the subjects of marriage, family and sexual behavior, the LDS Church is arguably the most conservative and strict among Christian faiths. As such, it has been, is now, and certainly will continue to be an ongoing target for highly organized and well-funded godless, libertine, totalitarian leftist radicals who seek to tear down the grand edifice of Judeo/Christian religious philosophy and values our nation was founded and rose to greatness upon.

The LDS Church is a high bastion of such values and is seen as a primary obstacle in the path of the leftist atheistic agenda. That bastion must be thrown down if godless power is to rise. Accordingly, in the schemes of these leftist demons, the LDS Church, as have many other purportedly Christian institutions, must be compelled to condone and give its blessing to sexual perversions like homosexual activity and same-sex marriage, perhaps forced even to perform same-sex marriages in LDS chapels and temples.

Obviously, the LDS Church will seek to protect itself against this satanic agenda. 

In this context, then, properly read and understood, the above statement from the LDS Church, in my opinion, says the following:

1.  The LDS Church has not and will not change nor compromise its core doctrines concerning eternal male and female identity, marriage being solely between a man and a woman, and family sitting at the very center of revealed Christian theology. While same-sex attraction is not in itself declared sinful, acting upon it is. Same-sex sexual activity remains the "abomination" Jehovah, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, declared it to be several thousand years ago. Attempting to "legalize" it via man-made laws will make it no less abominable in the law and judgment of God.   

2. The LDS Church affirms the "Respect for Marriage Act" as "the way forward" not with the intention of doctrinally approving or condoning same-sex marriage or same-sex sexual behavior, but because the ACT is expected to provide and affirm religious freedoms that will enable the LDS Church, and all other churches, to worship God "according to the dictates of their own consciences" and not be forced by the laws of man to condone and embrace sexual practices that violate the laws of God. 

3. At the same time, the Act, with the approval of LDS leadership, ensures those who label themselves LGBTQ will not by law be constrained from pursuing their chosen lifestyles. Nothing new here. Without condoning same-sex sexual activity that violates the law of God, the LDS Church affirms - indeed has always affirmed - the right of all individuals to freely choose what they will believe and how they will live, even if those choices and behaviors ensure their swift passage down to hell.

Let me make plain that I am in no way an official spokesman for the LDS Church. What I have said here is my opinion only - albeit an opinion based on a lifetime of studied association with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Right vs. wrong, truth vs. lies, reality vs. fantasy, light vs. darkness, justice vs. injustice, liberty vs. tyranny, good vs. evil, God vs. the Godless.

Take your pick. You will, one way or another...

If you can be fooled, you will be.

These are the times that try men's souls...

Torquemada