On Same-Gender Marriage: In Defense of Dallin H. Oaks and the Revelations of God - 30 September 2017

This post will likely call forth strong feelings by those who choose to read it; if such is the case I’ve probably written as powerfully as the subject deserves, given what capacity I now possess.


As many, if not all, of you know, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; in saying this I am not claiming I am anywhere near a perfect example of a Latter-day Saint, but I am saying I strive to pattern my life according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and to follow His prophets - both ancient and modern - God’s grace being my help.


Today and tomorrow mark what is known as the Semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; in this Conference members of the Church all over the world assemble to hear from those we sustain and recognize as God’s leaders on the earth. We receive the counsel of prophets there, and we receive it as if from God’s own mouth. (Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6) We do not go to receive counsel from the prophets out of blind faith or mere cultural tradition - we go and we heed (that means we choose to listen and to obey what we’ve heard) because the Lord gives this promise: “For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.” (Ibid. v.6)


I take time to explain this aspect of my faith, and the faith of all who rightly can be called Latter-day Saints, because it is essential to understanding why I must speak out against some things I have, just today, heard and seen.


One of the speakers at today’s sessions of Conference was a man named Dallin H. Oaks; this man is part of what we in the Church call The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This organization, we claim, is identical in power and purpose to the Apostles called and sent forth by Jesus Christ Himself in New Testament times. We believe the individuals in this Quorum are “called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.” (The Pearl of Great Price: The Articles of Faith 1:5) We literacy sustain them, each and all, as prophets, seers, and revelators in the Kingdom of God. To us their words are as Peter’s words to the New Testament Church of Christ, or as those of James or John, or Matthew - and we strive to give place in our souls to their words and pattern our lives accordingly. The Twelve Apostles have been a hallmark of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since very early in its history and since the time of the restoration of this organization within the Church there has always been a functioning Quorum of Twelve Apostles within the Church in our time.


Among many things, Dallin H. Oaks, who we often refer to as Elder Oaks, spoke very directly against same-gender marriage; this was not the focus of his teaching, but it was certainly and unambiguously a focal point. Already Elder Oaks’ testimony is being challenged and vilified by those, both without and - more sadly - some within the Church, who support same-gender marriage. The position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pertaining to same-gender marriage is clear, unambiguous, and has been reaffirmed by our leaders publicly many, many times: Marriage, as designed and honored by the Lord, is between one man and one woman. (Though it is beyond the current scope of this writing, if you have questions about how this definition remains true in the context of the practice of polygamy, which has been part of our Church doctrine in earlier days before being suspended long ago and continuing in suspension in our day according to prophetic revelation, feel free to reach out to me and I’ll be happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability.)


While we live on earth people are free to marry according to their various traditions and customs by virtue of the agency God grants each of us, but in eternity the only marriages that endure beyond death and continue throughout the eternities will be those which are entered into within the Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which are begun there under the authority of the Priesthood of God, and which are thereafter sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise through the faithfulness of those who have been sealed. All other marriages of any other type performed outside of the Temple sealing mentioned here above will be, by the Lord’s own plain declaration, disannulled upon the death of one or both married individuals. All same-gender-marriages, since none of them are sanctioned by God, are not eligible for Sealing in the Temple, and cannot, therefore, be entered into under the authority of God’s Priesthood or later sealed by The Holy Spirit of Promise and so will end as the Lord said, in the eternal sense, following the death of one or both of the partners. (Doctrine and Covenants 132:4-18 --- Also, to explore how having one single, absolute requirement from God for marriage that applies to the whole human family is still fair in the face of so many varying traditions that do or have existed in the world, please feel free to reach out to me and I’ll be happy to answer your questions as best I can.)


It is being said by some that regardless of what Elder Oaks says “the god they know” (meaning, the god believed in by those raising the criticism of what Elder Oak’s declared) would never demean same-gender marriage, or say in any way that those now in such unions were doing anything out of line with this god’s will; such expressions were made using various words, but this, tonally, represents them collectively.


The plain Truth is that God has never sanctioned same-gender marriage. God has – repeatedly and without ambiguity – declared by the mouths of His holy prophets that same gender attraction, being felt, is no sin, but that any expression of it in behavior or practice is sin; that standard has not deviated in the least to this day, nor will it in days to come.


Now, lest there be confusion and railing cries accusing me and the Church with which I claim membership of hatred or bigotry against those who feel same-gender attraction, understand there is no animosity towards those in the Church or out of the Church who feel same gender attraction – whether they choose to follow that attraction in the way they live their life according to their own desires or whether they choose to faithfully follow God according to His dictates in denying themselves that which He has forbidden – our love, and God’s love, is equally extended. Any who claim hatred proceeds from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints toward people who feel same-gender attraction or those who participate in various same-gender unions simply doesn’t understand the actual doctrine and policy of the Church.


I write this post for several reasons – the first of which is to declare that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led, through revelation, by Jesus Christ who speaks to and through His chosen servants, of whom Dallin H. Oaks is one, duly authorized, called, and otherwise commissioned by the Lord Jesus to be to us as a watchman upon the tower to make sure that we, the people, know God’s will. What we choose to do with the Lord’s word, given to us by Himself or by His servants is up to us. (Doctrine and Covenants 1:37-38)


The True and Living God has declared, and yet declares, and will always declare the true form of marriage and will warn of the consequences of participation in other forms of marriage that are not authorized by Him. God is not exclusive – He does not say to one person that they may come unto Him and another that they may not, but God does, and always has, set terms – His own terms – as to how all mankind must come unto Him and be saved through faith in Him and in His Son Jesus Christ. You don’t get to decide what counts and what doesn’t – that’s God’s prerogative, and He, in our day, declares and clarifies and reaffirms His will through His prophets, again, of whom Elder Oaks is one.


You may not agree with what he said, you may not like it, it may contradict your mental position and/or your physical position in how you’re choosing to live your life – but your opposition does not, in the least, alter the veracity of what He has taught this day.


The forepart of the book of Doctrine and Covenants, one of the sacred texts of Latter-day Saints, contains warnings from Jesus Christ, prophetically communicated to and through the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. way back in 1831 that are startlingly pertinent to these things:


“And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth. And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant; They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:13-16)


Those who speak of a God who would never speak against same-gender marriage in any particular are incriminated by this verse, for they refuse the Lord’s own teaching, they ignore the voice of His servants “given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.” (The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ: 2 Nephi 32:7) Such people, especially those who belong or have belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have literally “strayed from [God’s] ordinances, and have broken [His] everlasting covenant”. They are further accused because they, in upholding standards of their own making, in which thing they are refusing to honor God’s revealed position on same-gender marriage, “seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness”, which is to say they do what they want without regard to building up God’s revealed counsel. Perhaps the strongest criticism the Lord raises against such individuals who rebel against him is that all such individuals “[walk in their] own way, and after the image of [their] own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.” There’s far more religious symbolism there than is in our present purpose to explicate, but the main message is clear: Imagining up a god of your own fashioning, in whom you choose to repose your trust, who agrees with all your positions and honors whatsoever lifestyle you choose, is not sanctioned by the Living God and such a course will ultimately fail in actually producing eternal happiness for those who have misplaced their faith in what, at the last, amounts to no more than the idols of the ancients – a god who cannot speak or hear or move, one without power to save or to deliver, one who will – with all falsehoods of all varieties – fall when God comes down in judgment upon the world. (Doctrine and Covenants 1:35-36)


I speak in warning, not to engender fear, but to declare that God speaks – and He speaks clearly and without equivocation to those who speak in opposition to His word. You are free to believe what you want, and to live how you want all the days of your mortal life, accepting whatever outcomes that result from your so doing along the way as long as you're here, but you are not free to deny the consequences of eternal law that will, ultimately, come to you. God has spoken and He now speaks through His chosen leaders, including Elder Oaks – and how you respond to that counsel and command will, in large measure, come to determine your eternal destiny.


To those who feel same-gender attraction, particularly to those who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I commend you for your faith – your incredible and amazing faith – in choosing to follow God and heed the counsel of His prophets, even in this thing that is so deeply difficult for you. God will, by His own power, whether soon or late, open the way for you to receive all the blessings available to any of His children who exercise faith in Him, keep His commandments, and obey His ordinances, enduring in faith to the end.


Hear now these words, familiar to Latter-day Saints, spoken by the Lord as both an encouraging promise to the faithful and stern warning to those who reject His words: “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:38) Again, God is not exclusive – He does not deny any that would come to Him or receive of either the full-measure or any portion of His love, but He – not we – sets the terms to which we must comply if we would receive of Him the Promise.


"Ye simple souls who stray
Far from the path of peace,
That lonely, unfrequented way
To life and happiness,
Why will ye folly love,
And throng the downward road.
And hate the wisdom from above,
And mock the sons of God?"


“Come unto Him all ye depressed,
Ye erring souls whose eyes are dim,
Ye weary ones who long for rest.
Come unto Him! Come unto Him!”

(Hymns, Nos. 118 and 114, 1985 Edition)