"you will [be resurrected] with normal attractions for the opposite sex"

[MikeWaters]

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13377659?IA...www.sltrib.com

Elder Bruce C. Hafen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, spoke at the 19th annual conference of Evergreen International, a nonprofit group that helps Mormons "overcome homosexual behavior" and "diminish same-sex attraction." The event was held at the LDS Church's Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.

Hafen promised attendees, "If you are faithful, on resurrection morning -- and maybe even before then -- you will rise with normal attractions for the opposite sex."

Hafen spent a large portion of his talk, held during a Sunday-like service, criticizing the gay-rights movement and denying a biological link to sexual orientation. Same-sex attraction is "not in your DNA," he said.

[RedHeadGal]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13377659?IA...www.sltrib.com

oh no he didn't.

wow. I'd be fascinated to know the authority for this little gem.

[MikeWaters]

So you are gay on earth, have gay sex, die, get resurrected, go to hell.

And there you are in hell, with a hard on for women, knowing you are in hell for doing something that you now find absolutely disgusting.



Or to put it another way, now you are in the Telestial or Terrestrial Kingdom, all revved up, and nowhere to go.

These guys just can't win!

[Valentinus1]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13377659?IA...www.sltrib.com

This guy is a joke. I'm not Mormon or even a conservative Christian and I think this guy is lame.

Just out of curiosity...how does your church choose its leadership? Is there a anti-idiot test that can be taken?

Valentinus

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Valentinus1

This guy is a joke. I'm not Mormon or even a conservative Christian and I think this guy is lame.

Just out of curiosity...how does your church choose its leadership? Is there a anti-idiot test that can be taken?

Valentinus

sort of like a test that weeds out idiots who register for two gmail accounts and two usernames on this site?

[MikeWaters]

Here's why I don't get: why can't the GA promise that faithful gay men will have their same sex attraction removed in THIS life, if they draw close to the Lord and repent?

If it's non-biological, why do they have to wait until the next life? Seems like a mixed message to me. On the one hand, it's non-biological, but on the other hand, it takes an act of God in the afterlife to remove it.

Some Mormons believe that all children born in the covenant will eventually return to the fold, whether in this life or the next. It's been said by GAs. It doesn't really make sense, per our doctrine, but it is a comforting idea. In some ways, this promise to gays fits the same category. Everything will be ok and normal in the next life. Do your best in this life.

I don't have a problem with this GA. At least he's getting in the ring and dealing with the topic. Do I think, at this time, that what he is saying is thus saith the Lord? No. Might we hear something different from someone else later? Yes. And that's ok. These are men, which are imperfect creatures, trying to make sense of a complicated world.

[MikeWaters]

I want to add one more thing:

Removing homosexuality from the list of "mental illnesses" definitely had a political element to it. A psychiatrist I know, that was around at that time, told me about it, briefly. That particular convention was apparently in Dallas, and he talked about the demonstrations and such. Usually in science, we don't have demonstrations. It wasn't simply a matter of crunching numbers and presenting results and everyone voted "aye."

Now having said that, I think time has demonstrated that it was the correct decision. And you would be hard-pressed to find any psychiatrist who feels like it should be considered a mental illness.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I want to add one more thing:

Removing homosexuality from the list of "mental illnesses" definitely had a political element to it. A psychiatrist I know, that was around at that time, told me about it, briefly. That particular convention was apparently in Dallas, and he talked about the demonstrations and such. Usually in science, we don't have demonstrations. It wasn't simply a matter of crunching numbers and presenting results and everyone voted "aye."

Now having said that, I think time has demonstrated that it was the correct decision. And you would be hard-pressed to find any psychiatrist who feels like it should be considered a mental illness.

Although I might agree with you, that the former characterization of homosexuality as a mental illness to be erroneous, the methodology employed to have it removed, as I recall them, is not one of which the profession should be proud. Those polarized protests didn't lend a whole lot of credence to the scientific presentations.

[SeattleUte]

I think people who follow BYU law school consider Hafen to have been no Rex Lee.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

I think people who follow BYU law school consider Hafen to have been no Rex Lee.

He was not of Rex's caliber but few will be. However, Dean Hafen was not incompetent and IMHO, better than the current nomination in terms of credentials and experience. I'm not speaking of Professor Gordon but the current flavor of the month. The new appointment seems to be really watered down fare. Dean Rasband. http://www.law2.byu.edu/news/item.php?num=400 There's nothing terribly wrong with him, Harvard law grad, Judge Wallace clerk and a few years at Perkins Coie, but there's nothing that compares with Rex Lee and the school seems to be going in the opposite direction. Instead of procuring more prestigious professors, we seem to have less and less.