Calm down. No one is hating on anyone.

So this blog is a bit on the serious/religious side, but I've noticed a bit of an uproar over Elder Pakcer's talk from General Conference last weekend and I want to talk about it a bit. I thought I must have missed something that was really offensive to gays and lesbians when I listened to it last week, so I read it over. Twice. And this is what I gathered from it.

First and foremost, people need to remember that these aren't the words of the Church or of Elder Packer. They are the words of God (at least that is what we believe). With that said, Elder Packer is pretty strait forward in saying that "any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong." And that "Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so!" Essentially stating that that marriage between husband and wife is ordained of God because it furthers the Plan of God and that God will help us overcome anything in order to further His purpose. Which purpose is to bring about "the Immortality and the Eternal Life of man." He then states "that moral standards cannot be changed by battle and cannot be changed by ballot" and that "regardless of the opposition, we are determined to stay on course. We will hold to the principles and laws and ordinances of the gospel. If they are misunderstood either innocently or willfully, so be it. We cannot change; we will not change the moral standard. We quickly lose our way when we disobey the laws of God. If we do not protect and foster the family, civilization and our liberties must needs perish."

I can see how someone who is gay could find this somewhat offensive, but he in no way said anything that the Church and God do not love people who are gay. Because they most certainly do! He is merely stating that it is a sin (since it is contrary to God's Plan) and that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ they can overcome this temptation in their life. He doesn't say that some people can't be predisposed or have natural tendencies, but he does say that people cannot use a weakness as an excuse not to obey God. If you think that means the Church is taking a stance towards hating gays and lesbians, then the church must also hate those who drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, look at porn, watch rated-R movies, lie, drink mountain dew, have premarital sex, have rude thoughts, and cuss just to name a few. Essentially, if the Church doesn't like gay people then it doesn't like anyone who isn't perfect. And that is just not true. Really, all Elder Packer is saying is that we all have agency, the ability to choose, and if we follow God and Christ then we can overcome any temptation, sin, or disposition. We can do what our Heavenly Father wants of us only if we want to do it. He ends by saying that we believe what we believe and that we will not falter in those beliefs, no matter what. Basically, the truth of God is the truth God whether or not the world wants to hear it.

I don't want this to sound disrespectful or condescending in any way, because I know that I have disagreed with and been frustrated by things in the past that have been said at General Conference. I didn't like the things that were said because they were things I didn't want to hear. I soon realized that the purpose of listening to the Prophets of God speak wasn't to hear what I agreed with or what I wanted to hear but rather what I needed to hear, what I needed to hear in order to follow God's plan so that I could find happiness in this life and return to Him some day. I believe that these words of Elder Packer have created a stir not because they are "hateful" or from a "bigot" as some have said, but rather because the truth is hard for us to hear when it means we are wrong. It might be hard to hear things that go against our own thoughts and opinions, but it allows us to know God's will and therefore submit to His will by allowing us to choose His Path through the use of our agency. This is true love, to tell us the truth so we can return to God, even if it hurts our feelings.

In the end God loves us all, no matter who we are or what we do, and he wants all of us to be happy and return to Him. Therefore, he will always show us how to achieve that goal, even if it means telling us things that we don't want to hear. I know that God has called a Prophet and 12 Apostles to help lead and guide us towards our savior Jesus Christ. And I know that if we will trust in them, thereby trusting in God, and follow the Spirit, then we will be happy in this life and in the life to come.

So please calm down everyone. There is no hating going on here. Rather, the path towards God has just been illuminated a little better.