I Thought This Was Funny

I am also from a three brothers family, lol.

Emails With My Brother

   So this is a back and forth email I had with my older Brother (I have changed our true names in this post).

(ME)
This was good

http://irresistibledisgrace.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/what-every-faithful-same-sex-attracted-member-of-the-church-must-know/


(My Older Brother)
Garet,

 I read this article and after reading the first quotation in it I jotted down some thoughts.  I have since read the remainder of the article, but I feel what I wrote is still relevant notwithstanding the author's additional comments.

"These young men and you women must come to realize that they will not be able to achieve life’s purpose, as the church and its leaders have revealed it."

 This simply is not true.  This life is not the end.  No one was intended to be perfect (meaning "whole" or "complete") in this life.  We also teach that God wants every soul to hear the Gospel message, yet for thousands of years the good news of His plan never reached the ears of billions of his children.  They were forced to wait until after this life to accept the Gospel, to take part in essential ordinances.  They had to live lonely lives filled with confusion and uncertainty, but many of them did the best given their circumstances.  But God included in his plan a pathway for them to receive all the same blessings as those of our generation who have heard the Gospel message and responded to God's call.  Mortality does not afford equal treatment.  It never has.  Every man or woman who enters this world will face different trials and be afforded different blessings along the way.  Jesus Christ, our brother, has provided his Atonement to make up for these extreme discrepancies, and things like temple work, the Millennium, the Spirit World, and so forth, are proffered for us so that we can enjoy the same blessings God desires for all his children.  Is it fair that one man was born with perfect health, into a functioning family, with financial stability,  growing up with the Restored Gospel, while another was born blind with a serious heart condition, into a broken home, in poverty, and with the belief that God was a hateful, vindictive being, without a knowledge of his love?  I think not.  And yet it happens all the time.  But God never asks anyone to endure something that they cannot endure with the resources given them.  For those who know of the Restored Gospel, we have the Atonement to carry us through life's trials.
 Garet, this life is not permanent.  It is a trial period.  Many seem to treat this life as if everything must be made perfect and that everything must be resolved here and now.  This is simply not true.  Many saints have endured the trials of hell in this life.  It is hard, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  The remarkable thing—which never ceases to amaze me—is that we as human beings, and more importantly children of God, are somehow capable of making it through the very harshest treatment life has to offer.
 Garet, there is a third position no one wants to discuss.  There are too many voices condemning and marginalizing righteous men and women who experience same-gender attraction.  They seem to classify such righteous people as lesser beings.  There are others who are accepting and loving of those with SGA, who accept such persons for who they are and tell them that they are justified and supported in whatever actions they choose to take.  They seem to classify persons with SGA as the exception, and that the covenants and teachings of the Church either don't apply or are incorrect.  But why should you be the exception?  As missionaries we never permitted people to be baptized if they were not living as they should to be baptized.  The truth is that men and women with same-gender attraction are just as righteous and worthy as any other human being.  They deserve the same respect and love that others do.  But you can and should live up to the covenants and teachings that God has decreed.  And it is not too hard.  No it is not.  You are equal to the task.  God will help you.  But if you hang on to the notion that you can somehow enjoy the fruits of the Gospel while not intending to fully abide by its fundamental precepts, if you value your sexuality over the Gospel, then you will in the end tread the loneliest of roads—one without the full presence of God in your life.  Don't get me wrong—his arm always remains outstretched, and he always seems to occupy whatever niche we leave for him in our lives.  But it will never be the same as when you are fully committed to following him.
 I know you are capable.  I know you are strong.  I know you can do this.  That you experience this challenge in your life bespeaks the fortitude of which you are capable, for God would never have left you with the task of living as a Latter-day Saint experiencing same-gender attraction were you not one of his most stalwart sons.  I regret that there aren't more voices out there that actually encourage men and women with SGA to live the Gospel.  For what it's worth, I want to encourage you, Garet.  I want for you to be able to live a full life.  For each one of us that will mean something somewhat different, but the one constant in all these differences is the Gospel, not our sexuality, not our upbringing, not our circumstances.  Those all differ.  But something has got to stand steadfast so we can get our bearings.  Hang on to that rock, Garet.  That's where we can anchor ourselves.  Let that be the first thing in your mind.  Be honest with yourself, yes, but anchor yourself to that.  Things won't always make sense.  But if you hang on and press on they will some day.
 I never intended to spend my morning writing this, but I wanted my dear brother whom I love to hear a different perspective than what all these bloggers seem to offer.  I hope what I have said has been valuable to you in your journey.  Please do keep an open mind to what I've said.  There is a place for you in this Church, Garet, contrary to what the blogging community is saying.  There will always be a place for you.

Your brother,
-Zane

(ME)
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. When I received your email I was still in California and very busy with my recent converts.
   Thank you so much for your love for me, I am very glad I have a brother like you. I do not value my sexuality more than the gospel. The gospel is the center of my life, and always will be.
   The gospel never changes, throughout time it has stayed the same. Christ's church has does and will continue to change. Christ's church is there to help us live the gospel that does not change. the gospel is perfect, Christ church is the closest to perfection we can have in this life.
   Christ's church changes because it is there to help people in this world live the gospel, and people and this world changes.
   This life is a testing period, and is hard at times. But this life is not something to get through. Me marrying someone I am attracted to is not contrary to the gospel or God's plan.
   I still am open to the possibility of marrying a woman, but if I do it will be so I can retain my membership in the church, be able to hold callings and be able to attend the temple. Not because I believe gay marriage to be wrong.
   I love you Zane, thanks for caring about me.

(ME) by the way, in case you were doubting it, I will always be active in the church no matter who I marry.

Midnight Epiphany

    Last night I was looking at John's last two blog posts, Can Mormon Theology Accomodate Same-Sex Marriage? (http://youngstranger.blogspot.com/2012/05/can-mormon-theology-accommodate-same.html), and Ward Temple Night (http://youngstranger.blogspot.com/2012/05/ward-temple-night.html). what particularly resonated with me was what happened when he was in the temple lobby. One of the ward members presented the idea of leaving his husband so he could return to the temple and so forth. The thought had crossed his mind before but the spirit reaffirmed to him that to leave his husband would be wrong, that he needed to be patient and forgiving.
    This got me thinking and opened me up to inspiration. Being gay and a member of the church has helped me be more forgiving. There is so much misunderstanding on homosexuality within the church and all around really. Because of this, things are said and done mostly by good well intentioned people that cause me pain, but this gives me the opportunity to forgive, to be compassionate, to be more like Christ and to know him better. Paraphrasing scripture, "when ye see him ye shall know him, for ye shall be like him."
    Being gay and mormon has also helped me be more patient. Patient for answers to prayers, patient for understanding, and the patience to accept that God will make things right and fair in his own time. I went through a lot for a long time before answers understanding and acceptance came to the degree that I now have.
    I believe that being gay and mormon has helped me be more loving and understanding, it has helped me be more open minded and view the world in a different way after I accepted who I was and that that was ok.
    Being gay and a member of the church has increased my understanding of the gospel my testimony of it and and and my trust in the Lord. As with any challenge my relationship with my Heavenly Father has been strengthened.
    Last night when I knelt down to pray, I thanked my Father in Heaven that I am gay. I was filled with the spirit, with my love for my Heavenly Father and his love for me.