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We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
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God will reveal many great and important things, such a hopeful thing to proclaim.
Since this blog is specifically by and for queer Latter-day Saints, how about we say that God will reveal many great and important things for queer people.
The Articles of Faith teach that we have a prophet, someone who acts as a spokesperson for God. What is our prophet revealing about queer people?
God loves His children and wants them to have joy.
He announced at BYU that homosexual immorality would be treated in the eyes of the Church in the same manner as heterosexual immorality, no longer would it be treated as much worse with heavier consequences.
He also used the terms gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender.
President Nelson also oversaw changes to the Handbook to soften things said about gay people and to provide more opportunities for them to be involved.
While these are incredibly small steps, they are steps forward toward more inclusion.
During President Nelson's term, the Handbook has undergone two major transformations regarding trans people, and it's interesting how much these two versions contradict each other, which makes me think they are still working their way through things and we'll see more big changes again in a few years.
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I want to point out that the ninth Article of Faith does not say that it's the prophet who will reveal the many great and important things. Queer people are getting these revelations for ourselves. What are things being revealed to queer people? Here's a few things I regularly hear from queer people:
Being queer isn't offensive to God
I was intended to be this way from before my mortal existence
God's love for us isn't contingent on our choices
God's okay with me dating and seeking a relationship
God is okay with me not dating and remaining alone
God is okay with me stepping away from this church
God is fine with me staying in the church, but it's not required, it's my choice
Each step I take forward in my transition feels right and good
When I die I won't suddenly become not queer
No one comprehends what heaven is like but we will be okay
God recognizes the queerphobic circumstances we live in and how hard that makes our lives and how that can keep us from joy
God wants us to have joy!
These are all very different from what the LDS Church taught me during my youth. Maybe queer people get these messages because they directly affect us and maybe because we are sincerely persistent in wanting answers that pertain to us.
Think about what you've learned from God about yourself, your path, and your future as a queer person, these are great and important things!
Queer Christians are on a whole other level. Queer Christians have faith you can't even understand. Queer Christians know God in such a deep and special way. Someone who realizes they're queer and STAYS a Christian has such a powerful belief in God and such an intimate acquaintance with His goodness. I wish homophobic, transphobic, conservative fundamentalist evangelicals could grasp even a tiny bit of the joy and peace and love that I experience through my QUEER relationship with God.