I am a 24 year old male who has been and still is living with same sex attractions. I have recently begun to feel a pull towards The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but feel that I may not be truly welcomed as I did have sexual relations with another man for 6 months when I was 19. I have been celibate for nearly 5 years this October – and it is something that I wish to continue as the lifestyle that the man I was with was a sad, lonely isolated one.
Will the fact that I sinned majorly be a set back in being welcomed to the church or will the fact that I am ready to live my life the way Jesus intended help make the transition easier?
7 Responses to “I am a 24 year old male who has been and still is living wit…”
Mario Paz
2011-08-29 03:08:24
Hi Nathan. I was very happy to learn that you're interested in the LDS church. The teachings of Christ I've received in the Church are transforming my life, and I naturally get excited when I meet someone like yourself who is just now beginning the same transformative journey. God be with you during the process.
If you've repented of past mistakes, the Lord remembers them no more. Furthermore, a person's sins are private, between the sinner, God, and, in some cases, an ecclesiastical leader who helps the sinner connect with God. There's no reason the other members of your congregation would even need to know about your past sins. Even if they somehow were to learn of your history, what right would they have to judge, especially given that you've changed your ways?
Pamela Dean Bonta
2011-09-06 11:47:30
Nathan, The church has stated that *any* sexual activity outside of the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman is sin. You have been celibate for five years. I see no reason why you would not be eligible to any blessings that are available to any other single, celibate adult within the church. For example, an openly gay male - his own words - who has been celibate for a year was just called as a Ward Executive Clerk. He apaprently net with church officials and made the commitment to remain celibate and chaste, which is exactly the same commitment heterosexual members make when they accept callings.
John Jeremiah Conroy
2011-09-04 18:33:47
Jesus Christ is central to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which bears His name.
The blood of Jesus Christ thru the atonement washes away our sins. If we confess our sins he is faithful to cleanse us all from unrighteousness. Thru forgiveness of sins and repentance the Lord forgives unconditionally. The fact you have gone on with your life forward with Jesus members of the church should always heed the scriptures that teach us to welcome and love one another unconditionally thru Christlike charity love. My lover Robert and I had no sex and the church welcomed us with love unconditionally. My lover was a member of the church. When he passed away the funeral at the church was very special and everyone in the church was unconditional love to my in laws, co workers, and gay friends. My experience with the church was positive. Thats good that you want to go on with the Lord. My the Lord bless you in your walk.
Perhaps you are similiar to Paul who spoke of a thorn in his flesh, but also was told "13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. "
You are mortal like the rest of us, and life is truly a test. Luckily it's an open book test, read the scriptures. ;)
Jeff
2011-08-30 15:31:56
I just wanted to second what Mario Paz said. What's past is past. We've all sinned, and the fact that you've sinned differently than some of us is just a testament to the fact that we're all different.
That having been said, I'm going to give you a nickel's worth of free advice: if you join the Church, don't do it because of the nice, squishy feeling you get when you're with other Latter-day Saints; do it because the Church is true. If you become active in the Church, the day will comeI guarantee itthat someone's going to really tick you off. It might be a friend, it might be some random member, it might even be a Church leader. It's inevitable in any group of people you spend time with. At that point, you're going to have to make a choice: do I stick around or leave?
You're also going to get bombarded with reasons that other people think the Church isn't true. Again, I can promise you that for every question, for every supposed smoking gun, there's always a fairly simple answer.
The Church really is true, Nathan, but it's not always easy to follow the Savior. If you're doing it for the right reasons and committed to continuing to do so, you'll be fine. :-)
Nathan
2011-08-31 07:15:43
Thank you everyone for taking your time to answer my question.
@ Jeff from Lafayette, Indiana, USA:
I will absolutley take your nickles worth of advice. I know that there are people who join churchs becuase it makes them feel nice and when they come across their first hurdle they bail - for me this isn't about feeling nice, this is about me finding the place where I can truly connect with God and get the direction I feel I am missing in my life.
As for other peoples negative opinions... No one can break my faith and determanation except me.
:-D
John Jeremiah Conroy
2011-09-08 02:28:07
The fact that you have choosen to live the life of Jesus Christ and make a commitment to follow the Lord Jesus Christ will help you on the long run. Relying on the Lord and praying and listening to the spirit of God will help make the transition. You are Heavenly Fathers child and will always belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have a personal testimony by the Holy Ghost that I belong to Heavenly Father and will always be his child. I prayed about ir and I felt the sweet warm prescence of God assureing me that as a gay Mormon the Lord loves me very much and I will always belong to him as his child and son of God.
When I read your message, I immediately thought of another message I recently received from a faithful member of the Church who also experiences same-sex attraction. I've also collected a number of relevant quotes in another article entitled "Heroic Faith: Gay Mormons." I hope you find these links helpful.
If you've repented of past mistakes, the Lord remembers them no more. Furthermore, a person's sins are private, between the sinner, God, and, in some cases, an ecclesiastical leader who helps the sinner connect with God. There's no reason the other members of your congregation would even need to know about your past sins. Even if they somehow were to learn of your history, what right would they have to judge, especially given that you've changed your ways?
Perhaps you are similiar to Paul who spoke of a thorn in his flesh, but also was told "13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. "
(New Testament | 1 Corinthians 10:13)
You are mortal like the rest of us, and life is truly a test. Luckily it's an open book test, read the scriptures. ;)
That having been said, I'm going to give you a nickel's worth of free advice: if you join the Church, don't do it because of the nice, squishy feeling you get when you're with other Latter-day Saints; do it because the Church is true. If you become active in the Church, the day will comeI guarantee itthat someone's going to really tick you off. It might be a friend, it might be some random member, it might even be a Church leader. It's inevitable in any group of people you spend time with. At that point, you're going to have to make a choice: do I stick around or leave?
You're also going to get bombarded with reasons that other people think the Church isn't true. Again, I can promise you that for every question, for every supposed smoking gun, there's always a fairly simple answer.
The Church really is true, Nathan, but it's not always easy to follow the Savior. If you're doing it for the right reasons and committed to continuing to do so, you'll be fine. :-)
@ Jeff from Lafayette, Indiana, USA:
I will absolutley take your nickles worth of advice. I know that there are people who join churchs becuase it makes them feel nice and when they come across their first hurdle they bail - for me this isn't about feeling nice, this is about me finding the place where I can truly connect with God and get the direction I feel I am missing in my life.
As for other peoples negative opinions... No one can break my faith and determanation except me.
:-D