Put Paid to the Lie: Equal Treatment of LDS LGB's

(Rather than accept the terminology widely accepted by gay persons themselves, the LDS Church typically uses its own term to describe LGB persons, “Same Sex Attracted,” or (SSA). In this post I will generally eschew the label placed upon our LGB brothers and sisters by the Church, and simply use the more common “LGB,” or “gay.”)

Recently, in the midst of a conversation about gay relatives, a co-worker casually mentioned that the Church treats its “same sex attracted” members in exactly the same way it treats its heterosexual members. It is a sentiment that we have heard from LDS leaders and publications, from friends and family, and on social media. The Church, it is said, only holds its SSA members to the same standards as it does its hetero members[i]—all are expected to be equally obedient to the law of chastity. This, according to many a sincere believer, is equal treatment for LGB and hetero members.

Let’s put paid to that lie right now.

"Speaking as a man" is not a good defense

When a General Authority of the LDS Church is discovered to have taught something that in retrospect turns out to be nonsense, one possible apologetic tactic is to suggest that he was “speaking as a man” and not as a prophet (apostle, etc.). In this post I suggest that this tactic ought to be deeply unsatisfactory to the LDS faithful, in that the “speaking as a man” defense means precisely the same thing as claiming the he was teaching “the philosophies of men mingled with scripture,” which is, in Mormonism, a central characteristic of apostate religions.