The Etiology of Homosexuality
from
Authoritative Latter-day Saint
Perspectives, 1879-2006
"For
centuries men have sought the cause of this condition. It is an essential step in developing a
cure."
Apostle
Boyd K. Packer, "To the One", March 5, 1978
"For there is never a proper end to reasoning which proceeds on a false foundation...."
Cicero, De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods), Book I, Chap. XXXVII
Years
before Joseph Smith organized the "Church of Christ" (now the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS or Mormon) on April 6, 1830, Smith claimed
special prophetic abilities that gave him access to divine wisdom and knowledge. Smith was the first to be proclaimed as
a "Prophet, Seer, and Revelator" for the LDS Church, and thereafter each of
Smith's successors to the presidency of the LDS Church has also held that same
divinatory title. In addition,
every single member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church
since 1830s has also held those visionary titles (some 92 men in all, as of
2006). Note that in addition to the
traditional scriptures of other Judeo-Christian religions, Mormons also believe
in two additional sets of allegedly ancient scripture, The Book of Mormon and The Pearl of Great Price, and in one set of modern scriptures (mainly
revelations from God received by Joseph Smith) called The Doctrine and
Covenants. In these several hundred pages of additional Mormon
revelations that guide the modern church, not only is no causality for
homosexuality found, in fact there is no mention of homosexuality whatsoever (or
archaic terms like sodomy or even the "crime against nature"). This lack of scriptural precedence,
ancient or modern, has left the LDS hierarchy hard pressed to come up with a
definitive understanding of homosexuality, especially its cause(s) and
cure(s). Since as early as 1879,
and until as recently as September 2006, they have relentlessly tried, though,
to offer to their members an etiology.
Over the past fifteen years however, the answer has become more
frequently "it is not known", despite the revelatory and divinatory callings of
these men within their church.
The
spoken and written words of these male priesthood authorities (all of whom have
been white and apparently heterosexual as well) when officially published by
the church, are
considered by the faithful to be as theologically binding and authoritatively
applicable as any ancient scripture, Jewish or Christian. Ironically, bisexually- and
homosexually-inclined men have participated in the highest LDS councils since
Assistant President of the Church and General in the Nauvoo Legion, John Cook
Bennett, gave out military rank to men in the Legion in exchange for sexual
favors with him in the 1840s. However, only twice in the 1800s did an
LDS apostle denounce "the crime against nature" over the pulpit; both times
offering his prophetic understanding of the etiology of homosexuality as
well. In 1879, Apostle George Q.
Cannon, a polygamist with seven wives, became the first Mormon authority to
proclaim a cause for homosexuality: in his polygamous viewpoint, the "false
tradition" of heterosexual monogamy was the culprit; apparently if men were
legally and socially allowed multiple female spouses, they would not seek
sexual gratification with other males out of boredom with a single wife. Almost twenty years later Cannon again
offered "crimes against nature" (by which he clearly meant homosexuality) as
being caused by contagion. Nearly another eighty years went by
before another Mormon apostle ventured to divine the etiology of homosexuality
in a public (and therefore scripturally-binding) manner.
From
1964 until September 2006, Mormon officials have delivered more than one
hundred speeches and published dozens of pamphlets on homosexuality; nearly
fifty of those published statements offer a different - and often confusing or
even contradictory - cause or causes of homosexuality. As Apostle Boyd Packer stated in 1978,
finding "the cause of this conditionÉis an essential step in developing a
cure." Homosexuality is
categorically eschewed by Mormonism and doctrinally, homosexuality does not and
cannot exist. Mormonism proclaims a thoroughly
heterosexual god with multiple heterosexual wives (referred to collectively in folk
Mormonism as a "Heavenly Mother"; the male god Elohim and his wives are referred
to as the "heavenly parents" of humanity). These heavenly parents are a paradigm of Mormon perfection
that is specifically and exclusively
heterosexual. Through the
atonement of Jesus Christ and sacerdotal apotheosis, righteous (and
heterosexual) Mormon men will gain godhood themselves and go off to other
"empty" parts of the cosmos with their now-godly wives to create and recreate
humanity in a continuous cycle of apotheosis for all of eternity. Therefore Mormon authorities
theologically and cosmologically have more cause than all other religions to
seek out anxiously and earnestly the reason(s) that homosexuality manifests
itself amongst male and female human beings. Eradicating or "curing" same-sex desires and activities is
seen as a theological imperative in order for every Mormon (and potential
Mormon) to obtain this promised godhood.
Yet despite more than 160 years of confronting homosexual activities
among their own leaders and lay members, all Mormon "Prophets, Seers, and
Revelators" have yet to divine or reveal successfully the cause of
homosexuality. Especially in the
past forty years, one LDS authority or another has stated a cause with divine, authoritative
certainty - yet all attempts at "reorientation", cures, therapy, etc. have
yielded only scattered and dubious results at the very best. Ironically Boyd Packer, one of the most
vociferously homophobic of all Mormon apostles who has promoted a mass of
confusing causes of homosexuality, in 1990 was the first to admit that
Mormon authorities might not understand homosexuality at all.
Since
George Q. Cannon's 1879 implication of monogamy as the cause for the "crime
against nature", over thirty causes (or "non-causes" - statements of what does not cause it) of homosexuality have
been identified by various LDS authorities, as revealed in official and
semi-official LDS publications.
They are listed below in order of the number of their occurrences within
the 48 published statements I have found:
Not
genetics, biology, or heredity, (11 times)
Parental
failure, (10)
Disease/Contagion,
(6)
Not
known, (5)
Satanic
influence, (5)
Biology,
(4)
Environment,
(4)
Pornography,
(4)
Combination
of several factors, (3)
Masturbation,
(3)
Molestation
in childhood, (3)
Free
agency, (2)
Selfishness,
(2)
Abnormal,
transgressive affliction, (1)
Aggressive
acts, (1)
Avoiding
domesticity, (1)
Constitutional
predisposition, (1)
Curiosity,
(1)
Ignoring
sex roles, (1)
Learned
behavior, (1)
Monogamy,
(1)
Peer
rejection, (1)
Physical
perversion, (1)
Powerful
inclination, (1)
Proselyting,
(1)
Search
for psychosexual role, (1)
Seductive
fathers, (1)
Social
permissiveness, (1)
Speaking
about it, (1)
Unchecked
appetites, (1)
Unconscious
biological compulsions, (1)
Not
wishing to bombard readers with statistical analysis, which is not my forte in
any case, I hereafter provide just a brief summation of some of the more
interesting points that these statistics show, along with some occasional
historical background. Following
the summation is a fully referenced list of each published statement by an LDS
authority in chronological order, allowing readers to see for themselves the
often confusing, misinformed, mean-spirited, and erroneous conclusions drawn by
men claiming divine insight into the human condition. Although I hope this list of published statements is
exhaustive, I am certain that at least a few did not make it into my analysis
through simple oversight. See
also the appended chart (PDF) showing an overview of the frequencies of these
statements over the years.
In
reviewing the chronological list of statements and the accompanying chart,
revealing patterns start to emerge.
18 of the 31 proposed causes are mentioned only once. Several of these etiologies are blatantly
ridiculous, such as monogamy, aggressive acts, proselyting (much like Mormon missionaries),
seductive fathers, or Boyd Packer's "speaking about it" (which lead him in a 45
minute speech on homosexuality at Brigham Young University to mention the "h
word" only once in his entire talk).
Two
of the most contemptible and destructive theories from LDS authorities are: 1)
that homosexuality is caused by satanic persuasion or encouragement; and 2)
that it spreads contagiously just by the mere physical presence/existence of a
homosexual. Being told that our
desires, attractions, and even feelings of love for another person are
satanically inspired or of a demonic and evil nature, has been spiritually,
emotionally, and psychologically crippling to myself personally and to the
hundreds of other Gay Latter-day Saints I have met since the mid-1980s,
primarily through the international support group Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian
Mormons.
The
belief that homosexuality spreads by physical contagion has even led its
proponents to suggest that the contagious therefore should be either alienated
from the general populace to avoid further contamination, or be utterly
destroyed, in the belief that the destruction of all the homosexuals in one
generation would forever end the existence of homosexuality on earth. That, in fact, is the "divinely
revealed" conclusion that Apostle George Q. Cannon drew in 1897. At October General Conference in Salt
Lake City that year, Cannon first addressed the assembled Latter-day Saints
about Oscar Wilde and his recent trial in England for sodomy, although Cannon
refused to name both Wilde and his crime.
Oscar Wilde had visited Salt Lake City in April 1882 to speak at the
Salt Lake Theatre, and actually been welcomed and entertained by church
president John Taylor (and George Q. Cannon was Taylor's First Counselor);
President Taylor even took Wilde on a private tour of his mansion, the Gardo
House, and of Salt Lake. Now that Wilde was a persona non
grata in acceptable society, Cannon
lashed out at him for "being guilty of a most abominable crime". Speaking of the abominable sins and
crimes which had "caused the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah", Cannon
asked, "How will these be stopped?
Only by the destruction of those who practice them. Why, if a little
nest of them were left that were guilty of these things, they would soon
corrupt others, as some are being corrupted among us." Toward the end of this homophobic
tirade, Cannon, strongly invoking divine authority, asked again,
How can this [sodomy] be
stopped? Not while those who have
knowledge of these filthy crimes exist. The only way, according to all that I
can understand as the word of God, is for the Lord to wipe them out, that there
will be none left to perpetuate the knowledge of these dreadful practices among
the children of men. And God will do it, as sure as He has spoken by the mouths
of His prophets.
Almost
70 years later, the president of church-owned Brigham Young University (BYU),
arch-conservative lawyer Ernest L. Wilkinson, again invoked contagion as the
reason for demanding that all homosexual students then enrolled at BYU
immediately withdraw from matriculation there. Although Wilkinson and other BYU officials met with the two
apostles assigned to deal with homosexuality (Spencer W. Kimball and Mark E.
Petersen) on September 12, 1962 and decided not to address the student-body
publicly about homosexuality "but handle each case on its own", they did decide
"as a general policy that no one will be admitted as a student at the B.Y.U.
whom we have convincing evidence is a homosexual." Three years later, so many homosexual
students had been discovered on campus that Wilkinson decided it was necessary
to go public with the school's anti-Gay admission policy. Therefore in the fall of 1965,
Wilkinson told the entire student-body that BYU did not intend
to admit
to our campus any homosexuals. If
any of you have this tendency and have not completely abandoned it, may I
suggest that you leave the university immediately after this assembly....We do
not want others on this campus to be contaminated by your presence. [emphasis added]
This
speech, ironically titled "Make Honor Your Standard", was published by the
church-owned newspaper, the Deseret News, in its popular LDS "Church News" Sunday supplement.
Two of the more bizarre and confusing addresses on the topic are
Richard G. Scott's 1994 General Conference address, "Making the Right Choices",
and Boyd K. Packer's 1978 BYU address, "To the One". Despite several close readings of
Scott's brief comments on homosexuality, their exact meaning continues to elude
me. The best I can summarize is
that he believes that all "sexual immorality" causes powerful physical and
emotional stimuli, which lead to "an unquenchable appetite", which then
"engenders selfishness" (see discussion of Packer below) and "aggressive acts
such as brutality, abortion, sexual abuse, and violent crime." All these stimuli at last "can lead to
acts of homosexuality, and they are evil and absolutely wrong."
Packer's "To the One" sermon at an ecclesiastical
meeting of all Mormons at BYU in 1978 is the most confusing and
logically-twisted of all LDS speeches on the topic, yet it remains one of the
most influential in current Mormon thought some 30 years later. Haphazardly woven together throughout
the talk, Packer offers six major explanations of the origins of homosexuality
(and a closer reading might reveal a few minor ones) leaving the unaware reader
rather clueless as to what Packer truly believes on the topic. Packer states first that it is an
unnatural, abnormal, transgressive affliction (harkening back to the idea of
its contagiousness). Then he
introduces the idea which I believe has been of the most devastating
consequence to any healthy Gay LDS identity, and that is that "homosexual" is
only an "adjective to describe a temporary condition" - it just describes
fleeting desires and actions; but for Packer - and now for Mormonism - it most
emphatically is not a noun "naming a permanent" condition. This denial of the authenticity of homosexuals (as nouns)
has been at the core of the LDS "cure ministry" since the late 1980s (starting first with the now defunct Phoenix Project and continuing with the ironically misnamed Evergreen International). This theory of Packer has led church leaders to
insist on officially referring to homosexuality as "SSA" (same-sex attraction),
and refusing to call people "homosexuals"; the church now insists that those
who perform homosexual actions are not really "Gay people" but simply
heterosexuals who "suffer from or struggle with SSA". Recent ecclesiastical
addresses have patronizingly referred to "so-called gays and lesbians", the
"so-called gay-lesbian movement", and "those who refer to themselves as
homosexuals". In September 2006,
Apostle Dallin Oaks (the former president of BYU) perfectly echoed Boyd
Packer's theory of adjectivality. When
asked hypothetically what he would tell a son of his who had just come out to
him as Gay, Oaks responded
I think it's important for you [son] to
understand that homosexuality, which you've spoken of, is not a noun that
describes a condition. It's an adjective that describes feelings or behavior. I
encourage you, as you struggle with these challenges, not to think of yourself
as a Ôsomething' or Ôanother,' except that you're a member of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and you're my son, and that you're struggling
with challenges.
After
offering this theory on homosexual non-existence, Packer then weaves into his
BYU address the idea that just speaking about homosexuality can cause it. Thus, even though his entire 4,000-word
address is on homosexuality, he only speaks the word homosexual once - and only as an adjective - ,
describing "the very few, who may be subject to homosexual temptation." Later in the talk Packer explains why "we in the Church
do not talk more openly about this subject....With many things, it is easy - very
easy - to cause the very things we are trying to avoid."
Packer also insists that there is absolutely no inherent, biological or
physiological component to homosexuality, despite "some very convincing
evidence" and the conclusions of "so-called scientific literature". He then brings up the old
molestation-seduction charge: some who "get tangled up in this disorder become
predators," Packer informs. "They
proselyte the young and inexperienced," he says, much as Mormon missionaries
do. Lastly, Packer offers a rather
surprising etiology that "may be hidden because it is so obvious." He knows it is controversial: "I am conscious that when I mention it,
the first reaction may be resistance, resentment, even open hostility - that is
to be expected - but hear me out!
Have you explored the possibility that the cause, when found, will turn
out to be a very typical form of selfishness - selfishness in a very subtle
form?"
Besides
those statements that are deeply confusing, when looking at the group of causes
overall, one notes that some are even blatantly contradictory, such as whether
homosexuality is biological, genetic, and/or hereditary or not. As just noted above, Apostle Packer
insisted there was no biological or physiological aspect to homosexuality. 10 other times, LDS leaders agreed with
Packer. Yet five times LDS
authorities have publicly disagreed with ecclesiastical pronouncements and
admitted there is something biological to homosexuality. Two BYU professors, Reuben W. Rhees and
Donovan E. Fleming, working with rats in the mid-1980s, found they could alter
female rats biologically and these would bear rats who attempted to mate with
other rats of the same sex. Their
findings were announced in the campus-sponsored magazine BYU Today in 1985 and in the campus newspaper in 1987, but I
can find no other academic publication of these findings, which suggests that
perhaps the BYU administration was not pleased and did not encourage them to
publish their findings more broadly, to avoid participation in typical academic debate. Allen E. Bergin, another BYU professor,
stated first in 1973 that homosexuals were "in bondage to the demands of
biological impulses and other stimuli" and slightly clarified his biological
theory in 1988 (see below). And
lastly, A. Dean Byrd, then Assistant Commissioner of LDS Family Services, also
admitted a biological component to homosexuality in 1999.
Further
confusing the subject, some LDS authorities have said that the etiology of
homosexuality is a combination of several different factors, usually citing
things like environment, molestation, and even a biological
predisposition. For example in
1988, Allen Bergin, the BYU psychology professor who was also the director from
1976 to 1980 of the "Values Institute" at BYU (a school- and church-sponsored
and well funded anti-homosexual think tank),
wrote a brief article for the official church magazine, The Ensign, referring to "homosexual inclinations" as being
"caused by some combination of biology and environment." 11 years later, A. Dean Byrd wrote the
homophobic "When a Loved One Struggles with Same-Sex Attraction," also for the Ensign. While
insisting that homosexuality (or "SSA") is neither innate nor genetic, he
emphasizes that what "is clear is that homosexuality results from an
interaction of social, biological, and psychological factors", including
"temperament, personality traits, sexual abuse, familial factors, and treatment
by one's peers."
On
the other hand, in 1987, married LDS clinicians Thomas E. Pritt, PhD and Ann E.
Pritt, MSW, decried in the annual scholarly journal of the Association of
Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) the "misleading perspective" of
some clinicians that "the multiple roots of homosexuality are so diverse that
no clear picture of etiology can be discerned. Different degrees and forms of
homosexuality exist, and no one explanation fits all the data." They responded,
Contrary
to this view, one can find many common threads that have relevance to both the
evolution of homosexuality and its perpetuation. Homosexuals may be different
in appearance, some being more masculine and some more feminine. Their sexual
behaviors may vary. Nevertheless, they are the same in that all are seeking
something through the medium of social, emotional, and sexual interchanges with
others of their own sex. Whether macho or effeminate or anywhere in between,
whatever the combination of their physical endowment and social learning
history, all have arrived at the same place and seek essentially the same
thingÑa continuing interest in and need for others of their own sex.
Despite
this audacious claim for a single etiology, their own "revelatory" church leaders
over the decades have consistently been unable to arrive at any definitive
etiological conclusion and most recently generally admit that they don't understand
homosexuality at all. Yet for the
Mormon Church, homosexuality officially remains intrinsically sinful, and
unacceptable legally, socially, and doctrinally. The 30 plus explanations of LDS authorities remind me of a
blindfolded person trying to shoot a mosquito with a shotgun. Wildly aiming in as many different
directions as possible, they hope one day to actually strike the mosquito with
a random shotgun pellet. Only
recently do they seem to acknowledge the fruitlessness (no pun intended) of
this quest. Since five LDS
authorities have now claimed as of 1990 that the cause of homosexuality is not
known by the church's "prophets, seers, and revelators", perhaps their church
will begin a new phase of divinatory inquiry where they leave behind their
quest for a cause and a "cure" and instead begin seriously to ask what gifts
and other benefits do Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Latter-day Saints have to
share with their church, and how can the authenticity and reality of a Gay
presence in the church be accommodated in an otherwise overtly heterosexual
Latter-day Saint theology.
CHRONOLOGY OF WHAT MORMON AUTHORITIES HAVE SAID
The
following are quotations from LDS authorities who have publicly spoken on the
etiology of homosexuality. In bold
is a summation of their argument, followed by the authorities name, his
position in the LDS Church, the date of the statement, and the reference. Their statements are then quoted in
italics. The entries are in
chronological order.
Monogamy
April
6, 1879, Journal of Discourses,
vol. 20, p. 200
"I
consider our false tradition upon this subject [of monogamy] one of the
greatest evils at the present time that exists upon the earth. It has come down
to us from the Greeks and Romans, than whom a more abominable lot of people
never lived upon the earth. To read their books is enough to make a man with
the least feeling of modesty blush and be ashamed of his raceÉ. Not only
crimes, but crimes against nature were justified by some of the best and most
noted of Greek philosophers, and were practiced by Sophocles, Socrates, and
others; and yet this is the philosophy that has come down to us."
Contagion
requiring destruction of the contagious
George
Q. Cannon, 1st Counselor in First Presidency
October
1897, Report of the 68th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
65-66
"If
we may believe that which is told to us, without going into researches
ourselves, it and other kindred wickedness, is far too common. The same sin
that caused the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah! This and other
abominable crimes are being practiced. How will these be stopped? Only by the
destruction of those who practice them. Why, if a little nest of them were left
that were guilty of these things, they would soon corrupt others, as some are
being corrupted among us. In coming to these mountains we hoped to find a place
where we could live secluded from the abominations of Babylon. But here in this
secluded place wickedness intrudes itself, and is practiced in this land which
we have dedicated to the Lord as a land of Zion! How can this be stopped? Not
while those who have knowledge of these filthy crimes exist. The only way,
according to all that I can understand as the word of God, is for the Lord to
wipe them out, that there will be none left to perpetuate the knowledge of
these dreadful practices among the children of men. And God will do it, as sure
as He has spoken by the mouths of His prophets."
Malady
[disease] brought on by lack of self-mastery
Spencer
W. Kimball, Apostle
July
10, 1964, "A Counseling Problem in the Church" - BYU Devotional for LDS
Seminary & Institute Instructors
"The
cure for this malady [homosexuality] lies in self-mastery".
Contagion
BYU
does not intend "to admit to our campus any homosexuals. If any of you
have this tendency and have not completely abandoned it, may I suggest that
you leave the university
immediately after this assembly; and if
you will be honest enough to let us know the reason, we will voluntarily refund your tuition. We do
not want others on this campus to be contaminated by your presence."
1)
Masturbation
2)
Satanic incitement leads to it and then into
bestiality
3)
Not born with it; made in God's image and God is
not homosexual
4)
Parental failure
"Crime
Against Nature", chapter six of The Miracle of Forgiveness, (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft) 1969, pp. 77-78, 85
"Thus
prophets anciently and today condemn masturbation....While we should not regard
this weakness as the heinous sin which some other sexual practices are, it is
of itself bad enough to require sincere repentance. What is more, it too often leads to grievous sin, even to
that sin against nature, homosexuality.
For, done in private, it evolves often into mutual masturbation -
practiced with another person of the same sex - and then into total
homosexuality." [77-78]
"Sin
in sex practices tends to have a Ôsnowballing' effect. As the restraints fall
away, Satan incites the carnal man to ever-deepening degeneracy in his search
for excitement until in many instances he is lost to any former consideration
of decency. Thus it is that
through the ages, perhaps as an extension of homosexual practices, men and
women have sunk even to seeking sexual gratification with animals." [78]
"Many
have been misinformed that they are powerless in the matter, not responsible
for the tendency, and that God Ômade them that way'. This is as untrue as any other of the diabolical lies Satan
has concocted. It is blasphemy. Man is made in the image of God. Does the pervert think God to be Ôthat
way'?" [85]
"Sometimes
not heavenly but earthly parents get the blame. Granted that certain conditions make it easier for one to
become a pervert, the second Article of Faith teaches that a man will be
punished for his own sins. He can,
if normal, rise above the frustrations of childhood and stand on his own feet."
[85]
Pornography
and television
Victor
L. Brown Sr., 2nd Counselor in Presiding Bishopric
April
4, 1970, Conference Reports, April
1970, p. 31
"The
chief psychiatrist at one of Washington's largest hospitals says, ÔA normal 12-
or 13-year-old boy or girl exposed to pornographic literature could develop
into a homosexual'....[Recounts story of a minister performing a same-sex
marriage for two men, which was reported on TV.] Who is responsible for this
moral decay? The children? Hardly.
It is we adults, those of us who permit the sale of filth on our
newsstands and also permit the broadcasting of it over airways."
1)
Curiosity
2)
Curable despite Satanic lies
3)
Not born
"New
Horizons for Homosexuals", church-published pamphlet, 1971, pp. 3 and 11
"Some
begin the ruinous practice of perversion through curiosity and then become
entangled in its tentacles." [p. 3]
"One
of Satan's strongest weapons is to make the victim believe the practice incurable
regardless of one's effort....Satan tells his victims that it is a natural way of life; that it is normal; that perverts are a different kind of people born
Ôthat way' and that they cannot change. This is a base
lie.....Many...authorities in the field have proclaimed that homosexuality,
like fornication, adultery, robbery, and other detestable sins is curable." [p.
11]
Spreads
like a prairie fire (contagion)
Delivered
April 3, 1971, "Voices of the Past, of the Present, of the Future, Ensign, June 1971, p. 16
"There
are said to be millions of perverts who have relinquished their natural
affection and bypassed courtship and normal marriage relationships. This
practice is spreading like a prairie fire and changing our world. They are
without Ônatural affection' for God, for spouses, and even for children."
Ignoring
differences between the sexes and sex-roles
Demonic
inspiration
Bernard P. Brockbank, Assistant to the Council of Twelve
"The Ten Commandments", Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 61
"Fornication
and homosexual acts are inspired by the devil and are grievous sins in the
sight of God."
Unconscious,
compulsive biological impulses
Dr.
Allen E. Bergin (Psychology, BYU)
"Toward
a Theory of Human Agency", Ensign, July
1973, p. 33
"Some
homosexuals, for example, seem to be compulsively driven to frequent and
sometimes bizarre acts that they say occur without the mediation of conscious
intent. The act once repeated, the motivation behind it can become so powerful
that one is literally in bondage to the demands of biological impulses and
related stimuli."
Childhood
seduction/molestation
Dr.
Lindsay M. Curtis, M.D.
"Why
does the Church oppose homosexuality? Why is it wrong?", Ensign, July 1974, p. 14
"There
is harm in homosexuality. Many homosexuals seek to introduce others into their
practice, often those in their tender, impressionable years."
Pornography,
among others
October
4, 1974,"God Will Not Be Mocked", Ensign, Nov. 1974, p. 4
"Every
form of homosexuality is sin. Pornography is one of the approaches to that
transgression."
Poor examples set
by parents and community leaders
N.
Eldon Tanner, 1st Counselor in the First Presidency
October
6, 1974, "Why Is My Boy Wandering Tonight?", Ensign, Nov. 1974, p. 84
"Many
are in the wilderness because of following the poor example set by leaders in
homes and communities. Traffic in this area is most congested and confusing.
Pornography, fornication, adultery, and homosexuality are permitted and
practiced in the world today to such an extent that we are truly following the
ways of Sodom and Gomorrah. There is too much corruption in the world. We need
strong leaders of good character in all placesÑleaders who are examples of
integrity, dependability, and righteousness."
1) Seductive Fathers
2) Avoidance of
Domesticity
Dr.
Robert D. Card, M.D.
"Counseling
the Homosexual in a Private Practice Setting", AMCAP (Association of Mormon
Counselors and Psychotherapists) annual journal, Vol. 1, no. 1,1975, pp. 10-13
Card's
definition of male homosexuality was "a conditioned avoidance of an adult
female in a domestic setting".
According to Card, Lesbianism is caused when "the husband or father
has been covertly seductive, buying the girl slinky dresses and all sort of
things and at the same time the girl cannot relate to the mother". As to "curing" homosexuality,
he said that, "I'm afraid that the measure of success that I'm looking for
is marriage".
Lack
of parental affection
"Children
learn how to love in a stable, healthy family. Parents need to know that lack
of proper affection in the home can result in unnatural behavior in their
children such as homosexuality or inability to be an effective parent when the
time comes."
Environmental
influences
Gordon
B. Hinckley, Apostle
October
1975, "Opposing Evil", Ensign,
November 1975, p. 38
Speaking
about a young Gay man who had recently visited Hinckley, he said, "We talked of
the influences that had put him where he is, of the home from which he came, of
associations with other young men, of books and magazines read, of shows seen."
Failure
in parenting
J.
Richard Clarke, 2nd Counselor in Presiding Bishopric
April
1977, "Ministering to Needs through LDS Social Services", Ensign, May 1977, p. 85
[Read
a letter from a self-hating Gay man who had a poor relationship with his
father.]
"It
should go without saying that many of these problems would be alleviated if
parents would spend more time teaching and rearing their children. Related to
the story that I gave at the beginning of my talk is evidence of a clinical
researcher who, after studying 850 individual cases, stated: "Homosexuality
would not occur where there is a normal, loving father-and-son relationship."
Any of our people living in righteousness would normally avoid being involved
in these problems."
Social
permissiveness and parental failure
"The
growing permissiveness in modern society gravely concerns us. Certainly our
Heavenly Father is distressed with the increasing inroads among his children of
such insidious sins as adultery and fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism,
abortions, pornography, population control, alcoholism, cruelty expressed in
wife-beating and child-abuse, dishonesty, vandalism, violence, and crime
generally, including the sin of living together without marriage.
"We
call upon our Church members everywhere to renew their efforts to strengthen
the home and to honor their parents, and to build better communications between
parent and child.
Aren't
born but "made"
Mark
E. Petersen, Apostle
January
14, 1978, "The strong delusions", Church News, p. 16
A
1977 Sacramento Bee article "gave expert evidence that homosexuals certainly are
not born - they are made - further defusing claims that they Ôcan't help it.'"
1)
An unnatural, abnormal, transgressive affliction
2)
A curable, temporary adjective, not a permanent
noun
3)
Speaking about it can cause it
4)
The young and inexperienced can be proselyted into
it
5)
There is no physiological component to it
6)
Caused by selfishness
Boyd
K. Packer, Apostle
March
5, 1978, "To the One" pamphlet of BYU Twelve Stake Fireside address, published
in 1978 by "Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints"
Finding
"the cause of this condition" is "an essential step in developing a cure."
(1)
"It is not desirable; it is unnatural; it is abnormal; it is an
affliction. When practiced, it is
immoral. It is a transgression."
(p. 2)
(2)
"I accept that word [homosexual] as an adjective to describe a temporary
condition. I reject is a noun
naming a permanent one." (p. 2)
(3)
The "reason why we in the Church do not talk more openly about this
subject"...is because "with many things, it is easy - very easy - to cause the
very things we are trying to avoid." (p. 3)
(4)
"Some who become tangled up in this disorder become predators. They proselyte the young or the
inexperienced." (pp. 5-6)
(5)
"Perversion may have some very physical expressions, but it is not a physical
disorder. A most extensive
physical examination will not reveal one shred of evidence that it is." (p. 9)
(6)
"Have you explored the possibility that the cause, when found, will turn out to
be a very typical form of selfishness - selfishness in a very subtle
form?" (pp. 10-11)
Appetites
unchecked by family life and real religion
April
1978, "Listen to the Prophets, Ensign, May 1978, p. 76
"Once
the carnal in man is no longer checked by the restraints of family life and by
real religion, there comes an avalanche of appetites which gathers momentum
that is truly frightening. As one jars loose and begins to roll down hill,
still another breaks loose, whether it is an increase in homosexuality,
corruption, drugs, or abortion. Each began as an appetite that needed to be
checked but which went unchecked. Thus misery achieves a ghastly monument."
Free
agency
Mark
E. Petersen, Apostle
December
16, 1978, "Sin is No Excuse", Church News, p. 16
"It
was not God who made them [homosexuals] that way....He gave all mankind free
agency."
Poor
fathering skills
Ed
D. Lauritsen, Values Institute, BYU
February
6, 1979, "The Role of the Father in Male Homosexuality", paper presented to LDS
Social Services
"[N]urturant
fathering...almost serves as a form of psychological immunization against
homosexuality in most cases". He also told his audience that "it is
incumbent upon...all LDS clinicians to labor for the prevention of homosexuality" (emphasis in original). He
indicated that every time "we assist a man toward improving his
relationships with his children...we are, in effect, helping him reduce the
possibility of homosexuality among his children, and in turn, among his
children's children".
A
physical perversion simply requiring repentance
James
O. Mason, Church Commissioner of Health
1980
(?) undated, "Attitudes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Toward Certain Medical Problems"
"The
Church looks upon the homosexual act as a physical perversion, and Church
leaders are advised to...persuade them [homosexuals] that repentance can bring
them forgiveness from such transgressions."
God
did not create homosexuals because we are in God's image and God is not
homosexual
Spencer
W. Kimball, Church President
October
1980, "President Kimball Speaks Out on Morality", Ensign, November 1980, p. 97
"'God
made me that way,' some say, as they rationalize and excuse themselves for
their [homosexual] perversions. ÔI
can't help it,' they add. This is
blasphemy. Is man not made in the
image of God, and does he think God to be Ôthat way'?"
1)
Learned, not inherited
2)
A four-phase search for a psychosexual role which enables a man to merge with a
defined role, involving a) parental failure and b) masturbation
Victor
L. Brown Jr., DSW, Board of Governors, Assoc. of Mormon Counselors &
Psychotherapists (AMCAP) and Area Director, LDS Social Services in Northern
California
October
2, 1980, "Male Homosexuality: Identity Seeking a Role", AMCAP Journal, April 1981, pp. 1, 3-4
"May
I share with you some conclusions I have reached. First, homosexuality is learned, not inherent." [p. 1]
"The
first phase is pre-homosexual role confusion in childhood and includes parent-child
disturbances, gender and role distortion, relationship skill deficits, and
erotization." [Brown later relates
this role confusion to "troubled, even pathological parent-child and
parent-to-parent relationships, on p. 4".]
"The
second phase, pre-homosexual compensation, involves unilateral masturbatory
fantasy...fragmentation, and self-focus."
[Brown later defines this as partially involving "masturbatory fantasy",
on p. 5]
"The
third phase is crisis of [role] fit, a severe realization of being different."
"The
final phase is homosexual role
resolution, or "merging"....where the person and the role merge. [pp. 3-4]
Masturbation
can lead to homosexuality
Spencer
W. Kimball, Church President
November
1980, "President Kimball Speaks Out on Morality", Ensign, p. 97 and New Era, p. 39
"Sometimes
masturbation is the introduction to the more serious sins of exhibitionism and
the gross sin of homosexuality."
Parental
Failure in the Home
November
1982, "Fundamentals of Enduring Family Relationships", Ensign, p. 59
"Today
we are aware of great problems in our society. The most obvious are sexual
promiscuity, homosexuality, drug abuse, alcoholism, vandalism, pornography, and
violence.
"These
grave problems are symptoms of failure in the homeÑthe disregarding of
principles and practices established by God in the very beginning.
"Because
some parents have departed from the principles the Lord gave for happiness and
success, many families throughout the world are undergoing great stress and
trauma. Many parents have been enticed to abandon their responsibilities in the home to seek after an elusive Ôself-fulfillment'." [These three paragraphs are quoted again by Benson
verbatim in July 1992's First Presidency message.]
Biological,
in utero hormonal stress
Dr.
Reuben W. Rhees (Zoology, BYU) and Dr. Donovan E. Fleming (Psychology, BYU)
April
1985, "Scientists Study Effects of Prenatal Stress", BYU Today, April 1985, p. 14
"If
you block those critical [male] hormones or disturb that delicate balance,
masculinization does not occur."
"The
demasculinized behavior of male rats includes decreased sexual activity in the
male role and, given the right cues by aggressive males, female-like
responses."
Selfishness
and pornography
June
3, 1986 (BYU Devotional), "A Marriage to Last through Eternity", Ensign, June 1987, p. 12
"ÉI
have come to understand some of the behaviors that lead to transgression. What
are they? Generally they are various personal indulgences based on selfishness.
One of the greatest of these is the use of pornography. Pornography is related
to such sins as self abuse, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, child and
spouse abuse, incest, rape, and cruelty."
Biological,
in utero hormonal stress
Dr.
Reuben W. Rhees (Zoology, BYU) and Dr. Donovan E. Fleming (Psychology, BYU)
"Stress feminizes male rats", BYU's Daily
Universe, 16 November, 1987
"If
the male brain does not receive enough testosterone to fully masculinize it,
the brain retains female characteristics.
In some instances, even though the rats are anatomically male, Ôthey are
significantly less masculine and more feminine,' said Rhees."
Combination
of biological and environmental factors
Dr.
Allen E. Bergin (Psychology, BYU)
October
1988, "Questions and Answers", Ensign, p. 10
"For
example, though a person may suffer from homosexual inclinations that are
caused by some combination of biology and environment, the gospel requires that
he or she develop firm self-discipline and make an energetic effort to change."
It
is not known
Boyd
K. Packer, Apostle
October
1990, "Covenants", Ensign,
November 1990, p. 85
After
lengthy discussion of "Gay and Lesbian Rights", Packer said, "Why, they ask,
does this happen to me?...They write that their bishop could not answer the
Ôwhy'....We are sometimes told that leaders in the Church do not really
understand these problems. Perhaps
we don't. There are many Ôwhys'
for which we just do not have simple answers."
It is not known
Understanding
and Helping Those Who Have Homosexual Problems - Suggestions for Ecclesiastical
Leaders (church-published guidebook),
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1992
Some
people who seek help for homosexual problems may have concluded that
experiences from their youth, such as perceived problems with a parent or some
other older person, contributed to their inappropriate feelings. Some maybelieve that they have not
consciously chosen to have such feelings in the first place. No general agreement exists about the
causes of such problems.
It
is not known
Harold
Brown, Commissioner of LDS Social Services
May
10 1992, transcript of "Take Two" television program, with Rod Decker, Salt
Lake City; transcript and tape recording of show in Connell O'Donovan's possession
Rod
Decker: What causes homosexuality?
Harold
Brown: There're a lot of theories and there's no generally accepted reason for
the cause of homosexuality.
There're a lot of different theories.
Parental
failure
July
1992, "First Presidency Message: Salvation - A Family Affair", Ensign, p. 2
"Today
we are aware of great problems in our society. The most obvious are sexual
promiscuity, homosexuality, drug abuse, alcoholism, vandalism, pornography, and
violence.
"These
grave problems are symptoms of failure in the homeÑthe disregarding of
principles and practices established by God in the very beginning.
"Because
some parents have departed from the principles the Lord gave for happiness and
success, many families throughout the world are undergoing great stress and
trauma. Many parents have been enticed to abandon their responsibilities in the
home to seek after an elusive Ôself-fulfillment'." [Quoted
verbatim from Benson's October 1982 General Conference address - see November
1982 Ensign.]
Childhood
molestation?
Spencer
J. Condie, Quorum of the Seventy
November
1993, "A Mighty Change of Heart", Ensign, p. 15
"I
know another good man who was reared in a family without the blessings of the
gospel. Through a series of unfortunate events in his early youth, he was
introduced to homosexuality, and gradually he became a prisoner of this
addictive behavior."
Stimuli
from acts of sexual immorality or aggression can lead to homosexuality
Richard
G. Scott, Quorum of the Seventy
October
1994, "Making the Right Choices", Ensign, Nov. 1994, p. 38. [Also
reprinted in Richard G. Scott, "Serious Questions, Serious Answers", New Era, Oct. 1995, p. 4]
"Sexual
immorality creates a barrier to the influence of the Holy Spirit with all its
uplifting, enlightening, and empowering capabilities. It causes powerful
physical and emotional stimulation. In time, that creates an unquenchable
appetite that drives the offender to ever more serious sin. It engenders
selfishness and can produce aggressive acts such as brutality, abortion, sexual
abuse, and violent crime. Such stimulation can lead to acts of homosexuality,
and they are evil and absolutely wrong."
Might
be inherited but difficult to prove. "Sexual orientation" (sic) is not inborn
and is mutable.
James
E. Faust, Apostle
November 15, 1994, in a BYU address, "Trying to Serve the
Lord Without Offending the Devil"; reproduced as the First Presidency Message
in the September 1995 Ensign under the title, "Serving the Lord and Resisting the
Devil," pp. 2-7.
"There is some widely accepted theory extant that homosexuality
is inherited. How can this be? No scientific evidence demonstrates absolutely, absolutely that this is so. Besides, if it were
so, it would frustrate the whole plan of mortal happiness. Our designation as
men or women began before this world was. In contrast to the socially accepted
doctrine that homosexuality is inborn, a number of respectable authorities
contend that homosexuality is not acquired by birth. The false belief of inborn
sexual orientation denies to repentant souls the opportunity to change and will
ultimately lead to discouragement, disappointment, and despair." (emphasis in original)
(1)
Not inherited; an interaction between constitutional predisposition and
environment
(2)
Satanic persuasion
Dallin
H. Oaks, Apostle
October
1995, "Same-Gender Attraction", Ensign, pp. 7-8
"It
is easy to hypothesize that inheritance plays a role in sexual orientation.
However it is important to remember, as conceded by two advocates of this
approach, that Ôthe concept of substantial heritability should not be confused
with the concept of inevitable heritability. ... Most mechanisms probably
involve interactions between constitutional predispositions and environmental
events.'" (Quotes R. C. Friedman and J. Downey, "Neurobiology and
Sexual Orientation: Current Relationships," Journal of Neuropsychiatry 5 (48 (1991): 1089-96.)
Satan
"seeks to undermine the principle of individual accountability, to persuade us
to misuse our sacred powers of procreation, to discourage marriage and
childbearing by worthy men and women, and to confuse what it means to be male
or female."
(1)
Satanic encouragement
(2)
Not inherited
Certain
powerful inclinations
Gordon
B. Hinckley, Church President
October
1998, "What Are People Asking About Us?"
"So-called
gays and lesbians...may have certain inclinations which are powerful and which
may be difficult to control."
(1)
It is not innate or immutable
(2)
It is not genetic
(3)
Combination of social, biological, and psychological factors (including sexual
abuse, poor parenting, and peer rejection)
A.
Dean Byrd, Ph.D., Assistant Commissioner of LDS Family Services
"When
a Loved One Struggles with Same-Sex Attraction", Ensign, Sept. 1999, p. 51
"First,
it is important to understand that homosexuality is not innate and
unchangeable. Research has not proved that homosexuality is genetic. Even more
important, many researchers whose studies have been used to support a
biological model for homosexuality have determined that their work has been
misinterpreted. What is clear is that homosexuality results from an interaction
of social, biological, and psychological factors. These factors may include
temperament, personality traits, sexual abuse, familial factors, and treatment
by one's peers."
1)
Pornography, improper music, and unworthy
associates
2)
A personal choice
October
8, 2000, "Ye Are the Temple of God", Ensign, Nov. 2000, p. 72
"Normal
desires and attractions emerge in the teenage years; there is the temptation to
experiment, to tamper with the sacred power of procreation. These desires can
be intensified, even perverted, by pornography, improper music, or the
encouragement from unworthy associations. What would have only been a more or
less normal passing phase in establishing gender identity can become implanted
and leave you confused, even disturbed.
"If
you consent, the adversary can take control of your thoughts and lead you
carefully toward a habit and to an addiction, convincing you that immoral,
unnatural behavior is a fixed part of your nature.
"With
some few, there is the temptation which seems nearly overpowering for man to be
attracted to man or woman to woman. The scriptures plainly condemn those who
"dishonour their own bodies between themselves É ; men with men working that
which is unseemly"or "women [who] change the natural use into that which is
against nature".
"The
gates of freedom, and the good or bad beyond, swing open or closed to the
password choice. You are
free to choose a path that may lead to despair, to disease, even to death." (emphasis in original)
Not
genetic or biological
A.
Dean Byrd, PhD. (formerly of LDS Family Services)
October
2001, Homosexuality and the Church of Jesus Christ: Understanding
Homosexuality According to the Doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, Cedar Fort Press
"The
Church refutes the idea that homosexual orientation is genetically
determined.ÉFurthermore, a genetic/biological cause of homosexual attraction
has not found support in the scientific literature."
"Science
has never proved a genetic link to sexual orientation. Moreover, the Church
repeatedly, in nearly every statement about homosexual relations, teaches that
homosexual attraction is not inherent to a person's particular genetic make-up
and that they are quite able to change."
It
is not known
Gordon
B. Hinckley, Church President
December
26, 2004, interview with Larry King, on CNN's "Larry King Live"; transcript
available on cnn.com
HINCKLEY:
Well, we're not anti-gay. We are pro-family. Let me put it that way. And we
love these
people
and try to work with them and help them. We know they have a problem. We want
to help them solve that problem.
KING:
A problem they caused, or they were born with?
HINCKLEY:
I don't know. I'm not an expert on these things. I don't pretend to be an
expert on these things. The fact is, they have a problem.
The
Church has no position; it is not known
September
2006, "Same Gender Attraction",
<online>
PUBLIC
AFFAIRS: You're saying the Church doesn't necessarily have a position on
Ônurture or nature'É.
ELDER OAKS: That's where our doctrine
comes into play. The Church does not have a position on the causes of any of
these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender
attraction. Those are scientific questions - whether nature or nurture - those
are things the Church doesn't have a position on.
ELDER WICKMAN: Whether it is nature or
nurture really begs the important question, and a preoccupation with nature or
nurture can, it seems to me, lead someone astray from the principles that Elder
Oaks has been describing here. Why somebody has a same-gender attraction...who
can say?