Professors defend Church's stance on Salt Lake City ordinance
By Jocelyn Bower
- Mon, 11/16/2009 - 21:26With the LDS church’s recent endorsement of a gay rights ordinance in Salt Lake City, many have begun speculating that the church is on its way to changing its policy on same-sex marriage. Not so, say BYU professors of religion and political science.
Last week, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly endorsed a city ordinance that bans housing and employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The BYU professors interviewed said that although the church supports tolerance and equality, it does not approve of homosexuality.
Kent Jackson, associate dean of Religious Education, said the church is not contradicting its previously-stated positions and that it has always been in favor of equality.
“The church’s response to the Salt Lake issue was not a surprise, nor a change in direction, because it is consistent with the position already expressed,” Jackson said.
Richard Davis, a professor of political science, said the church’s endorsement highlighted an important distinction in its teachings and policies.
“The LDS Church is distinguishing between being opposed to gay marriage and being opposed to any effort to end discrimination against gays,” Davis said.
Davis also said this endorsement may be a means for the church to be viewed in a more positive light on this issue.
“The church’s position on issues related to same sex marriage have been interpreted as an anti-gay stance,” Davis said. “The church is attempting to draw a line at gay marriage, but not at other aspects of the agenda of the gay rights movement.”
The church may even be sending a message to Latter-day Saints, Davis said.
“This will go a long way in signaling to church members that we should not be anti-gay and acknowledging that the gay rights movement has some very legitimate complaints about how gays are treated in society and under the law,” Davis said.
Other professors expressed similar views on this issue.
Randy Bott, a professor of religion, said although the church is endorsing anti-discrimination of gays, it is not changing its policy on homosexuality.
“I hope you can see the difference between the church endorsing agency of all people to do whatever they choose and the church adopting a policy contrary to the revealed will of God,” Bott said.
When asked how this issue compared to when the church gave the priesthood to African-American males, Davis said this incident is different because it does not reverse a church-wide policy.
“That was a dramatic reversal of church policy,” Davis said. “This is not a dramatic reversal of church policy in that sense.”
However, professors that this is still a significant incident because it’s the first time the church has actually expressed support for legislation that bans such discrimination.
I believe that the church is correct in making that endorsement. The reason I advocate that decision is that the church does not endorse discrimination of anyone regardless of what they believe or do. As a people we are held to higher standards. These standards are viewed by many as extreme and outdated in this "new era". The reason for this view is related to a lack of knowledge and understand of why we have dedicated ourselves to such devout Christian standards. This is why we as a people, although committing ourselves to these high moral standards, should not pose any discriminating ideas or behaviors upon others. Like I previously stated having a lack of knowledge inhibits a person from understanding of actions that others partake of and in lacking in that knowledge it would be wrong to propose to judge another. The reason I believe this and state this is because it is this lack of understanding and knowledge that led to the persecution of many peoples and societies, even our own culture has been mocked and judged by those with a lack of knowledge. In essence if we were to understand the reasons that led an individual to a life homosexuality then we would have a higher regard for that person and his current state. As LDS people we believe that the sin not the sinner should be rejected. We know that every soul is important in the eyes of God. He is the only one who holds the keys to judge anyone. This I believe can hold true in a social context as well. Homosexuals are still people, and as such have rights similar to yourself and I. Then the discrimination of that people based based upon a prejudice is against all we believe in. I think this will open the eyes of the world to the true Christianity of our religion and the love we hold for all people.
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