Marriage was not ordained of god. In this you are completely mistaken. Marriage was a social arrangement designed by humans to protect inheritance and to join together families for financial, territorial and survival purposes. It evolved over time from a a strictly fiscal/territorial arrangement to something religious.

Honestly Bot, how can you get away in 2009 with mindlessly repeating shit that you know nothing about? Huh? Don’t you think that we’ve evolved beyond the point of being able to just say shit and thinking people are going to believe it just because we say it? You must think we’re still back in 1950 when mormons could say anything they wanted to and get away with it because there were such limited means of verifying things.

You haven’t done your homework Bot. You have not studied the history of marriage. You are simply parroting religious propaganda that has absolutely no basis in fact. I’m embarassed for you because you’ve come on here and made a fool of yourself. You must think those of us who read Heather’s blog are a bunch of idiots. Wow, here again you’re mistaken. Badly mistaken.

I mock you for your ignorance, I rebuke you for your bigotry and I raise my right hand to the square and say, “Go do your homework before you open your mouth.”

Ordained of god my ass. Seriously, get thee to a library and do some reading.

For the person, is it “bot”–live in a gay/straight marriage and then come to us and preach (or maybe you are in one and are trying to prove to yourself you can do this). Those 26 years ago when I went to the bishop about my gay boyfriend, they church’s stance on gays was that they were damned just for stating they had those feelings. I was told he HAD TO CHANGE or he was damned. They changed their stance not long ago–but I love how they state things. WAsn’t it hinckley who said in an interview that “we want to help them” but “we have no answers.” I got my answers–and in so doing, I lost my marriage, but I gained SANITY.

Don’t come preaching to the choir–WE’VE LIVED THIS.

I learned from a gay “lamanite” that if my ex could change to straight–he would cease to exist. Gay is a part of who he is–it makes him the unique individual he is. What I want in the world now is that should I have a gay child or grandchild, that they can have the same chance at love and happiness that I would want for anyone. I don’t want them to live the hell that my ex has lived (and I have lived). This whole issue is very simple–GAY JUST IS.

The only marriages being hurt by gays having rights is MINE–maybe, just maybe there won’t be more etiennes and women like me who have suffered for years and years because of the blindness of the religious right.

You stated:
“Gender was determined prior to birth. What this means to Mormons struggling with same-gender attraction.”

For starters, explain human hermaphrodites also known as intersexuals:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersexuality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphrodites

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What are they to do with it when they are told they are just wrong inside of themselves? And why can they not choose the path of happiness? Why would a god who is supposed to be loving install this “trial” into a person’s biology and create a being that is programmed for a life of misery? It’s crap. Let me tell you something.

I lived this shitty existence within the confines of an awful “eternal” marriage for fifteen years. It was a heterosexual marriage. Sexuality does not define me as a heterosexual woman but the lack of ability for intimacy and sexual expression in my “eternal” marriage made me a miserable shrew. I sure felt “defined” by that. I was told that this was my trial in life and that “it was not meant to be easy…just to be worth it”. Well one more second of feeling that way in my life was not worth any of it.

If this lifestyle is an assault on the sanctity of marriage and family, why is the LDS church not out there campaigning against single people’s right to adopt a child. Why are they not trying to initiate legislation against cohabitation?

Jesus. I need a drink.

Marriage was ordained by God from the very beginning of time. He created two people, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. They were married by Him, not just during this lifetime, but forever. Together, they were told to begin a family and raise their children together. From the first days of the earth, God set the pattern for family life—a man and a woman, and, if possible, children. This basic family structure creates an appropriate foundation for all other units of society and for an eternal life.

Mormons teach that gender is an essential part of who we are, and that it was determined long before birth. However, they do not teach that having homosexual inclinations is a sin. Only the practice of homosexuality is a sin. Feelings are not sinful; practice of inappropriate feelings can be.

Members of the church with homosexual inclinations who choose not to act on them or advocate for the acceptance of such actions can be members of the church in full standing. They may hold any role in the church that may be held by any other unmarried person of his or her gender, which means that most positions are open to them.

The church teaches its members to love and to respect those with homosexual inclinations, just as they do anyone else, and make it clear that mistreatment is not tolerated. However, this does not mean they feel inappropriate behavior must be condoned. Churches are, by nature, in the business of defining right and wrong. If they refuse to do so, to remind people of God’s teachings on any given moral subject, and to stand for something, they have no real reason to exist.

With this in mind, the Mormons, as representatives of God, must take a firm stand on anything that affects the sanctity and well-being of the family, one of God’s most sacred creations. This site will help you understand more about this eternally critical subject.

In order to entirely understand why Mormons object to changing the legal definition of marriage, one must understand a number of critical doctrines of the church. With a complete understanding of these doctrines, while you might still disagree, you will better be able to understand why we feel obligated to fight for the traditional family. Please follow the following path of articles to help you build a foundation for your study.

Child of God—Mormons know that what you consider to be your defining characteristic has a powerful impact on your life. Mormons with homosexual feelings do not consider same gender attraction to be what defines them. They consider the primary defining factor to be that they are a child of God.

Gender was determined prior to birth. What this means to Mormons struggling with same-gender attraction.

Gay Mormons: A summary of what the church believes about homosexuality

Attitude Toward Trials

Mormons and Marriage: How Mormons view marriage and why they don’t want the legal definition of marriage changed.

Mormons and the Same Sex Marriage Battle

Can Churches Participate in the Political Process?

Is Polygamy a Valid Gay Marriage Argument?

The remaining articles on the site ( http://GayMormon.net ) are about basic beliefs of Mormons, for those who want to know more, and they may be read in any order.