In order to understand why the controversy is misguided, one must understand some important principles concerning how the Mormon Church operates. Elder Packer is an apostle. The president of the Church and the prophet are roles both filled by Thomas S. Monson. President Monson is assisted by two counselors. He and the counselors form the First Presidency of the Church. Next is the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of which Elder Packer is the president. This makes him next in line to be the prophet if he outlives President Monson. Only the current living prophet can declare official doctrine for the entire church and he cannot make doctrine simply because he wishes to. He must petition God for doctrinal changes and doctrinal changes come very seldom.

Mormon leaders, even at the highest levels, are not trained ministers. They don’t attend a traditional seminary (a Mormon seminary is a school-year class for teenagers). They come from other professions. For instance, our current prophet was in the printing industry prior to becoming an apostle.

Prophets and apostles are ordinary people. They are given the same gift of agency as is everyone and they hold personal opinions. Mormon beliefs don’t cover everything and so, where the Church has no official doctrine in place, Church members, including leaders, are entitled to hold whatever opinion they choose and to develop that opinion in any way they choose. The Church has frequently explained that science and history are not doctrine, and therefore, many church leaders, some of whom come from the world of science, are free to hold whatever opinions they would like to have in those areas. Where science and religion might overlap, only the spiritual aspects—those affecting eternal life—are of importance to the Church.

The Mormons have stated that they do not take an official stand on the causes of homosexuality and on whether or not the tendencies can be changed. Nor do they take a stand on whether or not a person should seek treatment to change and they do not recommend programs. This is because it is an issue of science, not religion. God does not judge our temptations—even Jesus was tempted, which makes His perfection meaningful. It is our actions that matter. Jesus taught that we must do the will of the Lord to be accepted into Heaven. While a person may be unable to choose his temptations or tendencies, he is free to choose his actions and this is where the Mormons focus their religious doctrine, because it is the only part of the subject that affects a person’s eternal life. Causation is for science, psychology and personal beliefs until God speaks otherwise. However, there can be no question that the Bible speaks quite firmly about the evils of homosexual behavior. The Bible is clear and consistent on the subject.

Elder Packer’s talk was published with a few changes. However, the eternal truths were not changed. It is standard for a speaker to be allowed to review the talk he gave and decide whether to publish it as is or make some changes. The written talk is considered the official version, the one church members study and learn from. This allows a speaker who inserted personal views, misquoted a scripture or simply misspoke—as any frequent speaker will tell you is common—to make certain the official version accurately reflects official teachings and not just the personal opinions of the aspects not canonized.

Official truth, however, cannot be altered. As Elder Packer said, you cannot put truth to a vote. When we stand before God, He will not evaluate our political correctness or our ability to match the views of the times. He will compare our lives to the eternal truths He taught us.

The bulk of Elder Packer’s talk was on the gift of repentance, a selfless gift made possible by the Savior’s atonement. Because Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, we are able to repent and to be made pure again.

The twin principles of repentance and forgiveness exceed in strength the awesome power of the tempter. If you are bound by a habit or an addiction that is unworthy, you must stop conduct that is harmful. Angels will coach you,and priesthood leaders will guide you through those difficult times.

Nowhere are the generosity and the kindness and mercy of God more manifest than in repentance. Do you understand the consummate cleansing power of the Atonement made by the Son of God, our Savior, our Redeemer? He said, “I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent.” In that supernal act of love, the Savior paid the penalties for our sins so that we might not have to pay.

For those who truly desire it, there is a way back. Repentance is like unto a detergent. Even ground-in stains of sin will come out.

What a powerful promise—that angels will coach you as you struggle to overcome behaviors you know in your heart to be against the teachings of God. Regardless of the initial cause of any sin, angels stand ready to help us get through the process of change. When we think of the millions going through recovery programs for various challenges and struggling to overcome them, it is extraordinarily encouraging—the giving of courage—to picture a personal angelic coach and to know that when the struggle ends, God will forget our sin as if it never happened. This, more than any other teaching, can bring peace to those whose lives are hard. It can help people overcome the bullying of those without compassion and the attempts of others to lead them back into a life of sin. It creates a life of hope.

President Joseph Fielding Smith told me of a repentant woman struggling to find her way out of a very immoral life. She asked him what she should do now.

In turn, he asked her to read to him from the Old Testament the account of Lot’s wife, who was turned to a pillar of salt. Then he asked her, “What lesson do you gain from those verses?”

She answered, “The Lord will destroy the wicked.”

“Not so!” President Smith said that the lesson for this repentant woman and for you is “Don’t look back!”

Strangely enough, it may be that the simplest and most powerful prevention and cure for pornography, or any unclean act, is to ignore and avoid it. Delete from the mind any unworthy thought that tries to take root. Once you have decided to remain clean, you are asserting your God-given agency. And then, as President Smith counseled, “Don’t look back.”

Read Elder Packer’s talk.

Read the official church response to HRC Petition.

Read the call for civility.

Read the official clarification of Elder Packer’s talk.

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as .

In these verses, Jesus explains that angels-not the exalted beings, but the unworthy beings-will not be allowed to have eternal families because they will not be exalted. The Bible also mentions some who were angels without having been mortal previously. No angels have wings. Clearly, those who lived on earth aren’t going to sprout wings, since they are, as we are, in the image of their Father in Heaven. Wings are merely an earthly attempt to explain how angels are able to move around in the sky, but have no bearing in fact. With God’s power behind them, wings are unnecessary. Those who minister to those on earth are of particular interest to us today. We find them in nearly every important event in our spiritual history. One important example of the work angels do is shown in the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. It was an angel, Gabriel, who came to Elisabeth to tell her she would have a son named John, and then to Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of Jesus. An angel-possibly also Gabriel-came to Joseph to reassure him that Mary’s child really was the promised Savior. Angels also came to earth to announce the birth of the Savior:

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Angels remained a presence from time to time during the life of the Savior, for instance, ministering to Him as He suffered the extraordinary pain of taking on our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. In modern times, angels were the messengers who brought the restored gospel back to the earth. In the Book of Mormon, we read of Moroni, a prophet who was the last remaining righteous person in his personal world. He was a Nephite, as his people were known, and when his prophet father Mormon and the others of his people were killed, he inherited the records of his civilization. These records were sacred and would play a critical role in the restoration. They included details of the visit of Jesus Christ to the Americas after his crucifixion. Moroni abridged the records and buried them for safekeeping. After his death, he became an angel. When it was time to restore the Savior’s full gospel to the earth, it was Moroni, fittingly, who came to earth as an angel to tutor Joseph Smith. When he felt Joseph was sufficiently matured and educated, he allowed Joseph to take the records from the hill where they’d been kept for safekeeping all these years. Later, as Joseph and his friend Oliver Cowdery were working on the translation of these records, which would become known as the Book of Mormon, they read about baptism. They had questions about this ordinance and went to the banks of the Susquehanna River to pray. At this time, John the Baptist came to earth as an angel. He had baptized Jesus, and still held the keys (the authority) of the Aaronic Priesthood, which is mentioned in the Old Testament. This priesthood is required in order to perform a baptism. He bestowed those keys on Joseph and Oliver, who were then able to baptize each other. There is an additional, higher priesthood called the Melchizedek Priesthood, which also needed to be restored in order for the church to function as it did in the days of the Savior’s ministry. These keys had also been taken from the earth after the death of the apostles, and again, angels came to deliver them to Joseph. The keys are not literal, physical keys, but are the authority to act for God. Peter, James, and John, who had been Jesus’ apostles during his mortal ministries, had received the keys to the Melchizedek priesthood from Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They continued to hold them, since the world had been in apostasy, and so they came to bestow them on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. With all the keys now restored, the church itself could be restored. The work of angels is critical to God’s plan. They are frequently present when the most important events occur and are an important part of our lives on earth.

Personal Response by Lance

I have known for a long time that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but only in the last couple of years, while serving as a Mormon missionary, was I finally able to put into words the way that my answer came. There is a promise given by Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon that if a person reads, ponders, and prays to know the Book of Mormon is true, the truth will be manifest to them by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5)

I read the Book of Mormon a few times growing up and I always felt that it was true, but I could never clearly express how I had come to that knowledge. I could honestly say that I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but I couldn’t describe what that meant. It was more than just a simple feeling. It was a strong conviction.

As a missionary I came across people who had highly varying beliefs about the Holy Ghost and the way that the Holy Ghost affects us. This caused me to search even more to find a way to clearly explain how I had received a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. I was reading in the Book of Mormon one day and I found my answer.

In the beginning of the book of Mosiah there is an account of a prophet and king named Benjamin. Just before he died he preached a powerful sermon to all the people of his kingdom. At the end of this sermon he asked the people if they believed his words. Their response, exactly what I had been searching for, is given in Mosiah 5:2: “And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

The people of King Benjamin testified that they knew his words were true because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, or in other words, by the power of the Holy Ghost. The part of this verse that stuck out to me was that they described the effect that the Holy Ghost had on them. They said that the Spirit “wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

As I read this verse I realized how I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true because when I read it my heart is changed by the Holy Ghost. I don’t simply feel that it is true. It motivates me to change and to be more Christlike. I want to be a better person. My very desires are changed. My desire to sin is removed and I am given a greater desire to serve my Father in Heaven and my fellowmen.

I invite anyone who may read this to read the Book of Mormon along with the Bible. I can promise, just as the prophet Moroni promises, that anyone who sincerely reads and ponders the Book of Mormon and asks God in faith to know that it is true will know by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. This can’t be just a simple prayer of interest either. We must ask “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ” (Moroni 10:4). Real intent means that we are willing to act on the answer that we receive. God will only let us know of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon if we intend to follow His teachings. The Holy Ghost will change your heart and guide you to live a more Christlike life. Living the teachings of the Lord in the Book of Mormon as well as in the Bible has brought so much joy to my life and will do the same for everyone who follows the same course.

When Matthew quoted the prophecy “Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 Jewish Publication Society of America), he translated the original Hebrew text or used the Greek Septuagint version with one slight change. He replaced the Greek word for “young woman” with the word for “virgin,” thus reinforcing the messianic nature of the prophecy (see Matthew 1:23).

Based on Matthew’s interpretation and the story found in the Gospel of Luke, Christians accepted from an early period that Mary was not only a young woman but also a virgin when Jesus Christ was conceived. Both Matthew and Luke independently reinforce each other’s story about this amazing event, providing a basis to accept that they have reported reliable historical information about Jesus.

Over the centuries, some Christians have questioned Matthew’s interpretation, but it has withstood the test of time as one of Christianity’s fundamental beliefs: Jesus of Nazareth was born to a virgin named Mary. Latter-day Saints accept the New Testament as scripture and find additional validation to the concept of virgin conception in their other scriptural records. The Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, offers the testimony of Nephi, an ancient prophet, who heard an angel declare, “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh” (1 Nephi 11:18). Additionally, Nephi rendered Isaiah’s prophecy the same way Matthew did: “Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign–Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (2 Nephi 17:14). The Book of Mormon prophet Alma testified that Jesus “shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God” (Alma 7:10).

In the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ (inadvertently called the Mormon Church) some speculated about “how” God accomplished this miracle, much as Jews and Christians have attempted to identify how God used natural law in the case of the Flood, the dividing of the Red Sea, or the gift of manna in the wilderness, believing that miracles conform to natural laws that are hidden to mortals. Despite any attempt to explain “how,” the Church has consistently taught that the Jesus Christ was the unique Son of God—different from all other mortals who had lived, were living, and would yet live. Current official Mormon Church doctrine and teachings by Church leaders in public and private let the scriptural record stand without commentary, accepting that “with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

Matthew 1 : 20 – 21 states,  “But while he thought on these things , behold , the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream , saying , Joseph , thou son of David , fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son , and thou shalt call his name JESUS : for he shall save his people from their sins…”   But this does not mean that Jesus was the son of the Holy Ghost.   Many times in the Bible, Jesus is identified as the Son of God, and the Only Begotten Son of God.  (See (John 1:14; 3:16; 1 John 4:15; 1 John 5:10; 1 John 5:13; John 1:34; John 1:49; Mark 1:1; Matthew 14:33; Acts 9:20; John 6:69; John 3:17; 1 John 5:20; Matthew 16:16; John 11:4; 1 John 4:9; Mark 5:7; 1 John 5:9; 2 Corinthians 1:19; Romans 1:4; Acts 8:37, to name a few scriptures.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is often identified as the Mormon or LDS Church. LDS, in this case, is an acronym for Latter-day Saints, a part of the official name of the LDS Church. When religious bodies use similar names to identify themselves, such as FLDS and LDS, there may be and often is some confusion about the relationship between them.

Just as there are many Christian denominations which believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the long anticipated Jewish Messiah and the Savior of the world, yet disagree upon other significant doctrinal points, including the nature and composition of the Bible, there are individuals and groups who accept the message of the Restoration (the calling of Joseph Smith as a prophet and coming forth of additional scripture, including the Book of Mormon) yet disagree on some rather key doctrines, policies, and practices.

From the earliest period in Mormon history (1830-60) there have been dissenters, some of whom created separate religious communities. Over time, these groups have evolved and, in many cases, they have created a unique theology and history in marked contrast to that of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). In this sense, these dissenters are very much like the first Protestants who were separated from the Holy Roman Apostolic Church, or Catholic Church, when they rejected the authority of the Pope and created alternative Christianities.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) is one such group, an independent community with no official relationship to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Most of their members have never been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormon Church). The only connection between the churches is that each shares a common historical past within the nineteenth century. FLDS beliefs, practices, and polices have become so distinct and unique that it is not helpful to compare and contrast them with those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just as it would be impossible to compare the Baptist Church with the Catholic Church, even though they share a common belief in Jesus Christ and the Bible.

Latter-day Saint (LDS) leaders categorically reject FLDS beliefs and practices about polygamy, priesthood succession, and following and sustaining civil law. Therefore, any Latter-day Saint who supports FLDS doctrines or practices is subject to LDS Church discipline, generally including excommunication. Like most other Americans, Latter-day Saints struggle to understand the religious motives and activities of this fundamentalist group because their practice and beliefs are just as foreign from their everyday experiences as they are from most other Christian denominations. Because of the major differences in doctrine, practice and history, Latter-day Saints are concerned when the media or others attempt to link the churches together.

Latter-day Saints support religious pluralism. One of the Church of Jesus Christ’s Articles of Faith states, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, and what they may” (Articles of Faith, 11). Latter-day Saints therefore, allow people the right to join any religious body they choose. However, another Article of Faith states, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith, 12). Therefore, the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS Church) teaches its members that they should support the constitutional laws of the land and believe that the government has the right to enforce laws that protect children and other vulnerable members of society. Like many other people of good will, Latter-day Saints are sympathetic to the plight of the children and women of the FLDS Church and hope that they might be in a position to enjoy life without fear of abuse and with the full freedom to associate or disassociate from any religious body at any time they feel so inclined.