Is someone "born that way"?

I would say that most people believe that someone who struggles with same-sex attraction or gender identity troubles is born that way and can't or shouldn't even try to change this.  This just simply is not true. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe strongly that through Jesus Christ, we can be better and overcome any trial.  If we believe this and also that acting on homosexual urges is wrong, wouldn't we believe that those feelings can be overcome? Would we believe that those struggling with this are doomed to never be truly happy?

There are many different reason one may being to struggle with homosexual feelings. The video below outlines those but here are just a few:

• The mother is controlling, domineering- making dad appear weak
• They've been abused
• Not enough nurturing or intimacy at home, not enough hugs for example
• Lacks a strong male connection, doesn't fit in with the boys at school

Others in the world are saying that gender is just a social construct, not an important biological, eternal aspect of our identities. I believe that gender is not something we can decide for ourselves.  Gender is something that we are born with and can't change. Experts are saying now that children should not be taught that they are a specific gender. To do so would be consider child abuse. (College of Pediatrics statement on Gender Ideology) I believe exactly the opposite. If I child is not taught that they are a boy or a girl this can only confuse them.  

The video below shows the research supporting the fact that no one is born gay.. We are all sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father. He loves us. He wants us to live up to our divine potential (which we all have) and that includes an eternal marriage. Anyone who chooses to can overcome these feelings and enjoy the blessings of the Gospel, the blessings our Father has in store for us.

The experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is. Even though individuals do not choose to have such attractions, they do choose how to respond to them. With love and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, including our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Click here for more about the LDS view on homosexuality: http://mormonsandgays.org/ 

Faith and Science Go Together!

As I've began studying this semester, about families I've come to be grateful for research and scientific evidence.  I have come to realize that our faith does not have to stand alone.  Scientific research provides us with the tools we need to teach others.  If we went to someone who firmly supported gay marriage, for example, and all we had was that we believe that its wrong they will probably laugh at us.  Many don't know that this research is out there or where to find it.  We need to find it and use it to remind the world that families are everything! They are the foundation of our society. 

Faith is incredibly important and is valuable to our growth in the gospel and in life. I don't mean to down play that at all, but if we can take physical evidence and use it to defend our positions it will benefit us and the people we want to teach tremendously. 

Science is providing marvelous things to give ease and comfort to man in this modern world and is creating the highest standard of living ever known. Because we are provided with all our needs and the luxuries of life, can we turn from God, the teachings of religion, or the gospel of Jesus Christ? With the advance of knowledge has come a reliance upon scientific principles of proof, and as a consequence, there are some who do not believe in God because his existence cannot be substantiated by such proof. In reality, scientific research is an endeavor to ascertain truth, and the same principles which are applied to that pursuit are used in the quest to establish the truth of religion as well. -Howard W. Hunter, 14th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

To look at some research of all different types of families and the effects those different families have on children click here:

http://familystructurestudies.com/

It was mom...

Mom's are the glue that keeps families going.. "Who taught us to love God, to love others, to love ourselves? Who prayed with us, and prayed for us, who read to us and taught us what the words meant? It was Mom.  

Thank you mom. 

This week..

This week I learned that each member of the family is essential to the whole family's well being. According to systems theory the intimate group must be analyzed as a whole.  This means that an individual needs to be assessed with the whole in mind. Each of us plays certain roles in our families. We may be the nurturer, the instigator, the protector, the funny guy or a combination of a few of these.  We each play roles that together make up our unique family. When you go home for summer break do you feel like you revert to your old ways and habits? If so, this is because you have reverted back to the role you played in your family.  When something is going wrong in the family, it may be best to instead of pinpointing one individual look at the family as a whole. This allows you to see how each member is effecting the whole.  This is what Family Therapists do. They have a whole family come in, or a mother, father and child, or siblings and they look at the individuals in order to fix the whole. This was my introduction to family therapy and I think it's a great way to solve problems in your family.  I feel like a lot of people don't understand what Family Therapy is.. It isn't a psychiatrist asking "How does that make you feel?". Its not laying down on a couch, whining about whats wrong in your life. Its about addressing real issues in a neutral environment and working through them as a family.  I think that a lot of families and marriages could really benefit from this kind of therapy and they don't even know it.  This week I learned that I may want to be a Family Therapist one day..