{"id":3790,"date":"2014-04-07T07:37:16","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T13:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/affirmation.org\/?p=3790"},"modified":"2021-10-03T08:39:54","modified_gmt":"2021-10-03T14:39:54","slug":"perspectives-april-2014-general-conference-affirmation-executive-committee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/affirmation.org\/pt\/perspectivas-abril-2014-conferencia-geral-afirmacao-comite-executivo\/","title":{"rendered":"Perspectivas sobre a Confer\u00eancia Geral de abril de 2014 do Comit\u00ea Executivo da Afirma\u00e7\u00e3o"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"executive_committee_2014\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The 184th General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has come to a close.\u00a0 We are grateful for many messages of comfort and also those that challenged us to become more like the Savior.\u00a0 We fully recognize that for many of us LGBT Mormons, family members and friends, general conference weekend can bring feelings of eager anticipation or anxiety.\u00a0 We enter this weekend every six months unsure of what might be said about our orientation, our relationships, our families and our place in the Church.<\/p>\n

In discussions in social media and off-line, we’ve observed a number of positive feelings about many conference messages and also distress among individuals.\u00a0 Undoubtedly one of the more difficult messages for many LGBT listeners was Elder Neil L. Andersen’s talk in the first session, in which he associated the growing acceptance of same-sex marriage with a decline in the moral standards of society. Fortunately, even in this talk, Elder Andersen acknowledged the particular difficulty of \u201cthe whirlwinds\u201d faced by LGBT people, and he stressed the importance of empathy in addressing this issue. \u201cEveryone independent of his or her decisions or beliefs deserves our kindness and consideration<\/i>,\u201d he said. He quoted Joseph Smith, reminding listeners to \u201cbeware of self-righteousness,\u201d and strongly stated that there was \u201cno place for ridicule, bullying or bigotry\u201d in the Church.<\/p>\n

Some have also expressed distress from a significant number of strong statements emphasizing strict obedience to modern-day prophets and apostles, combined with the sense that many leaders of the Church still don’t seem to understand or empathize with the experience of LGBT Mormons. Thankfully, many of these messages about obedience also stressed the importance of developing a direct, personal relationship with God; of listening to and trusting the Spirit as we negotiate the difficult and unique decisions we each face; and the importance of kindness, respect and empathy for those we disagree with, respecting each person’s right to make decisions for their own lives. \u201cSpiritually mature obedience,\u201d taught Robert D. Hales, \u201cis motivated by love of God and his Son.\u201d And we all ultimately test the wisdom of personal decisions by seeing the consequences \u2013 both long-term and short-term \u2013 of our choices.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most significant message of conference for LGBT Mormons, their families and friends had to do with the strong emphasis on empathy. Elder Ronald A. Rasband described providing concrete assistance to \u201cstorm-tossed people\u201d in need of \u201clove and prayers and helping hands.\u201d But the most poignant message on this theme came from Elder W. Craig Zwick, who recounted the story of his wife leaping from a speeding truck with their baby boy, and later explaining to him, \u201cI was just trying to save our son.\u201d Often when others act in a way that seems irrational to us, it is because they perceive a situation very differently than we do. Before speaking or condemning others, he stressed, we should understand the perspective of the other, and make sure we fully empathize with them<\/i>. When we do not understand and empathize, we risk engaging in \u201ccorrupt communication.\u201d \u201cHarsh words,\u201d he said, \u201ccan take a situation from hazardous to fatal.\u201d Thomas S. Monson also addressed this theme in the third general session. Quoting a favorite poem he said: \u201cI’ve never yet felt a tinge of regret for being a little too kind.\u201d We must always, he taught, be considerate of the thoughts and feelings and circumstances of those around us, and \u201cbe careful that we do not destroy another person’s confidence through careless words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the many gems of General Conference, we were particularly grateful for these:<\/p>\n