President Oaks made the following comments regarding the Proclamation on the Family, sexuality and gender identity on Wednesday:

President Dallin H. Oaks
In a continuation of the teaching given two weeks ago by President Nelson at Brigham Young University, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, offered remarks about the eternal nature of God’s children, His plan for them and the commandments to love God and to love our neighbors.
“While God’s commandments forbid all unchaste behavior and reaffirm the importance of marriage between a man and a woman, the Church and its faithful members should reach out with understanding and respect to individuals who are attracted to those of the same sex or whose sexual orientation or gender identity is inconsistent with their sex at birth,” President Oaks taught. “We do not know why same-sex attraction and confusion about sexual identity occur,” he continued. “They are among the challenges that persons can experience in mortality, which is only a tiny fraction of our eternal existence.”

President Oaks spoke of three fundamental doctrinal truths that God has revealed:
“First, … that God created ‘male and female,’” and that this “binary creation is essential to the plan of salvation.”
“Second, modern revelation teaches that eternal life, the greatest gift of God to His children, is only possible through the creative powers inherent in the combination of male and female joined in an eternal marriage (see Doctrine and Covenants 132:19). That is why the law of chastity is so important.”
“Finally, the long-standing doctrinal statements reaffirmed in [The Family: A Proclamation to the World] 23 years ago will not change. They may be clarified as directed by inspiration.” For example, “the intended meaning of gender in the family proclamation and as used in Church statements and publications since that time is biological sex at birth.”
“When counseling with any members experiencing challenges related to their sexual orientation, Church leaders should affirm that God loves all His children, including those dealing with confusion about their sexual identity or other LGBT feelings,” President Oaks said. “Such members and their families have unique challenges. They should be offered hope and be ministered to as directed by the Spirit according to their true needs, remembering the admonition of Alma to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort (see Mosiah 18:9).”
“Because we love God and understand His great plan of salvation and the significance of His commandments, we manifest our love for our neighbors by helping them come unto Christ, repent, and keep His commandments. This is part of bearing one another’s burdens that they may be light.”

(I added the bolded emphasis above).

The Church just released this email:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

Witnessing Ordinances

Early in this dispensation, the Lord instructed that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:28). Consistent with this direction, members of the Church serve as witnesses when sacred ordinances of salvation and exaltation are performed. 

We are pleased to announce procedural adjustments for the two individuals who serve as witnesses to baptisms and sealing ordinances. These adjustments are effective immediately in all temples and in all Church units. As invited by presiding authorities:
–Any member holding a current temple recommend, including a limited-use recommend, may serve as a witness to a proxy baptism.
–Any endowed member with a current temple recommend may serve as a witness to a living or proxy sealing.
–Any baptized member of the Church, including children and youth, may serve as a witness to the baptism of a living person.
We trust that you, as individuals and families, will find great joy in your service as you help provide saving ordinances to Heavenly Father’s children. 

Sincerely yours, 


The First Presidency
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Robert O’Brien was Catholic and joined the Church in his 20s. The Deseret News calls him the “highest ranking” member of the Church in the U.S. government.

As many readers know, Ezra Taft Benson was the Sect. of Agriculture in the 1950s. And there have been many Latter-day Saints in a myriad of other federal government positions.

O’Brien is close to Mitt Romney but unlike Romney is unique in praising Trump’s presidency. Some people call him a foreign policy “realist,” and other say he will be a hawk just like John Bolton, whom he replaced.

You can read more about O’Brien here.

Here is an analysis of O’Brien’s hawkish foreign policy philosophy.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have two thoughts battling in my brain at the same time. Thought one: traditional morality is in decline, and society is suffering because of it. The Proclamation has warned that attacks on the family will cause problems in society, and we are seeing this.

But then there is thought two, which is that many things in society are the best ever. Fewer people dying in wars. Desperate poverty is in decline worldwide. Most people live quite well, especially compared to past generations.

Readers may find this video interesting regarding thought two:

U.S. politics is especially stupid these days. I have been following politics since the 1970s, and this period appears to be the most inane ever. And if you believe that only one “side” is stupid, then you are part of the problem.

We have one “side” that spends most of its time claiming the United States is a hateful, racist country. And then we have another “side” saying that if you launch such criticisms you should be sent back to the country you came from. I mean really, can you get any more sophomoric?

There used to be an understanding that the United States indeed had many flaws but that we were working to fix those flaws and we had done a pretty admirable job of it. Of course slavery was horrific, but slavery had existed for thousands of years, and it was a new thing to abolish it. Once the idea of ending slavery became popular, it took the United States a few decades to end institutionalized slavery. Brazil ended slavery in 1888 — the United States did it in 1865. England ended slavery in 1833. I suppose it is not politically correct to point out that, worldwide, slavery was NOT about race — it was about power. Historically, people of all races have been forced into slavery. (It’s almost like people have never seen the movie “Gladiator.”)

Segregation and Jim Crow laws were another horrific period of U.S. history, and this involved true racism, not the overwrought charges of racism we see launched every five second today. The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s is a heroic period where Americans of all races came together to end this racism. And those of us who believe that God has equal love for all people, the movement to end this racism is wonderful thing and something we as Americans should be proud of.

President Nelson spoke at the NAACP on Sunday August 21, and he said the following:

We are all connected, and we have a God-given responsibility to help make life better for those around us. We don’t have to be alike or look alike to have love for each other. We don’t even have to agree with each other to love each other. If we have any hope of reclaiming the goodwill and sense of humanity for which we yearn, it must begin with each of us, one person at a time….

Simply stated, we strive to build bridges of cooperation rather than walls of segregation.

Quoting from 2 Nephi 26:33, President Nelson said the Savior invites “’all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he (denies) none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God.’

“May I repeat that last phrase: ‘All are alike unto God.’”

May I suggest that, as usual, President Nelson strikes exactly the right tone? He is right in line with President Hinckley, who declared in 2006: “I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ.”

Latter-day Saints should not join either “side” on this issue. We should recognize that the history of the United States is filled with mistakes, but we should be optimistic and proud that this country has taken massive steps to correct those mistakes. We should look at history in context and not expect people from the past to have acted as we act today.

But on the other hand, we should never join the people chanting “send her back” when another person criticizes the United States and makes other statements with which we might disagree. Of course it is OK to criticize the United States. There is much to criticize, including, by the way, the treatment of latter-day Saints in the 19th century.

The Church of Jesus Christ’s position is exactly right: All are alike unto God. People who disparage another race are not following the teachings of Christ. It is also worth adding that those who spend their time focusing on past tragedies are very often creating negativity rather than positive feelings. And those who drum up hatred and xenophobia for political reasons are also on the wrong path. Follow the prophets. They know the way.