Sexuality and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints explained

Sexuality has a role within the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). In its standards for sexual behavior called the law of chastity, top LDS leaders bar all premarital sex,[1] all homosexual sexual activity,[2] the viewing of pornography, masturbation,[3] [4] overtly sexual kissing, sexual dancing, and sexual touch outside of a heterosexual marriage. LDS Leaders teach that gender is defined in premortal life,[5] [6] and that part of the purpose of mortal life is for men and women to be sealed together in heterosexual marriages, progress eternally after death as gods together,[7] [8] and produce spiritual children in the afterlife.[9] [10] [11] The church states that sexual relations within the framework of monogamous opposite-sex marriage are healthy, necessary, and approved by God.[12] The LDS denomination of Mormonism places great emphasis on the sexual behavior of Mormon adherents, as a commitment to follow the law of chastity is required for baptism, adherence is required to receive a temple recommend,[1] [13] and is part of the temple endowment ceremony covenants devout participants promise by oath to keep.[14]

Chastity

See main article: Law of chastity.

The LDS Church teaches its members to obey the law of chastity, which is a code of morality and modesty. Under this code, all members are taught to be "morally clean in their thoughts, words, and actions" and to abstain from pornography.[15] [16] Violations of this code include all premarital sex,[1] [12] all homosexual sexual activity,[2] the viewing of pornography,[3] overtly sexual kissing, dancing, and touch outside marriage and masturbation.[3] [4]

Though celestial marriage is the only form of marriage recognized as a sacrament, the church permits sex within government-recognized marital unions, the notable exceptions being same-sex marriage, common law marriage, civil unions (in jurisdictions where marriage is available), and polygamy. The church is sensitive about its historical relationship with polygamy, and entry into a polygamous marriage, even where legal, will result in mandatory consideration of church discipline and possible excommunication.[17] [18] The law of chastity includes standards of modesty in dress, grooming, and appearance which have varied according to cultural norms of the time.[19] Serious offenses of the law of chastity may result in church discipline, including the possibility of excommunication. Penalties from church leaders are stiffer for same-sex sexual sins than for heterosexual ones in matters of general church discipline, missionary requirements, and code of conduct enforcement at church-run universities.[20] LDS teens have the highest rate of reported abstention from sexual activity of any US religious group surveyed.[21] [22]

Soaking

See main article: article and Soaking (sexual practice).

In 2021, reports of LDS Church members "soaking" (sexual insertion occurring, but without subsequent thrusting) as a workaround to the church's sexual restrictions made international news and received millions of views and social media tags.[23] [24] Many described the rumors as a myth while others stated that they knew people who had participated in the action.[25] [26] [27] Other articles described a related act among LDS members of "jump humping" where two people soak while another jumps on the bed beside them.[28] [29] [30] LDS soaking has been discussed on multiple American television series in the 2020s.[31] [32]

Masturbation

See main article: Masturbation and the LDS Church.

See also: Religious views on masturbation.

On many occasions church leaders have taught that members should not masturbate as part of obedience to the law of chastity. The 1990 edition of the church's youth guidelines pamphlet which stated that the "Lord specifically forbids[...] masturbation",[33] [34] with the next two editions into 2022 alluding to it with statements forbidding anything that "arouses" any sexual feelings or emotions in one's "own body".

Kissing

Church leaders have stated that outside of marriage prolonged and "passionate kisses" are off limits. For example, church president Spencer W. Kimball, called the "soul kiss" an "abomination" that leads to necking, petting, and "illegitimate babies". He further stated that even when dating for a time a kiss should be a "clean, decent, sexless one like the kiss between a mother and son".[35] [36] He also stated that kissing during casual dating is "asking for trouble" and that kisses should not be "handed out like pretzels".[36] [37] Apostle Richard G. Scott advised that physical expressions of romantic feelings between unmarried individuals should be kept to "those that are comfortable in the presence of your parents".[38] [39]

Erotic touch

Church leaders have also condemned erotic touching outside of heterosexual marriage using terms like "necking" for general kissing and stroking of areas outside of the breasts, buttocks, or groin region, and "petting" for fondling another in private areas whether under or over clothing.[33] [40] [36] Despite the policies on extramarital sex and making out, a 2007 survey of over 1,000 BYU students showed that 4% of single women and 3% of single men had participated in oral sex or intercourse while dating. Additionally, 54% of men and 46% of women BYU students reported "making out and intense kissing" while dating.[41]

Oral sex

In the early 1980s, the church explicitly banned oral sex even for married couples as it was considered an "unnatural, impure, or unholy practice", which reflected verbiage for sexual misconduct in the church's General Handbook.[42] [43] In a January 5, 1982, First Presidency letter to bishops and other local leaders, it was explicitly stated that members who participated in any oral sex were barred from the temple unless they "repented and discontinued" this practice.[44] [45] In a popular book sold by the church's bookstore and cowritten by a BYU professor, the authors state that oral sex is unworthy and impure for married couples.[46] [47] [48] An LDS magazine published a bishop's teaching in 2013 that oral sex was forbidden before marriage.[49] Two BYU graduate LDS sex therapists, however, publicly stated in 2013 that oral sex was acceptable for married couples[50] as did another LDS therapist in 2014.[51]

Pornography

See also: Mormon pornography.

LDS Church leaders have repeatedly condemned the use of sexually arousing literature[52] and visual material for decades.[53] [54] Rhetoric has softened over time, however.[55] They have compared pornography to a plague[56] or epidemic[57] [58] that is overpoweringly addictive like hard drugs such as cocaine on multiple occasions. The church has also stated that viewing erotic material can become a habit that is "almost impossible to break"[59] which can metaphorically "blast a crater" in the brain.[60] The church hosts meetings and has a website[61] to assist members who wish to curb their consumption of pornographic material,[62] [63] and has asked church members to attend an anti-pornography rally.[64] Church leaders have also stated that women who dress immodestly become pornography to men around them.[65]

The Church Handbook states that the three bishopric members should ensure that members from ages 12 to 17 are interviewed twice a year during which they are to discuss the "importance of obeying the commandments, particularly[...] refraining from any kind of sexual activity, and refraining from viewing, reading, or listening to pornographic material."[66] It also states that disciplinary council should not be called for members "who are struggling with pornography or self-abuse."[67]

Research

Sociological research into pornography and LDS individuals has included one BYU study that showed of 192 male BYU students ages 18–27, 100% of the sample considered viewing pornography "unacceptable". However, 35% reported having used pornography in the past 12 months, with 9.2% of the entire sample reporting viewing pornography at least once in the last month.[68] No data was collected on female students. A nationwide study of paid porn subscriptions showed that the predominantly LDS state of Utah had the highest subscription rate of any state.[69] [70] Utah's LDS then governor Gary Herbert officially declared pornography to be a public health crisis in Utah in 2016.[71] In 2017 the church school BYU released a study using data gathered online from nearly 700 unmarried English-speaking adults on the effects of religiosity on perceptions of porn addictiveness and relationship anxiety.[72] The results showed that seeing oneself as addicted to pornography generated far more anxiety- and shame-related negative outcomes individually and in romantic relationships than any potential negative effects of consuming sexually explicit material. Additionally, individuals reporting higher religiosity were more likely to consider themselves addicted to porn regardless of their comparative usage rate.[73] [74]

Dancing

Currently and in the past LDS Church leaders have looked down on dancing that includes full-body contact, is suggestive of sexual behavior, or has same-sex romantic overtones.[75] A 1972 youth guide stated that unapproved dance movements that were deemed vulgar included shoulder or hip shaking, body jerking, crouching, slumping over, and backbending.[76] [77]

Birth control

See also: Religion and birth control and Christian views on contraception.

Teachings on birth control have changed over the course of the church's history going from condemning it as sinful to allowing it. The current church stance as of 2023 is that "decisions about birth control and the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each married couple" and that they should consider "the physical and mental health of the mother and father and their capacity to provide the basic necessities of life for their children" when planning a family.[78] [79] The church discourages surgical sterilization, like vasectomies and tubal ligation.[78] [80] [81] In the past the use of birth control methods including artificial contraception was explicitly condemned as pernicious and sinful. As recently as 2003 a church manual was published containing a quote from the late church president Spencer W. Kimball stating that the church does not "condone nor approve of" measures of contraception which greatly "limit the family".[82] [83]

Abortion

See also: Abortion and Christianity.

The LDS Church opposes elective abortion "for personal or social convenience", but states that abortion could be an acceptable option in cases of rape, incest, danger to the health or life of the mother, or where the fetus has been diagnosed with "severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth."[84] [85] In a 2011 US-wide Pew poll, of the 600 LDS-identifying respondents, 27% said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 70% said it should be illegal in all or most cases.[86]

Marriage

See main article: Marriage in the LDS Church.

See also: Celestial marriage, Sealing (Mormonism) and Interracial marriage and the LDS Church.

From the 1830s, heterosexual marriage has been a central and distinctive component of the Latter Day Saint theology. LDS teachings on marriage begins with the belief that, if performed by a person who has the requisite priesthood authority, a marriage may continue in the afterlife. Such a marriage is called a celestial marriage or a temple marriage, and is a particular instance of a sealing which binds people together in the afterlife.[87] Celestial marriage is considered to be a requirement for entry into the highest degree of the celestial kingdom (the highest degree of heaven in LDS theology), and is thought to allow the participants to continue to have spirit children in the afterlife and become gods.[8] [2] According to LDS belief, the continuance of a celestial marriage in the afterlife is contingent upon the couple remaining righteous.

Polygamy

See also: Current state of polygamy in Mormonism.

From 1852 until 1890, the LDS Church openly authorized polygamous marriages (an LDS term for polygamy) between one man and multiple wives, though polygamous families continued cohabitating into the 1950s.[88] The LDS Church now embraces monogamy and the nuclear family. Members who are found entering into or solemnizing polygamous marriages or associating with polygamous groups are now subject to church discipline and possible excommunication.[17] The topic of same-sex marriage has been one of the church's foremost public concerns since 1993.

Restrictions on marriage

, the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage.[89] The church played an important role in defeating same-sex marriage legalization in six US states in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Nearly every decade for over a century—beginning with the church's formation in the 1830s until the 1970s—saw some denunciations of interracial marriages (miscegenation), with most statements focusing on Black–White marriages.[90] Until 2013 at least one official church manual in use continued discouraging interracial marriages.[91] In 2013, the church disavowed its previous teachings on interracial marriage for the first time.[92] [93] [94]

Sexual orientation

See main article: Homosexuality and the LDS Church.

See also: LGBT rights and the LDS Church and Sexual orientation change efforts and the LDS Church.

Church publications state that individuals do not choose their sexual orientation, its church-run therapy services no longer provides sexual orientation change efforts for gay members, and the church has no official stance on the causes of homosexuality.[95] [96] All homosexual sexual activity is condemned as sinful by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in its law of chastity, and the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage.[97] [98] Adherents who participate in same-sex sexual behavior may face church discipline. Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from same-sex marriage and any homosexual sexual activity or sexual relationships outside an opposite-sex marriage.[99] [100] [101] However, all people, including those in same-sex relationships and marriages, are permitted to attend the weekly Sunday meetings.[102]

In order to receive church ordinances such as baptism,[103] and to enter church temples, non-heterosexual adherents are required to live a celibate lifestyle without any sexual expression. Additionally, in the church's plan of salvation non-celibate gay and lesbian individuals will not be allowed in the top tier of heaven to receive exaltation unless they repent during mortality, and a heterosexual marriage is a requirement for exaltation.[104] [105] The church's policies and treatment of LGBT people has long been a source of controversy both within and outside the church.[106] [107] [108] They have also been a significant cause of disagreement and disaffection by members.[109] [110] [111]

Past teachings

Church leaders previously taught that homosexuality was a curable condition.[112] [113] They counseled members that they could and should change their attractions,[114] and provided therapy and programs with that goal. Even celibate gay people were subject to excommunication.[115]

Gender

See also: Gender and religion.

Gender identity and roles play an important part in LDS theology which teaches a strict binary of spiritual gender as literal offspring of Heavenly Parents.[116] Part of Sunday Church meetings are currently divided by biological sex,[117] and for most of the 1800s church presidents Joseph Smith and Brigham Young had men, women, and children sit separately for all Sunday meetings.[118] Expressions and identities for sexuality and gender are "separate, but related" aspects of a person[119] and stem from similar biological origins.[120]

Women

See also: Women in Christianity and Women and religion.

The LDS Church is supportive of traditional gender roles. Women have a certain degree of authority in some areas, including leadership positions with authority over children and other women, although these women leaders receive supervision and guidance by male priesthood-holding leaders.[121] [122] Women are "endowed" with priesthood power, but are not ordained to priesthood office.[123] Though not considered clergy, women play a significant part in the operation of local congregations[124]

Gender minorities

See also: Gender minorities and the LDS church, Christianity and transgender people and Transgender people and religion.

Transgender people and other gender minorities currently face membership restrictions in access to priesthood and temple rites. Only recently have leaders begun directly addressing gender diversity and the experiences of transgender, non-binary, intersex, and other gender minorities whose gender identity and expression differ from the cisgender (i.e. non-transgender) majority.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Simmons . Brian . Coming out Mormon: An examination of religious orientation, spiritual trauma, and PTSD among Mormon and ex-Mormon LGBTQQA adults . . December 2017 . PhD . 65 . [A] current temple recommend [allows one] to participate in temple ordinances. In order to hold a current temple recommend, a person must attest to their ecclesiastical leaders that they maintain faith in the LDS Church, and live according to the standards (including no sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage and abstaining from coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs).. Athens, Georgia.
  2. News: Petrey . Taylor G. . My Husband's Not Gay: Homosexuality and the LDS Church . Taylor G. Petrey. Religion & Politics . John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics . . St. Louis, Missouri. February 4, 2015. In the Mormon cosmos, as presently understood, there is simply no room for same-sex relationships. For Mormons, the afterlife consists of heterosexual pairs of divinized men and women. Often church leaders have counseled Mormons who experience same-sex attraction that their unwelcome feelings will disappear in the afterlife. ... [T]he very structure of heaven can only accommodate opposite-sex marriages.. February 27, 2023.
  3. News: Stephenson . Kathy . April 16, 2021 . Latter-day Saint sex therapist plans to fight to keep her church membership . . 2023-04-03 . Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement that ... 'The church teaches its members to be morally clean in every way, and that sexual feelings are given by God and should be used in ways he has commanded,' he said, adding that the church condemns pornography in any form and sees masturbation as immoral..
  4. Maza. Christina. Masturbation Will Make You Gay, Warns Leaked Mormon Church Document. Newsweek. 14 December 2017. 15 December 2017. 16 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171216022751/http://www.newsweek.com/masturbation-gay-leaked-mormon-church-lgtb-religion-sex-748201. live. Internet Archive.
  5. Scholl Shurtz . Charlotte . Spring 2022 . A Queer Heavenly Family: Expanding Godhood Beyond a Heterosexual, Cisgender Couple . . 55 . 1.
  6. News: Goecker . Liesl . A call for more 'Christlike' approach . . Salt Lake City, Utah . July 14, 2007. February 27, 2023.
  7. Boyd . George T. . A Mormon Concept of Man . . 1968 . 3 . 1 . 65 . 10.2307/45226953 . 45226953 . 254392103 . free .
  8. Hagen . Kirk D. . Eternal Progression in a Multiverse: An Explorative Mormon Cosmology . . Summer 2006 . 39 . 2 . 2 . 10.2307/45227238 . 45227238 . 254398580 . free .
  9. Hales . Brian . 'A Continuation of the Seeds': Joseph Smith and Spirit Birth . . . Fall 2012 . 38 . 4 . 105–130 . 10.2307/23292634 . 23292634 . 254493140 . Today, an accepted doctrine of the [LDS Church] interprets verses in Doctrine and Covenants 132 as references to the birth of spirit offspring by exalted married couples in the celestial kingdom. subscription .
  10. Book: Ludlow . Daniel H. . Carter . K. Codell . . 1992 . . Godhood . New York City . 978-0-02-904040-9 . 553, 555 . https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/3734. They [resurrected and perfected mortals] will dwell again with God the Father, and live and act like him in endless worlds of happiness ... above all they will have the power of procreating endless lives. ... Those who become like him will likewise contribute to this eternal process by adding further spirit offspring to the eternal family..
  11. Book: Gospel Fundamentals . 2002 . . Salt Lake City . 201 . They [the people who will live in the celestial kingdom] will receive everything our Father in Heaven has and will become like Him. They will even be able to have spirit children and make new worlds for them to live on, and do all the things our Father in Heaven has done..
  12. News: Tanner . Courtney . 1 October 2018 . Mormons and sex: Before marriage, it's an absolute no-no, but after exchanging vows, it's an emphatic yes-yes — and not just for making babies . limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006133526/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/local/2018/10/01/mormons-sex-before/ . 6 October 2023 . . The Salt Lake Tribune.
  13. Book: Petrey . Taylor G. . Taylor G. Petrey. Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism . June 15, 2020 . . Chapel Hill, North Carolina . 978-1469656212 .
  14. Encyclopedia: Bryce J. . Christensen . http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5912 . Chastity, Law of . 265–266 . Encyclopedia of Mormonism . Ludlow . Daniel H . Daniel H. Ludlow . New York . . 1992 . 978-0-02-879602-4 . 24502140 . 2017-05-28 . 2013-10-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131003065100/http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5912 . live . Brigham Young University.
  15. Book: Gender(ed) Identities: Critical Rereadings of Gender in Children's and Young Adult Literature . Hassel . Holly . Tricia . Clasen . August 25, 2016 . . 243 . 978-1-317-43070-4 . . limited .
  16. Book: http://www.lds.org/study/topics/chastity . Chastity . Gospel Study: Study by Topic . .
  17. Book: Bushman, Richard Lyman . Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction . . 2008 . 978-0-19-531030-6 . . limited.
  18. Web site: The Mormons, Frequently Asked Questions: Dissent/Excommunication/Controversies . . 2007.
  19. Katie . Clark Blakesly . 'A Style of Our Own': Modesty and Mormon Women . 42 . 2 . Summer 2009 . . . 40–41.
  20. News: Fletcher Stack . Peggy. Peggy Fletcher Stack . 'Mormonism's Scarlet Letter'? It's a mark on their membership that follows some gay Latter-day Saints throughout their lives . . Salt Lake City, Utah . November 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20230201023158/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/11/30/mormonisms-scarlet/. February 1, 2023. live. . limited.
  21. News: Riess . Jana . A reality show about Mormon swingers? The real reality of LDS sex lives is far more boring. . Jana Riess. . 3 February 2024. limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20240217091253/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/02/03/jana-riess-reality-show-about/. 17 February 2024. Internet Archives.
  22. Book: Austin, Mark D. Regnerus. Forbidden Fruit: Sex & Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers . February 5, 2007 . . 978-0-19-804330-0. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320947.001.0001. . limited. 128,133,263.
  23. News: Das . Trishna . What is Soaking? Bizarre Sex Act by Mormon Teens on TikTok Takes Internet by Storm . International Business Times . IBTimes Co., Ltd. . 28 Sep 2021.
  24. News: Salmin . Dee . What is 'Soaking' - the Mormon sex practise that's gone viral on TikTok? . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 6 October 2021.
  25. News: Ball . Siobhan . Soaking, the sin-free Mormon sex trend, has made its way to TikTok . Daily Dot . 30 Sep 2021.
  26. News: Templeton . Sarah . What is 'soaking' and 'jump-humping'?: The Mormon sex acts going viral on social media . NewsHub . Discovery New Zealand . 10 Jan 2021.
  27. News: Lewak . Doree . What is 'soaking'? The Mormon teen sex act going viral . New York Post . NYP Holdings, Inc. . 27 September 2021.
  28. News: Jackson . Gita . Viral 'Jump Humping' TikTok Teaches the World About Mormon Sex . Vice News . Vice Media Group . 27 Sep 2021.
  29. News: Lindsay . Jessica . Jump humping and soaking: How Mormon teens are getting around their religion's premarital sex rules . Metro UK . Associated Newspapers Ltd. . 9 Oct 2021.
  30. News: Lopez . Canela . Mormon teens on TikTok are filming themselves 'jump-humping,' a tactic used to avoid thrusting during penetrative sex . Insider . Insider Inc. . 28 Sep 2021.
  31. Book: Rausch, Andrew J. . Perspectives on Elmore Leonard: Conversations with Authors, Experts and Collaborators . 2022-05-06 . . 978-1-4766-8002-6 . 84 . Google Books.
  32. Bell . BreAnna . 2023-04-26 . Why 'Jury Duty' Boss Cody Heller Almost Cut That Soaking Scene, Pitches Season 2 Set in a 'Whole Different Universe' . Variety.
  33. Jepson. Jared A.. A Study of the For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet . 2005. . Provo, Utah . Master of Arts.
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  36. News: Shumway. Julia. Pairing Off: Counsel for Latter-day Saint singles on kissing. Deseret News. LDS Church. 14 April 2011.
  37. Web site: Monson. Bruce. Speaking of Kissing. ChurchofJesusChrist.org. LDS Church.
  38. Web site: A Triangle, Three Pillars, and Your Eternal Happiness . 2024-02-24 . . Tueller . Steve . 30 September 2014.
  39. Web site: Scott. Richard. Making the Right Choices. ChurchofJesusChrist.org. LDS Church.
  40. Christensen . Harold T. . 1976 . Mormon Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective . . . 10 . 2 . 63,71 . 0890-0779 . 11614390.
  41. Chadwick. Bruce. Top. Brent. McClendon. Richard. Smith. Lauren. Judd. Mindy. A Survey of Dating and Marriage at BYU. . . 1 July 2007. 46. 3. 11.
  42. Mackelprang. Romel W. 'And They Shall Be One Flesh': Sexuality and Contemporary Mormonism. . . March 1992. 25. 1. 60–61. 13 February 2017.
  43. Book: Corcoran. Brent . Mackelprang. Romel W . http://signaturebookslibrary.org/multiply-and-replenish-02/ . 'They Shall Be One Flesh': Sexuality and Contemporary Mormonism . Multiply and Replenish Mormon Essays on Sex and Family. 1994. Signature Books. Salt Lake City. 978-1-56085-050-2. 59 . . 4 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220204233023/http://signaturebookslibrary.org/multiply-and-replenish-02/ . dead.
  44. Web site: Schoenkopf. Rebecca. Mormons Apparently Not Allowed To Do Sex With Their Mouths. wonkette.com. Commie Girl Industries, Inc. 28 September 2012. LDS President Harold B. Lee: I was shocked to have you raise the question about 'oral lovemaking in the genital area among married couples.' Heaven forbid any such degrading activities which would be abhorrent in the sight of the Lord. For any Latter-day Saint, and particularly those who have been taught in the sacred ordinances of the temple, to engage in any kind of perversions of this sacred God-given gift of procreation, would be sure to bring down the condemnation of the Lord whom we would offend were we to engage in any such practice..
  45. Taylor. Mark A.. Sin and Death in Mormon Country: A Latter-day Tragedy. April 1986 . . 88. 3 February 2017 . Internet Archive.
  46. Book: Brinley. Douglas. Lamb. Stephen. Between Husband and Wife: Gospel Perspectives on Marital Intimacy. 2000. Covenant Communications. Drawing the Line. American Fork, Utah. 978-1577346098. 163–171. https://deseretbook.com/p/between-husband-wife-gospel-perspectives-marital-intimacy-douglas-e-brinley-1654?variant_id=124565-paperback. Alternate link.
  47. News: Ingraham. Mike. Sex in Zion: A manual for Mormons, written by a Logan native, is leaping off the shelves. Logan, Utah. . 20 July 2000. The index is not so coy. 'Oral sex, 163-71' it says. That is the chapter 'Drawing the Line.' 'We wrestled with that,' Brinley says. The authors evidently decided to take their cue from President Boyd K. Packer who told BYU students 'If something unworthy has become part of your relationship, don't ever do it again! Now what exactly do I mean by that? You know what I mean by that.'.
  48. News: Fulton. Ben. The Missionary Position: An LDS guide joins the fray of sexy religious books. Salt Lake City Weekly. 11 June 2007. Then there’s a topic so sensitive it dare not speak its name, except to those curious enough to look it up in the index. ... Discussion of oral sex requires a definition of oral sex, a duty Brinley was loath to navigate. Most Mormons already consider the practice impure anyway, because it’s practiced by gays, lesbians and prostitutes. Besides, Brinley's confident that readers know what the chapter’s discussing by its tone alone. 'When we talk about sexual acts that are unworthy and unnatural, people know what we’re talking about. We’re not talking about biting your wife’s ear,' he says. “[Oral sex] is something you just don’t talk about. It’s like getting a hole-in-one on Sunday. You’re not supposed to be on the golf course anyway, so how can you tell anyone?'.
  49. Eastland. Larry . A YSA Bishop Talks to the Sisters About Intimacy. Meridian Magazine. 7 November 2013. I have counseled too many of the brethren who are currently in a lustful relationship doing things they know are wrong including improper touching and oral sex. ... So that there is no misunderstanding about what I am saying, let me be both blunt and indelicate: ... 3. No oral sex..
  50. News: Piper. Rachel. The (Mormon) Sex Girls Explain It All. . 4 September 2013. Is oral sex forbidden by the LDS Church? Kristin Hodson: No, except in myths and urban legends. Alisha Worthington: And there could be some bishops who you go in and ask who are like, "Oh, no." Again, it’s who you get. KH: There’s only "don’t do anything unnatural," or abusive or coercive. It’s pretty neutral. [Oral] is just part of marital bonding, part of the buffet of sexual experiences..
  51. Helfer Parker. Natasha. The Mormon Therapist on Approaching Sexual Decisions. . 24 March 2014. I have the same question about oral sex: I've heard one camp say that it’s not spiritually uplifting and therefore wrong, while the other says that once you’re married anything is game. So which is it? ... It is my opinion that any sexual experience between spouses can be spiritually uplifting, as long as both are comfortable and enjoying one another. ... Let’s not give other fallible humans the authority to make decisions regarding our most private, personal pleasure..
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  62. Web site: Addiction Recovery Program. ChurchofJesusChrist.org. LDS Church. 20 February 2017.
  63. News: Pugmire. Genelle. LDS church releases video to help those battling porn addiction. Fox 13 KSTU. 24 Aug 2014.
  64. News: Catholic and LDS Leaders Ask Support for Anti-Porno Rally. . United Press International. 6 November 1977. 16. The bishop of Salt Lake's Catholic Diocese and the First Presidency of the Mormon church have joined in a call for church members to attend an anti-pornography rally Nov. 12.[...] 'We encourage members of the church to attend (the rally) and to invite their friends and neighbors to also attend.'. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171208221200/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15654975/lds_leaders_ask_members_to_attend_slc/. 8 December 2017.
  65. Web site: Oaks. Dallin. Pornography. ChurchofJesusChrist.org. LDS Church. 20 February 2017.
  66. Book: Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops. 2010. LDS Church. Salt Lake City, Utah. 7.1.7. https://archive.today/20171115192344/https://www.lds.org/manual/handbook-1-stake-presidents-and-bishops/interviews-and-counseling/interviews-and-counseling?lang=eng. 15 November 2017. dead.
  67. Book: Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops. 2010. . Salt Lake City, Utah. 6.7.1. https://archive.today/20171115192358/https://www.lds.org/manual/handbook-1-stake-presidents-and-bishops/church-discipline-and-name-removal/church-discipline-and-name-removal?lang=eng. 15 November 2017. Failure to Comply with Some Church Standards: A disciplinary council should not be held to discipline or threaten members who do not comply with the Word of Wisdom, who are struggling with pornography or self-abuse, or whose transgressions consist of omissions, such as failure to pay tithing, inactivity in the Church, or inattention to Church duties.. dead.
  68. Padilla-Walker. Laura M.. Nelson. Larry J.. Carroll. Jason S.. "I Believe It Is Wrong But I Still Do It": A Comparison of Religious Young Men Who Do Versus Do Not Use Pornography. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. 2010. 2. 3. 138, 140. 10.1037/a0019127. 144436713 . 3 February 2017.
  69. News: House. Dawn. Utah is No. 1 - for online pornography consumption. 20 February 2017. The Salt Lake Tribune. 2 Mar 2009.
  70. Edelman. Benjamin. Red Light States: Who Buys Online Adult Entertainment?. Journal of Economic Perspectives. Winter 2009. 23. 1. 209–220. 10.1257/jep.23.1.209.
  71. News: Phillips. Amber. Porn has been declared a 'public health crisis' in Utah. Here's why.. 20 February 2017. Washington Post. 22 April 2016.
  72. Leonhardt. Nathan D.. Willoughby. Brian J.. Young-Petersen. Bonnie. Damaged Goods: Perception of Pornography Addiction as a Mediator Between Religiosity and Relationship Anxiety Surrounding Pornography Use. The Journal of Sex Research. 13 March 2017. 10.1080/00224499.2017.1295013. 28287845. 55. 3. 357–368. 34868037.
  73. Ley. David J.. Religious Conflict Makes Porn Bad for Relationships. Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers. 21 July 2017.
  74. News: Wood. Benjamin. BYU research: Faithful more likely to label themselves as porn 'addicts'. 21 July 2017. The Salt Lake Tribune. 2 May 2017.
  75. Wesson. Karl E.. Dance in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 1830-1940. . April 1975. 126. https://web.archive.org/web/20171029212047/http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6204&context=etd. 2017-10-29.
  76. Web site: Ogden. D. Kelly. Steadfast and Immovable. ldsmag.com. January 8, 2011 . Meridian Magazine.
  77. Book: 1972 . For the Strength of Youth . 2024-02-23 . 6th . 12–15 . . M241 C561f 1972 . Church History Library.
  78. News: LDS Church tweaks policies on 'moral issues' ranging from birth control to surrogacy and medical marijuana . The Salt Lake Tribune. 1 Aug 2020 . Fletcher Stack . Peggy . Peggy Fletcher Stack . limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20230612211833/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/07/31/lds-church-tweaks/ . 12 June 2023 . Internet Archive.
  79. News: Kemsley . Tamarra . At last, LDS Church employees to get insurance coverage for birth control . . 28 Jan 2023. limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20230924092701/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2023/01/28/last-lds-church-employees-get/ . 24 Sep 2023 . Internet Archive.
  80. Brooks . Joanna . Joanna Brooks . LDS Church and the Birth Control Controversy . . 8 Aug 2012 . . Somerville, Massachusetts.
  81. News: Kemsley . Tamarra . At last, LDS Church employees to get insurance coverage for birth control . . 28 Jan 2023. limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20230924092701/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2023/01/28/last-lds-church-employees-get/ . 24 Sep 2023 . Internet Archive.
  82. Web site: Birth Control. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819014031/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/eternal-marriage-student-manual/birth-control?lang=eng . 19 August 2021 . dead. ChurchofJesusChrist.org. LDS Church.
  83. Book: Eternal Marriage Student Manual. Birth Control. 15 . . 2003 . 23 February 2024.
  84. The Other Crime: Abortion and Contraception in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Utah . . April 2020 . University of Illinois Press.
  85. News: 2022-06-25 . How Utah religious leaders view abortion . . Salt Lake City, Utah.
  86. Web site: Views about abortion among Mormons . . 2011.
  87. Book: Hammarberg, Melvyn . The Mormon Quest for Glory . 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199737628.003.0011 . 2013-07-01 . . 253 . 978-0-19-990822-6 . . limited.
  88. Web site: Embry. Jessie L.. The History of Polygamy. heritage.utah.gov. Utah State Historical Society. 1994. Those involved in plural marriages after 1904 were excommunicated; and those married between 1890 and 1904 were not to have church callings where other members would have to sustain them. Although the Mormon church officially prohibited new plural marriages after 1904, many plural husbands and wives continued to cohabit until their deaths in the 1940s and 1950s..
  89. News: Lilly . Christiana . Gay? Mormon? 'Affirmation' Can Help . February 28, 2023 . . April 18, 2014.
  90. Bush . Lester E. . 1973 . Mormonism's Negro Doctrine: An Historical Overview. . 8 . 1 .
  91. News: Park. Benjamin. Why it's time for the Mormon Church to revisit its diverse past. The Conversation. 18 April 2017. Further, the faith has a long history of shunning interracial relationships. At points, some of its leaders even flirted with theories of eugenics, or the belief that they could help cultivate a pure race. Just until four years ago [2013], a youth manual informed young men that the Church 'recommend[s] that people marry those who are of the same racial background.'.
  92. Green . Emma . When Mormons Aspired to Be a 'White and Delightsome' People . 18 Sep 2017 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20221207001722/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/mormons-race-max-perry-mueller/539994/. live. subscription. 7 December 2022. Conflicts over race in the Mormon Church have lasted well into the 20th and 21st centuries. ... The Mormon Church didn’t repudiate its past teachings on race until 2013.. Internet Archive.
  93. Book: Harris. Matthew L.. Bringhurst. Newell G. . Newell G. Bringhurst . [{{google books|plainurl=y|id=Pn20CgAAQBAJ}} The Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History]. 2015. University of Illinois Press. Chicago. Google Books. limited. 978-0-252-08121-7. .
  94. Choosing to Stay in the Mormon Church Despite Its Racist Legacy. Janan Graham-Russell. August 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20220821082919/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/black-and-mormon/497660/. 21 August 2022. live. subscription. The Atlantic. Internet Archive. [T]he LDS church quietly released an essay on race and the priesthood, attempting to explain the restriction's origin. It goes on to repudiate the racism and racist folklore that had been used to explain the restriction in the past. ... Additionally, church leaders have sought to clarify the meaning of the word 'blackness' in Mormon theology—it is often used not just as a reference to skin color, but also as a symbol of disobedience to God..
  95. Web site: Love One Another: A Discussion on Same-Sex Attraction . mormonsandgays.org. LDS Church. dead . December 6, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121206183714/http://www.mormonsandgays.org/. December 6, 2012.
  96. News: Jones. Morgan. The Weeds' story is one of many stories of LGBT Latter-day Saints that continue to be written. Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. LDS Church. February 7, 2018. Today, [LDS] Family Services says it offers the following: 'We assist individuals and families as they respond to same-sex attraction. Our therapists do not provide what is commonly referred to as 'reparative therapy' or 'sexual orientation change efforts'.'. February 27, 2023.
  97. Web site: Same-Sex Marriage. LDS Church. February 27, 2023. July 2019.
  98. What is the Church's position on homosexuality? Is it OK to be friends with people who have homosexual feelings? . July 2012 . . Salt Lake City, Utah . . February 28, 2023. The church opposes homosexual behavior ... Homosexual behavior is contrary to [our] purpose and violates God’s commandments. ... Neither the Lord nor His church can condone any behavior that violates His laws. Again, we condemn the immoral behavior, not the person..
  99. Book: Prince, Gregory A. . Gregory Prince. Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences . 2019 . . Salt Lake City, Utah . 9781607816638 .
  100. Interview With Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Lance B. Wickman: 'Same-Gender Attraction'. LDS Church. September 2006. February 27, 2023. See also The Salt Lake Tribune's archived transcript here.
  101. Hinckley . Gordon B. . Gordon B. Hinckley . What Are People Asking about Us? . . November 1998 . LDS Church. February 27, 2023.
  102. Web site: Worship with Us: What to Expect . mormon.org . . July 2, 2014 . February 15, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190215155922/https://www.mormon.org/worship#what-to-expect . dead . Internet Archive.
  103. Gedicks . Frederick Mark . Church Discipline and the Regulation of Membership in the Mormon Church . . July 31, 2008 . 7 . 32 . 43 . 10.1017/S0956618X00004920 . Cambridge University Press. 143228475 . February 27, 2023.
  104. News: Beaver . Michelle . Mormon church has a fractured history with gays . . . San Jose, California . March 11, 2011. There are three levels to the heaven in which Mormons believe, and to make it to the highest level, one must be married. Perhaps the most sacred church ordinance is the temple marriage, a "sealing" between a man and a woman that is believed to be eternal, according to Richley Crapo, a Utah State University professor. There is no place for homosexuality in Mormon marriages, and no place for noncelibate homosexuals in the top level of Mormon heaven, unless that person has repented accordingly in the afterlife.. January 16, 2023.
  105. News: Petrey . Taylor G. . My Husband's Not Gay: Homosexuality and the LDS Church . Taylor G. Petrey. Religion & Politics . John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics . . St. Louis, Missouri. February 4, 2015. In the Mormon cosmos, as presently understood, there is simply no room for same-sex relationships. For Mormons, the afterlife consists of heterosexual pairs of divinized men and women. Often church leaders have counseled Mormons who experience same-sex attraction that their unwelcome feelings will disappear in the afterlife. ... [T]he very structure of heaven can only accommodate opposite-sex marriages.. February 27, 2023.
  106. Browning . Bill . December 21, 2021 . Utah billionaire leaves Mormon church with blistering accusation it is actively harming the world . live . . San Francisco, California . https://web.archive.org/web/20211221140543/https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/12/utah-billionaire-leaves-mormon-church-blistering-accusation-actively-harming-world/ . December 21, 2021 . February 27, 2023.
  107. News: Winters. Rosemary. Mormon apostle's words about gays spark protest. November 16, 2016. The Salt Lake Tribune. February 23, 2023. Salt Lake City, Utah .
  108. News: Bailey. Sarah Pulliam. Mormon Church to exclude children of same-sex couples from getting blessed and baptized until they are 18. February 27, 2023. registration. Internet Archive. January 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230117070257/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/11/05/mormon-church-to-exclude-children-of-same-sex-couples-from-getting-blessed-and-baptized-until-they-are-18/. live. The Washington Post. November 11, 2016.
  109. Web site: Murphy. Caryle. Most U.S. Christian groups grow more accepting of homosexuality. pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center. February 27, 2023.
  110. News: Levin. Sam. 'I'm not a Mormon': fresh 'mass resignation' over anti-LGBT beliefs. The Guardian. August 15, 2016. February 27, 2023.
  111. News: Hatch. Heidi. Millennial Mormons leaving faith at higher rate than previous generations. KUTV. CBS. April 13, 2016. Salt Lake City, Utah. February 27, 2023.
  112. Book: Kimball, Spencer W.. Spencer W. Kimball. The Miracle of Forgiveness. Bookcraft. 978-0-88494-192-7. [Homosexuality] is curable and forgivable. ... Certainly it can be overcome .... [T]o those who say that this practice ... is incurable, I respond: 'How can you say the door cannot be opened until your knuckles are bloody ...? It can be done.'. 1969. Internet Archive. February 27, 2023. 1976. registration. 23rd print. 82.
  113. Book: Kimball, Spencer W.. Spencer W. Kimball. A Counselling Problem in the Church. July 10, 1964. Brigham Young University. Provo, Utah. 13–14. Internet Archive. We know such a disease [homosexuality] is curable.. February 27, 2023.
  114. Book: Understanding and Helping Those Who Have Homosexual Problems. 3–4. 1992. LDS Church. November 3, 2016. [S]uch thoughts and feelings, regardless of their causes, can and should be overcome and sinful behavior should be eliminated. ... Change is possible..
  115. Schow. Ron. Homosexual Attractions and LDS Marriage Decisions. . Fall 2005. 38. 3. 133–143 . 10.2307/45227379 . 45227379 . 254393745 . June 18, 2017.
  116. David A. . Bednar . David A. Bednar . Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan . . June 2006 . 83 .
  117. Book: Handbook 2: Administering the Church. 2010. LDS Church. Salt Lake City, Utah. 18. Meetings in the Church.
  118. Book: Quinn. D. Michael. Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans. 1996. . 978-0252022050.
  119. Web site: Resolution on Gender and Sexual Orientation Diversity in Children and Adolescents in Schools. American Psychological Association. 9 December 2016.
  120. Bao. Ai-Min. Swaab. Dick F.. Sexual differentiation of the human brain: Relation to gender identity, sexual orientation and neuropsychiatric disorders. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. April 2011. 32. 2. 214–226. 10.1016/j.yfrne.2011.02.007. 21334362. 8735185.
  121. Web site: Handbook 2 – Primary . 21 November 2019.
  122. Web site: Handbook 2 – Relief Society . 21 November 2019.
  123. Book: Quinn, D. Michael. D. Michael Quinn. Mormon Women Have Had the Priesthood Since 1843. Maxine. Hanks. Maxine Hanks. Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism. 1992. Signature Books. Salt Lake City. http://signaturebookslibrary.org/women-and-authority-17/. 1-56085-014-0. 377. https://web.archive.org/web/20220209011516/http://signaturebookslibrary.org/women-and-authority-17/. February 9, 2022. dead. Internet Archive.
  124. .

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