By SAM METZ Associated Press April 3, 2022, 11:59 p.m. • 3 minutes reading Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Email this article SALT LAKE CITY – A leading leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage and “gender-biased change” as gender and sexuality debates resurface. the United States. Dallin H. Oaks, the second high-ranking leader of the faith, commonly known as the Mormon Church, told thousands of listeners gathered at a conference center at the church headquarters in Salt Lake City that what he called “social and legal pressure” was not will force the church to change its position on gay marriage or gender identity issues that it did not specify. The highest level of salvation, Oaks said, “can only be achieved through fidelity to the wills of an eternal marriage between a man and a woman. This divine doctrine is the reason we teach that sex is an essential characteristic of the individual proponent, mortal and eternal identity and purpose. Oaks also said that the ecclesiastical doctrine “against changes that confuse or change gender or homogenize the differences between men and women” and warned that “gender confusion, marital distortion and discouragement of childbearing” was the work of the devil. . He also asked the members of the faith to live peacefully and to respect those who have beliefs different from their own. Oaks’s observations confirm the long-standing commitment to gay marriage, which it has maintained firmly, even as it mitigates its policies on other LGTBQ issues, including the possibility of baptizing same-sex children. Confirmation of their positions by Latter-day Saints comes as debates erupt across the nation about transgender youth and what children need to learn about gender and sexuality. Officials in Texas have struggled to classify gender reassignment surgeries as child abuse, and Florida has outlawed sex education and gender identity education in kindergarten through third grade. More than a dozen states have restricted transgender children from participating in school sports, including Utah, where the church is located. He did not play an active role in the policy debate this year. Oaks’s statements come a day after church leaders opened their two-year general conference by emphasizing unity in the midst of polarization, with high-ranking church official Neil L. Andersen dismissing comparisons between ecclesiastical leaders and those who are “secular.” such as political, business and cultural leaders. “ On the closing day of the signing ceremony, officials also denounced the war in Ukraine and efforts to remove religion from public life. Russell M. Nelson, the church’s president-prophet, said he had visited Russia and Ukraine many times and said the whole war was “scary” without denouncing the Russian invasion. “I weep and pray for all those affected by this conflict. “The Church is doing everything we can to help those who are suffering and struggling to survive,” he said.
