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Yes, I am sure that there are many many threads on this board where Pearson and the issue of homosexuality is discussed – perhaps in detail. I don’t care really, because I have some thoughts, and I want to hear what folks think and their opinions, rather than just reading old thread. Soooo. As I have gone through this podcast, part 1, I can tell you that it’s not often that a grumpy, bearded, middle-aged man admits it, but I had some serious tears. Wow, is all I can say. I have always considered myself to be an advocate of the homosexuals within the church, but I have an entirely new perspective.
jwald read the book, Goodbye I Love You. I never have, but I got the gist of it from her. I WILL read it now. The part in the broadcast that got me the most, is where she reads from the book where her husband, Gerald, finally “admits” to himself that he is gay, and that all his dreams of living this mormon stereotypical lifestyle being married and having a family and a “normal” relationship, is just not going to make him happy, and that he will spend the rest of his life miserable. Anyway, very very powerful – and heart wrenching, and then she goes into the story that Gerald’s gay friend, who is also married, goes in to see SWK, and SWK tells her that if she has enough faith and spirituality, that her husband “will be alright.
My god – I cannot believe that a church leader would do such a thing. CLP says many times in the podcast, that she feels the church put a tremendous amount of the blame and guilt and responsibility on the women in these relationships. Ugly, ugly ugly.
The last thought that I had, was how JD and CLP talk about “how homosexual men have so much to offer the world, and EVEN if the priesthood COULD cure the genes that cause them to be homosexual – why would they? They are a beautiful part of society and have so much to offer, even within the church. Our society has evolved with homosexuals, for a reason. What would we be missing if the just no longer existed?”
Anyway, I just wanted to write what I was feeling about the podcast. Thanks for listening.
Quote:Cwald wrote… I can tell you that it’s not often that a grumpy, bearded, middle-aged man admits it, but I had some serious tears.
Grumpy and middle-aged perhaps, but you look clean shaven in your portrait!
😆 Very good post! I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, I will down load it tonight since this is one of my soap boxes. IMO the church has a reputation of being the last ones to let go of yesterdays bad behavior and embrace all with love and equality. A few examples… ERA, Blacks, gays.
I guess I’ve met too many women that are at least equal if not better than men in many ways! I have too many Black friends to think for a second that they are any less than I am. If you don’t have a gay friend then go make one and open your heart, you will find a child of God that just wants to be accepted and loved like the rest of us. If you still think that they choose that life, or are that way because of sin,(as some church leaders have in error taught) then listen to William Bradshaw’s podcast for the mountain evidence that they are born that way. I have herd stories of Christian parents disowning their gay children, how sad, how pathetic, how hypocritical!
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It was a great interview, and I had similar reactions and thoughts. I was amazed by it. She has done some great living and exemplifying the Way. Cwald, This is near and dear to my heart, so I would like to reply. I read “Goodbye, I Love You.” about 10 years ago and it touched me profoundly. I read part of it with my gay son. My son had a huge fear of dying of AIDS at one time and was so touched that CLP would continue to love her husband and nurse him through AIDS. I called CLP by phone after wards to thank her so much for writing this book. ThenI told her about my book and had her read the preview to It. She was in a different place than I was at the time but so kind and supportive. A few years ago I read her sequel to that book, “No More Goodbyes.” It was equally wonderful and so fair-minded. I think she is a marvelous human being and respect her so much. It’s taken me a long time to get to the place I am now of accepting homosexuality and gay marriage. I had a hard time with it and really wanted to believe people could change their same-sex attraction. Some, seem to be able to change or minimize and live happy heterosexual lives. I know some personally and wish them the very best. But, I know most will not be able to change. Church leaders, especially those of an older generation have a particularly difficult time understanding this issue. My husband is demonstrates love and great caring for our gay son and is accepting of his partner. He even said he would attend the gay union they are planning. But, looking at two guys kiss is still extremely hard for him. It is not easy for me either at times. He does not want to talk or think about romantic stuff with two guys at all, yet he admits he gets turned on by two women doing sexual stuff together or kissing. So, he knows he has a double standard. People, just aren’t good at handling things outside the norm. This is why kids get teased at school and bullied. Because I know how long it took my husband and I to come this far and I even wrote a book about it, I just look at church leaders and say, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
I do believe SWK regretted what he said in his Miracle of Forgiveness about homosexuals. CLP mentioned that once somewhere. A missionary companion of mine who dated a guy for 4 years and then he told her he was gay, was devesated when he backed out of the relationship. Her dad, a stake president in California at the time had her go talk privately to SWK about it. She told him how the bishop of her fiance had told him to just marry and he would get over it. SWK, told her that this bishop was wrong and that gays cannot just change and compared it to the story of the blind my in the bible, like God had told me about my son. SWK told my old missionary companion that there is much that needs to be educated and changed about gays in the church, so I do believe God can work on church leaders to change if we pray for them. Change does not come easy for any of us and the hang ups of culture and traditon are slow to change as portrayed in the Musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” I just try to do my part whenever I can.
This is one of my favorite mormonstories podcasts. I love Carol Lynn Pearson; her poetry, her books and her worldview. I wish I could feel like she does about the church. I hope to get there some day. My favorite part was when she said that she believes God is Love and that is her testimony, that her bishop knows this and is okay with it. Reading her book “Goodbye I love you” touched my soul. CG
In part 3 of the podcast – CLP talks a lot about the “machinery of the church,” and how when during Gerald’s last few weeks, that the mormon community came alive and really showed a tremodous amount of empathy and help and support to the family. She does a lot of crying in this part of the podcast, and says that, “the mormons are a great people, and even though they can’t and don’t understand homosexuality, they do understand pain.” She talks how the RS quit asking her “if she needed anything?” and instead started to say, “We will be over at 9 AM every morning, please have something for us to do to help you at this time…”
I think this a really important, for people like me to recognize. Yes, I butt heads with many folks in this church, but I DON’T butt heads with more than I do, and I think, if my family needed emotional or physical support, it would be there.
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