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How Latter-day Saints Can Be Loving Without Compromising Truth
As faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we are called to walk a careful path, one that reflects Christ’s love for all of God’s children but also holds firm to eternal truths. In today’s world, especially within conservative circles, discussions about LGBT individuals can become tense, polarized, and reactionary. But for Latter Day Saints, the answer is not complicated. We love, we welcome, we minister, but we do not affirm sin.
Welcomed, Loved, and Accountable to Eternal Truths
LGBT individuals should always feel welcomed and loved in our chapels, homes, and communities. They are sons and daughters of God. They are invited to worship with us. They deserve kindness, dignity, and respect, just as Christ offered to all who came to Him.
But welcoming does not mean endorsing. Love does not mean affirmation. We do not adjust eternal doctrine to suit temporal feelings. As Latter Day Saints, we believe in absolute truth and we do not abandon it to fit cultural trends.
What the Scriptures and Prophets Say
The Bible, the Book of Mormon, and modern-day revelation are consistent and unwavering on the law of chastity and the sacred nature of gender and family.
Genesis teaches us that God created male and female and that marriage is ordained between a man and a woman.
The Book of Mormon speaks boldly against immorality of all kinds, reminding us that God’s commandments do not change with the times (Alma 39).
The Proclamation on the Family, issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, clearly states, “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” It affirms that marriage between a man and a woman is central to God’s eternal plan.
No prophet, ancient or modern, has ever taught that same-sex relationships are acceptable to God. On the contrary, every prophetic voice has emphasized repentance, fidelity to the commandments, and the eternal nature of male-female marriage.
Our Role as Disciples of Christ
We have a duty to minister to all, including those who struggle with same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria. But our duty is not to validate sinful lifestyles. It is to help all of God’s children come unto Christ and to live His gospel fully.
This means:
We offer friendship without promoting false ideologies.
We extend love without diluting doctrine.
We invite others to walk the covenant path, knowing it is the only path that leads to exaltation.
The World vs. Zion
The world demands not only acceptance but celebration of all things LGBT. But Zion is not the world. In Zion, we honor divine law. We do not celebrate sin, no matter how loudly society demands it.
Latter Day Saints should be allies in love but never allies in rebellion against God. True compassion points people to repentance, not indulgence. It offers eternal identity, not worldly validation. The most loving thing we can do is to help someone see who they truly are, a son or daughter of God, capable of living a chaste, holy, covenant-keeping life.
Final Thought: Hold the Line
In this generation, where moral confusion reigns and deception is rampant, we must hold the line. We must be bold enough to speak truth and loving enough to minister with patience. We do not abandon our beliefs to seem kind. Instead, we teach the real meaning of love, sacrifice, obedience, and eternal joy in Christ.
Let us never be ashamed of our doctrine. Let us never be afraid to say what the scriptures say. And let us always love others enough to invite them into the safety of God’s truth without rewriting it.
I don’t use the term “ally” because it gets easily confused with supporting things I do not and cannot support. However, I am willing to be a friend to all.
Lisa Heap Smith “Love thy neighbor” is an easy to understand term and it’s Biblical. I grew up as a GenX child born in 1970, and at a different time than now. I’ve witnessed a lot of change jn the last fivexand a half decades. Even being homosexual was frowned upon by many Latter-Day Saints members in the past. The church has seen a lot of change but Jesus today is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Hebrews 13:8-16 NKJV
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.” My own relatives were part of the L.D.S. Church once at a far different time. My family are still members today. My fifth great-grandfather was John Taylor (1908-1887) who stood for various things in the church. He lived in time when polygamy was an acceptable part of the church but in many parts, it came to an end and he stood for his own beliefs as much in ending that practice. Time brings us all through change and this is a normal part of life. Loving thy neighbor as yourself isn’t a practice we should take lightly. It’s a good teaching we can stand on and uphold in our dairy life and in the Latter-Day Saints Church itself, even today in 2025. We are all art of humanity on earth and each person is special and unique. These are my thoughts. —Jamie Fletcher
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Jamie Fletcher I just choose to be friends with everyone if they desire that. Friendship is mutual so it takes both sides. I don’t do the ally thing and don’t use that term because it creates expectations of approval in those who hear the term. I can’t give that.
I was born in 1977 so I’m also GenX. My ancestors on both sides go back to the foundations of the restoration of the church such as Amasa Lyman and Edward Partridge. This isn’t so much about change as it is about just me stating why it is that I don’t use the term “Ally”. It creates an expectation that I cannot fulfill. I won’t ever approve of something that the Lord has asked us not to approve of and support. Whereas the term “friend” does not have that connotation attached to it.