My heart breaks for those who thought that suicide was the only way to escape same-sex attraction. My heart reaches out to anyone who is thinking that now. I know that Pres. Packer feels far more compassion for these people than I am even capable of. But shying away from the truth is does not show our love for them, nor is it the solution to their struggles. The answer comes, as Pres. Packer said in his talk, through the atonement of Christ.
We all feel things that are not in line with the gospel. We feel natural things, like anger, lust, envy, fear, and despair. Just because they are natural feelings does not mean they are right. Feeling these things do not make us bad people, but it is a sin to nurture these emotions or to willfully act on them, (murdering, adultery, stealing, being faithless, or giving up hope.)
So when we tell those who struggle with same-sex attraction that they can change, it is a message of hope. It is not singling them out or telling them that they are less worthy. It is telling them that they are just as worthy as anyone else to be loved and have a celestial marriage. The atonement bridges the gap for all of us between who we are and who we are meant to be.
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