And so before summarizing what “my faith leads me to believe” about same-gender unions and gay clergy I’m going to include two links to a more thorough treatment.

The first is a short doctrinal declaration by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints known as “The Proclamation on the Family.” It was first read publicly in 1995 and sets out the context for the place of the family in God’s eternal plan for his children, including the role of gender and marriage.

The second is a detailed 8,000-word interview with Church leaders that thoroughly explores the question of same gender attraction and the Church’s response to it. A transcript can be found at www.lds.org/newsroom under the link to “Same-Gender Attraction.”

That said, my faith and church doctrine leads me to believe that God has, from the beginning of history, ordained marriage between man and woman and the raising of families to be central to His plan for the eternal destiny of His children. For The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the doctrinal issue is clear cut. A sexual relationship outside of marriage – whether heterosexual or homosexual - is sin. And same-gender unions are, we believe, unacceptable to God.

But we can’t leave it there, because how to love, treat and respond to those who have feelings of attraction for those of the same sex in our own congregations is much more complex. I probably still have something to learn about how to love unconditionally and non-judgmentally in such circumstances, and I’m confident that I’m not alone in that.

We need to remember that it’s not a sin to feel inclinations or to be tempted. The sin comes in yielding to the temptation. Church leaders have taught that a person who feels attraction to those of the same gender can progress in the Church as long as they don’t yield to temptation – that is, engage in sexual relations.

In practice in a church like ours without a paid, professional clergy, that means such members who feel but resist same-gender attraction can preach from the pulpit, lead the congregation in prayer, bless the sacramental emblems if ordained to the priesthood, teach classes, attend the temple and serve as missionaries.

In other words, they do what most other members can do with the probable exception of serving in positions that customarily require marriage and family experience (such as a bishop).

I can’t envision a time when the Church will accept same-gender unions, any more than I can imagine Church approval of a heterosexual couple living together outside of marriage.

Church leaders know that they are swimming against the tide of increasing social acceptance of such practices, but they cannot abandon such fundamental moral laws just because some in society think those scriptural teachings no longer have relevance.