#queer scriptures

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NIV)

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The apostle Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ." That changes how I think about and understand Good Friday and Easter. It's not just about what happened to Jesus a long time ago, it requires me to ask, "Who is still being crucified today?"

James H. Cone was an American Methodist minister and theologian best known for his advocacy of black liberation theology. In his book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree, he parallels the experience of African Americans with Christ. "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree."

James Cone reportedly said, "The cross is what power does to people it decides don't matter. It crushes them, silences them, makes them invisible."

I can't ignore that the metaphorical cross, the mechanisms of oppressive power, are being used to decide trans people don't matter. Trans people are not just talked about, they're policed, erased, and feared. It's the same pattern highlighted by the cross, of power deciding who gets to be seen and who belongs. Many people are still living the horrors of the cross.

King Benjamin is addressing his people and says, "And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants."

To remain forgiven of their sins the people needed to take care of the poor, the hungry, the naked, and the sick, both those who experience these things physically or spiritually.

The part that gets my attention is who determines their needs. King Benjamin said it is "...according to their wants." It reminds me of a story of high end restaurants and bakeries donating their leftovers each night to food banks, and how the food goes unused. Those coming to the food bank want the sliced white sandwich bread, not the fancy baguettes. What was being donated was convenient for those donating, it made them feel good and didn't cost them any extra other than packing it up and delivering to the food bank, but it didn't meet the needs of those who they were supposedly helping.

It's not the people in power who decide what the marginalized individuals and communities need, what is good enough for them, it's the community itself. The LGBTQ community has to be listened to for what it needs. Basically what queer people want is what everyone else takes for granted. Everyone who is straight or cisgender takes certain things to be just part of a normal, full human life and part of their regular church experience, but many of those things are restricted or denied to queer folks.

Chapter 5 begins with King Benjamin seeking feedback, he sends messengers out to ask if the people understand what he’s saying and if they believe his words. He sought the opinion of the people.

If the Church is going to do a better job about ministering to the LGBTQ community’s needs and wants, LGBTQ people really need to be heard and understood. How powerful would it be for the First Presidency and Quorum of Apostles to hear more of our voices and see more of the effects of what is happening within the LDS LGBTQ community? I believe if the president of the church was regularly in a room full of LGBTQ Saints, that things would change with regard to how he ministers to us.

Former Relief Society General President Jean B. Bingham recently shared that she participated in council meetings with Church leaders where temple ceremony language was updated to better reflect the value of women. The updates aimed to remove phrasing that made many women feel less valued. These changes were made so that the Church could better serve its female members and honor them as daughters of God.

The changes in the temple came about because the leaders were in dialogue with women. They counseled with women, listened to women, checked for what the impact on women was, and then that prompted The Brethren to make those changes.

Right now the Church isn’t in dialogue with us, but you and me and many others are doing our best to invite a conversation. Sending in letters and going on podcasts and writing on our blogs with our pain and our needs, expressing the hurt that is a result of current teachings and policies, that’s our invitation to them.

In the Book of Mormon, Lehi dreams of an Iron Rod leading to a tree, when Lehi tastes the fruit of the tree, which symbolizes the pure love of Christ, he declares it the most sweet fruit he'd ever had and it filled his soul with "exceedingly great joy."

What we’re aiming for is God’s Love. That’s the goal. As a queer person, you may have wondered if God's love extends to you, but this dream suggests that God’s love is there for us, we just have to reach for it to experience it.

The purpose of the Iron Rod is to lead you to God’s love.

Many queer people fear letting go of the Iron Rod, even if it is to grab hold of the fruit. When clinging to that iron rod becomes our focus, it can hamper us in feeling God’s love. We hold tight with both hands to ancient texts and what others tell us about God, we fear messing up our family's eternity, and ignore or doubt the things God is trying to communicate to you, and it keeps us from moving forward.

One thing that helped me is to change my focus to hope instead of fear. I don’t fear I cannot live the type of life that God wants for me or be the person God wants me to be. I trust that God has planned for queer people. I don’t think I’m strong enough to thwart God’s plan for me. I have hope I can grow and progress. I can be a good person and do things that are pleasing to God and which bring meaning to my life, even if it looks different from how I was told my life must look like.

One way that happened was to stop worrying about life after death. No one can prove that there is life after death and also no way to know exactly what it is like, we take this on faith. Those who’ve had experiences where they died and came back describe an intense amount of love. Those who’ve had visions describe it as more wonderful than we can imagine. Yet no one can describe what an average day is like in heaven. So I just gotta trust that a loving God will take care of it.

I focus on this life. I think about if God & Christ are real, then they are working today in our world. How can I partner with them? What work are they doing and how can I help? Lehi wanted his family to experience the sweet fruit, it isn't meant to be experienced alone. How can I help others to experience the sweet fruit of God's love? Paul teaches that Love is greater than faith. Love for others and learning to love myself is where I can make the biggest impact. There are things I can do today or this week to help others.

In essence, the gospel is to love ourselves & to love others. To help others is to help God, especially those who are downtrodden, who are poor, who are refugees, who are on the margins, who are widows & orphans, who are in prison, who are hungry, who are homeless, who are scared. That’s true religion.

The Iron Rod can lead you towards got, but you've got to let go of the Iron Rod to embrace God’s love for you and help share that love with others

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I want to give an alternate way to interpret the Iron Rod. This comes from 1 Nephi 11: 24-25

And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him. And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.

The Iron Rod as the word of God isn't doctrine, dogma, or even the scriptures, it symbolizes the Word of God, Jesus Christ (see John 1:1-5). We are to cling and hold fast to our personal relationship with the savior.

Jesus’ ministry and atonement truly reveal the love of God as a fruit “most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11:22). Jesus is there to guide us towards a reconciliation with God that will allow us to fully partake of this love and then to offer that same love to those in our lives.

In the Parable of The Wheat and The Tares (Matthew 13:24-30), a farmer sows wheat seeds, but an enemy secretly sows weeds (tares) among the wheat. The master allows both to grow together until it's time to harvest, because pulling up the tares would have also uprooted the wheat. At harvest time, the reapers were instructed to burn the weeds and to store the wheat.

Jesus gave the interpretation (Matthew 13:36-43) that the Son of Man (Jesus) sows the good seeds, representing the children of the kingdom. The devil sows the tares, representing the children of the evil one. The field is the world, and the harvest is the end of the age. Believers and non-believers coexist in the world.

The parable teaches patience and warns against premature, human-led judgment. God allows both to grow together to protect the righteous. Whichever one we are, we’re inseparable from each other. We can’t remove them without removing ourselves.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of people think they are the wheat and want to remove anyone they think are the weeds.

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Some interpret this parable as a description of the church (the Kingdom of Heaven) and that it contains both true believers (wheat) and false believers (tares) coexisting until the final judgment.

Some go further and use this parable to debate the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in church communities, discussing whether they represent "true believers" or "false, corrupting influences". Which is interesting since the point of the parable is God insists on us remaining together.

If people in the church are causing LGBTQ+ people to be uprooted and leave the church, it goes against the instruction to let the wheat and tares grow together. And according to the parable, this is actually uprooting a lot of wheat as well. Although I can’t help but wonder that if this parable is about church, then it’s those who remain who are wheat and tares and not those who leave or are kicked out.

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The traditional interpretation of this parable splits the world into rigid categories of righteous or sinful, of “good” or “bad.” A queer interpretation rejects this traditional binary.

No one is all good or all bad, so we should rethink the idea of classifying people as one or the other. We are both.

What we understand as good or bad as a 10 year old or a 25-year old differs from how we understand that as a 40-year old or a 75-year old. No wonder we’re urged to be patient in order to prevent the good from being discarded along with the bad, because we perhaps have too narrow a view.

I think we should ask ourselves why would the 'plucking out' of the tares damage the wheat? If people are learning from their mistakes and growing and becoming, an early judgement wouldn't provide me the opportunity to grow up and root out the tares from myself. This interpretation of the parable turns my focus towards my own growth and not worrying about who I think is problematic and shouldn't be at church.

Several times Jesus taught about the righteous and the wicked where the underlying message was that none of us are "the righteous ones." He said those who are well have no need of a physician (Mark 2:17), meaning Jesus came to save those who recognize they need help, not those who believe they are righteous. Or when Jesus suggested He would leave the 99 to save the 1 sheep (Luke 15:4-7) - it isn't because the 99 don't need Christ, it is because they don't know they are lost. Only by recognizing we are both weed and wheat will we allow ourselves to grow and develop into the best versions of ourselves.

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24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

"We love him, because he first loved us."

If we want to become more like God, the first step is to believe in and love ourselves. ————————————————————

It is often hard for queer people to love themselves. Studies find that LGBQ+ individuals have lower general self-acceptance compared to cisgender heterosexual participants.

The chronic stress caused by experiencing, or fearing, prejudice, discrimination, and social exclusion directly hinders self-acceptance. Many LGBTQ+ individuals subconsciously adopt society's negative views of their identity, leading to feelings of self-disgust, shame, and a constant need for secrecy. If you fear being abandoned by your family and friends if you come out, it makes it difficult to feel worthy of love. For trans individuals, gender dysphoria causes profound discomfort that, even with support, makes self-love a difficult, ongoing process.

Even after coming out, the long-term, deep-seated habit of hiding one's true self to survive can make it difficult to embrace oneself fully.

In a society that seeks to erase our identities and invalidate our experiences, learning to love ourselves unapologetically is an act of resistance. It requires us to confront systems of oppression, to challenge the narratives of shame and inadequacy that have been imposed upon us. Everyone’s journey of self-discovery is different, and I hope that it uncovers the beauty of one’s authenticity and identity with pride and courage.

What I've learned is that it does take time and some hard work to get to a place of self acceptance and ultimately to a place of self love, transformation. I found strength through community, therapy where I learned to unpack my own internalized homophobia, and learning to embrace parts of myself that I was taught to suppress.

Jesus arrives at Bethany to find Lazarus, His dear friend, has died and been in the tomb for four days. He encounters Lazarus's sisters, Martha and Mary, who are heartbroken. Seeing their sorrow and feeling His own, Jesus, despite knowing He would raise Lazarus, wept with them.

Jesus knew Lazarus would rise again, yet He wept.

Jesus was able to bring His friend back from the dead, that's pretty unusual, you might even say queer.

Loving your neighbour is embracing the wholeness of who they are, not maligning them and creating malicious public policy, or treating people badly. In the Trump administration we have the use of the government to punch down on people rather than a hand up to folks who are marginalized

A person in this country who lacks legal status doesn’t need to be treated inhumanely. The law can be enforced without violence or denigrating the person.

If a child needs food, it’s not the fault of that child, we should not starve that child.

If you have individuals with disabilities, we shouldn’t push down on them.

Those actions are opposed to the teachings of Jesus. Public policy can support and build up or we can have public policy which is violent and strips away the basic necessities people are seeking to simply exist and be treated with dignity.

Jesus said there’s no greater commandments, these override any others. How do we love queer people, and do they recognize how we treat them as love?

To love queer people means to listen to their stories, understand their experiences, and be open to learning from their perspective.

To love queer people means to affirm their identities. Use correct pronouns and names. Acknowledge their identity as real and valid. This is crucial for their well-being

To love queer people is to show unconditional love for them and to create welcoming environments which don't judge or condemn them simply for being queer. It's creating safe spaces where they don't have to hide this important part of who they are.

To love queer people is to celebrate their joy. Recognize and share in the happiness and beauty of their identity, not just their struggles. Queer joy is about finding happiness, resilience, and freedom in being your true self, and in love, connection, and flourishing.

To love a queer person is to respect their journey and value them as a whole individual.

To love a queer person means accepting their identity as they define it, not as you wish it to be.

To love a queer person is supporting their well-being.

A person can disagree over specific beliefs and yet focus on their shared humanity and engage in actions which see and honor the queer person's authentic self.

In verse 10, Moses says, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." (KJV)

Moses had a speech impediment, many interpret this verse as Moses had a stutter or a similar condition. Whatever the impediment was, Moses worried about how it would affect his ability to speak on behalf of God.

God responds in verses 11 & 12: And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. (KJV)

God points out He created all natural ability of the mind or body, and also the lack of ability. God can work with a person's strengths and weaknesses and Moses shouldn't make excuses for what he perceives as his limitations.

In verse 13, Moses responds, "O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send." (KJV)

This translation sounds odd. The RSV translation is more clear, "Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person."

Even after reassurances from God, Moses feels inadequate to the task of the Israelites out of Egypt and asks for God to send someone else. Given it's a speech impediment, perhaps Moses thinks the people won't listen to him or believe him.

God responds in verses 14 & 15: "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do."

God is angry at Moses' reluctance and lack of confidence in himself and in God. God points out that different strengths and weaknesses complement each other, Moses can succeed by working together with others.

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Moses must have felt his trouble speaking made people dismiss his thoughts and opinions. Among the ruling class he likely wasn't treated fairly and felt marginalized for a condition that he didn't choose and can't change, and this grew into a passion for justice and fairness.

His disability is likely is what made him empathetic to the plight of the Israelite slaves when the other Egyptians in leadership were indifferent. It's this weakness which made Moses able to be used by God. Marginalized individuals are uniquely positioned to lead movements for social change.

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This story highlights our interdependence on others. We all require support and help. When we work together, our differences become our strength. As a community we are able to accomplish much more.

We are reminded of this lesson again in Exodus 17 when Moses needs others to hold up his arms to ensure the Israelites' victory against the Amalekites. Moses couldn't succeed without friends and a community around him.

Modern American culture likes to envision people being "self-made," "pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps." But the history of human progress is a story of working together. That's what makes society possible.

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Moses is like the superhero of the Hebrew Bible, yet he doesn't fit many of that culture's ideals of an aggressive, dominant masculinity. Moses was saved and raised by women, growing up with a single mother. He had this physical disability and a lack of self confidence. The story of Moses challenges normative masculinity.

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The Bible is full of stories where the low become high, where the last becomes first. God is never on the side of the oppressors. Individuals facing systemic marginalization or oppression can find hope in the story of Moses.

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All these lessons are important for the queer community.

The struggles we face from oppression should lead us to be empathetic of the struggles of other groups, whether they're marginalized due to race, ethnicity, disability, national origin, religion, age, disease, gender, sexual orientation, or other reasons which they didn't choose and can't change, (except religion, but for most they inherited their religious beliefs from their family, and religion is a powerful part of an individual's identity).

Empathy becomes a powerful call to action and solidarity.

It's good to challenge traditional notions of rigid gender norms. We need to work to remove barriers which limit groups of people from opportunities or which limit self expression.