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Gay feelings must be resisted, Mormons declare: New booklet on homosexuality

A new Mormon booklet on homosexuality states that same-sex relationships are “inconsistent” with God’s plan, but adds that some people may not be able to “overcome” such attractions.

The document differentiates between those who have same-gender attractions and those who act on them. “Attractions alone do not make you unworthy,” the document states, adding that God has declared any sexual relations outside marriage unacceptable.

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A Mormon president? The LDS difference

In 1998, the SBC missions board distributed over 45,000 evangelistic kits titled “The Mormon Puzzle: Understanding and Witnessing to Latter-day Saints.” The kit included a video that depicted a typical Mormon family enjoying the weekly LDS ritual of “family home evening.” The commentator noted that the Mormon family “could be the family across the street—wonderful, law-abiding people who adore their children, instilling values we all love and cherish.” But, the commentator continued, this family would be “lost for eternity.” The message was that though Mormons may look clean and righteous on the outside, on the inside they are in the grip of dark forces.

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Counting Mormons: Study says LDS numbers inflated

The Mormon Church claims to have some 5.7 million members in the United States, which would make the Utah-based denomination the fourth largest church body in the nation after the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. Often cited as one of the fastest-growing churches, with a clean-cut image and a focus on family values, the Mormon Church would seem poised to rival within a decade the size of the UMC, which has suffered declines in recent years and now has just below 8 million members.

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