Pew Forum Interviews Elders Russell M. Nelson and Lance B. Wickman

On May 16, 2007, The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published an interview with Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Lance B. Wickman of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In the article, titled "In Focus: Mormonism in Modern America," Pew Forum Senior Editor, Robert Ruby, discusses with Elders Nelson and Wickman various tenants of Mormonism and how they play a role in contemporary political life. A segment of this interview discusses statements by Church leaders concerning homosexual behavior and how that might affect individual Latter-day Saints' support of various political platforms or candidates regarding same-sex marriage.

According to the LDS Newsroom report on the interview, Pew Forum Interviews Mormon Leaders, "The Pew Forum is a major religious research organization, highly regarded by professional journalists and academics. The aim of the organization, according to its Web site, is to ‘promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs.'"

See below for the questions regarding same-sex marriage. Robert Ruby's interview questions are in bold, followed by Elder Nelson's and Elder Wickman's responses. To read the posted transcript of the entire interview, see The Pew Forum Q&A In Focus: Mormonism in Modern America.

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Elder Wickman, you have spoken at length in recent church publications about the church's position on same-sex marriage. A very short portion [of your remarks] includes this:

"There is no such thing in the Lord's eyes as something called same-gender marriage. Homosexual behavior is and will always remain before the Lord an abominable sin. Calling it something else by virtue of some political definition does not change reality."

A member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Dallin Oaks, went on to say, "The time has come in our society when I see great wisdom and purpose in a United States constitutional amendment declaring that marriage is between a man and a woman."

Can or should a church member support a political candidate who approves of civil unions or same-sex marriage?

Wickman: Of course. The quote that you have read back to me is an expression of our church doctrine. Of course, you have just excerpted it from a much longer interview in which I expressed our doctrines in greater fullness, which includes, of course, a feeling of compassion for those who struggle with same-sex attraction. One of the purposes of [that discussion] was to try to be hopeful and encouraging to those who do but nonetheless want to conform their lives to what they understand the Lord's teachings to be.

The [church's] First Presidency has issued repeated statements over the years to church members to involve themselves in the issues of a forthcoming election and to make their judgments on who they vote for based on who they think is best qualified. If that means that some Latter-day Saints support a candidate who happens to favor civil unions, I think that is an individual decision for them to make.

Nelson: We can't alter what teachings have come from heaven; all we can do is support them, and we express love and appreciation for people who have challenges. Every person on this planet has personal challenges. Some have challenges with same-sex attraction, some have problems with opposite-gender attraction that have to be controlled. We just can't live like biological specimens of some kind, responding to whatever urges; we have to discipline and control those things.

Wickman: We consider the voting franchise to be almost a sacred thing. People have a right to express themselves. If there is one fundamental doctrine in which we believe, it's the principle that the Lord has endowed every one of his children with agency, the opportunity to choose in this life. In a political sense, that means that in those societies that allow such choice to be made, that they have the opportunity and choice to exercise their voting franchise – agency – and they do that however they see fit. You have Latter-day Saints across the political spectrum in this country and in other countries.

Nelson: One of the misconceptions that ought to be speared is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is institutionally affiliated with one party or political agenda more than another; it is not.

In Utah, there is one largely dominant party [the Republicans]. The match-up on social issues between the party and church members is pretty close. Why did that happen?

Wickman: Let's just take the issue of same-sex attraction, or let's just take same-gender marriage. You're aware of our position on that issue. That is certainly a view that tends to be espoused by people of a conservative point of view. That might explain why you find some number of Latter-day Saints who likewise are conservative themselves. But I think there has to be a distinction made between church principles and teachings, on the one hand, and political platforms on another.

We teach certain principles. You can find those principles in varying forms in the political platforms of both of the major political parties.

Nelson: We teach the members of our church that elected officials who are members of this church make their own decisions. It may not necessarily be in agreement even one with another or with a publicly stated church position. While the church may communicate its view to them, as it may to any other elected official, it recognizes that these officials still must make their own choices based on their best judgment and with consideration of the constituencies they were elected to represent.

So we have excellent members of the church on both sides of the aisle here in this country. And in other countries, where the government takes a different form and the flags and the constitutions are different, the teachings of the Lord are applicable regardless of constitution, party, language, race or political ideology.