PBS Interview: President Boyd K. Packer on Homosexuality

President Boyd K. Packer is Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Immediately after The Mormons was broadcast, PBS posted additional resources for viewers online, including select, edited transcripts from some of those who were interviewed for the documentary. The transcripts of two interviews were not included among those initially posted. Since that time, Church Public Affairs has worked with editors at PBS.org to post on the LDS Newsroom the transcripts from interviews given by President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Dallin H. Oaks, also a member of that Quorum.

On July 20, 2007, the following transcript from the interview President Boyd K. Packer gave for the PBS documentary, The Mormons, was posted.

Helen Whitney's interview questions are in bold, followed by President Packer's response. Read the entire posted interview with President Packer on the LDS Newsroom website.

I'd like to discuss dissent in the Church. I recognize that every church has to take steps to maintain orthodoxy. I'd love to go back to something you wrote about 15 years ago. I heard a lot about it when I started this film. You isolated three movements you felt were a particular danger to the spiritual health of this Church: the gay and lesbian movement, the feminist movement, the intellectual movement. And that was quite a while ago that you wrote that. And so my question is, the world has changed a lot — do you still feel those dangers are present? And if so, why?

First, in the Church, we don't criticize; we don't discipline members for what they think. But if they teach things that are going to lead people astray and to unhappiness, then we sound the alert. We don't discipline them for their attitudes or their tendencies. We warn people if they go on that path: there are snares there, so stay away from them. It's just that simple.

But could you help me understand why those particular groups or movements were of special concern to you?

In the center, we do feel and think and know that the ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children can be happy at home. When influences come that challenge or disturb the possibility that our home will exist in the next world, provided you have the ordinances, we find great dangers in them. Families come apart if they follow those paths — individuals pull away from families. I remember saying those things. And if it's in print, I said it. That's part of the alert and learning. It's very simple. Down some of those paths, you have a right to go, but in the Church, you don't have a right to teach and take others there.

...

I guess the counsel, you know, of the many gay Mormons who love this Church but find following some things too difficult. Would that be your counsel, then, to stay in the Church?

We don't discipline for the thoughts and tendencies, but for the actions. In one way there's little different than a heterosexual person being under terrible pressure to misuse those sacred powers of procreation immorally. And the line is drawn there. That's the individual's responsibility to keep the commandments. They're free to do as they want and go their way, but that's the cost. We have a tremendous sympathy for them. That has to be displaced with something else in their minds.

_________________________

As an aside, the statement by President Packer that Helen Whitney inquired about is one that is often quoted – or referrenced to – in criticism of the Church or its leaders. In 1993, in his "Talk to the All-Church Coordinating Council," then-Elder Packer stated:

There are three areas where members of the Church, influenced by social and political unrest, are being caught up and led away. I chose these three because they have made major invasions into the membership of the Church. In each, the temptation is for us to turn about and face the wrong way, and it is hard to resist, for doing it seems so reasonable and right.

The dangers I speak of come from the gay-lesbian movement, the feminist movement (both of which are relatively new), and the ever-present challenge from the so-called scholars or intellectuals. Our local leaders must deal with all three of them with ever-increasing frequency. In each case, the members who are hurting have the conviction that the Church somehow is doing something wrong to members or that the Church is not doing enough for them.

While President Packer doesn't directly respond to the reference to gays, his response is directed to the general threat he perceives of those whose ideals are in opposition to the teachings of Church leaders.