new church life: september/october 2015
is equally masculine or feminine. It
says to me that the Lord’s intention for
each of us is to be born and develop
as a fully functional man or woman,
who has the “capacity for conjunction
in every detail” with a person of the
opposite sex.
Are there interruptions in that
process from time to time with some
people, as science seems to suggest?
I do not know. I do find it helpful,
personally, to allow for the possibility
that there are things going on for some
people that may incline them more
toward homosexuality, as it keeps me
more open to what others may be
experiencing.
Finally it is useful to consider
eternal trajectories. On the negative side, there is no indication that samesex unions exist in heaven, and there are additional hard-to-hear teachings
indicating the sad lot in hell of those for whom same-sex attraction becomes
pervasively domineering, self-serving and lustful. (See Apocalypse Explained
1006:2, Spiritual Experiences 2675) The same thing could be said of disorders
of a sexual nature in the heterosexual realm.
But these teachings should be viewed in the context of what truly defines
us, namely what we come to love the most. The Heavenly Doctrines refer
to these loves as our ruling or life’s love. (See Heaven and Hell 479; Divine
Providence 106)
While each person’s ruling love will be unique, all in heaven share the
common elements of love of God and love of other people. They have also
been willing to be led by the Lord away from what is hurtful and self-serving.
I think it important to note, in the context of one’s ruling love, that
homosexual attraction by itself need not define a person eternally. While
it matters for all of us the level to which we indulge in things that the Lord
forbids, we should never underestimate His ability to lead people through
their many states of life toward heaven.
There is, however, an important component of our preparation for heaven
that revolves around marriage. A chapter in Conjugial Love on “Marriages
in Heaven” says that its purpose is not only to teach that marriages exist in
heaven, but also that they are central to the happiness that the Lord offers to
people there. In fact there are many teachings that lead to the conclusion that
A chapter in Conjugial
Love on “Marriages in
Heaven” says that its
purpose is not only to
teach that marriages
exist in heaven, but
also that they are
central to the happiness
that the Lord offers
to people there.
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