It's Rumor Time Again, March 2019 Edition

Last October we published our Ultimate General Conference Rumor List because we felt was important (and fun) to collect all the rumors we had in one place and to see if any were actually true.

So, we want to continue with a March 2019 Rumor List ahead of next month's General Conference.

Here is a compilation of all the rumors I hear going around:

1. There is a widespread rumor that people are expecting an announcement about a change to the Word of Wisdom, specifically allowing tea and coffee
• It has been suggested that the change might be preceded by a focusing on principles rather than specifics
2. Sunday/Church
• Make changes to Fast and Testimony meetings to have more control over who speaks. Possibly invite people ahead of time.
3. Women
• Women, or more specifically a woman who is possibly the bishop's wife, will participate with the bishop in worthiness interviews
• Women will be allowed to participate in and possibly give blessings
• Allow girls to prepare and pass the sacrament, possibly only in areas with few aaronic priesthood holders
4. Callings
• Make changes to some callings that can currently only be filled by priesthood holders to be filled by women and men
5. Missions
• One prominent rumor is that kids are receiving mission calls that say the length of mission will be announced at General Conference. There has yet to be any proof that this is happening and is similar to rumors before last General Conference.
• A change or emphasis on service missions and/or local missions
• Change mission age so that men and women can begin missions at the same age
6. Temples
• Making the garments a piece of temple clothing that is not worn outside the temple
• An announcement of many new temples. Apparently, Russell M. Nelson wants that to be part of his legacy.
• Separate civil marriages and temple sealings worldwide
7. Scriptures
• Of course, there is always the chance, some might say fear, that the Proclamation will be canonized
8. We'll hear more about Heavenly Mother
9. Change to the Office of Patriarch
10. A new Church Handbook of Instructions will be released

The Ultimate General Conference Rumor List

Edit: Here I will list rumors that are confirmed:

• The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been renamed The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (LINK)
• Come, Follow Me manuals published in Gospel Library App for Individuals & Families, Primary, and Sunday School (for Youth and Adults)
• Two hour block: Sacrament meeting the same, alternate Sunday School and Elders Quorum/Relief Society every other week. (LINK, LINK, LINK)
• #9 of the second link above I think deserves more attention than it is getting: Gospel Principles class is being discontinued. All other classes (e.g. Temple Prep, etc.) will not be taught during the new two hour block
• #5 of the second link above state there will be no more priesthood quorum opening exercises.
• Changes to the Ward Mission Leader calling (LINK):
• No longer a member of the ward council
• If bishop chooses not call a WML those responsibilities will fall to an Elders Quorum presidency counselor

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Here is a compilation of all the rumors I hear going around:

1. Sunday / Church
• Two hour block:
• Sacrament meeting the same, alternate Sunday School and Elders Quorum/Relief Society every other week.
• Sacrament meeting for one hour, shorten Sunday School and Elders Quorum/Relief Society to 30 minutes each.
• 15-30 minute Sacrament meeting, 45 minute Sunday School, 45 minute Elders Quorum/Relief Society. (LINK)
• ADDITION: Now there is the rumor that Elder Bednar, speaking to a stake last weekend, said there will be no change to the 2 hour block: "Here’s another diddy. Elder Bednar came to our stake and gave a talk to all of us. In it at several points he lightly chastised saints who were gunning for  a 2 hr church block, pointing that members in places like africa or india find the 3 hrs of church a refuge in their life." (LINK)
• No more Fast and Testimony meetings.
• Bishopric counselors will be replaced with the Elders Quorum and Relief Society presidents on the stand during Sacrament meeting.
• Beehives will be able to pass the sacrament with the deacons and mia maids will prepare the sacrament alternating weekly with teachers. If this happens I wonder what Laurels would do.
• The church will expand the cluster units it has piloted in Africa. You meet as a ward at the chapel once or twice a month and then in smaller groups of 10-15 people at homes the other weeks. The wards at a building will alternate building use and thus each building can house up to 8-10 wards. This will especially beneficial for wards that very spread out, for wards where members have trouble attending due to transportation issues, and for areas without enough buildings for all the wards.
2. Callings
• "Stake auxiliary callings will go away. The stake will be ran by the stake presidency and high council, with no other stake callings. This will free up callings to allow those serving to be in their wards to serve." (LINK)
• Ward Mission Leader will no longer exist and his duties will be covered by the Elders Quorum presidency, thus increasing the female:male ratio on the ward council. (note: partially true)
3. "Mutual will not be weekly any longer. So YM and YW presidencies, advisors, and bishoprics will be able to spend more time with their family. Also youth are busy with other things and don’t need to feel obligated to attend an activity every week." (LINK)
4. Missions:
• Missionary Program refocus. Service and/or online missions may become an equal (or preferred) option.
• Length of mission will change:
• All missions will be 18 months, or
• Younger missionaries (men and women) will be able to specify how long they will serve: 6, 12, 18, or 24 months
• Sister missionaries being able to go out at 18 and serve for 2 years. 
• Prospective missionaries with health issues, including mental health, will fulfill a 3 month initial mission to see whether they are up to serving a longer mission. If not, they will be honorably released the 3 month mission, which will be considered full-time.
• Missionaries will no longer need to be endowed before they leave on missions.
• New approach to missionary identities: no nametags, casual clothes, first names. Definitely being done in various pilot programs on a limited basis.
• "Missionaries to serve only in the country they live." (LINK)
• New missionaries are currently receiving calls that are blank, don't specify a location, and/or say more information about their missions will be announced at/after General Conference. It could be that these blank calls are related to the rumor below.
• Missions will open in new, unexpected areas, like China.
5. Temples
• Separation of weddings and sealings. Removal of 1-year waiting period for non-temple weddings in USA to allow more family participation.
• The SLC Temple will close for a 5 year renovation, for necessary earthquake retrofitting.
• "The temple interview made less rigid and less about keeping belief standards to accommodate a younger generation walking away from activity and adherence to Church standards." (LINK and others)
• "For those going through the endowment for the dead, reducing the endowment session to 1 hour." (LINK and others)
• Changes to temple language to be more egalitarian.
• Significant increase in temple building rate. It is uncertain if this means building individual temples more quickly or building more temples.
• Making temple garments part of the ceremonial clothing and optional outside the temple.
• Temples in new, unexpected places such as China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Mongolia, Independence, or Israel.
• 8 year olds will be able to do baptisms for the dead in temples.
• There will be "pop-up temples" where stake centers or other church buildings will be temporarily used as temples.
• Temples will open on Sunday at some locations.
6.  Scriptures
• Change of language around Book of Mormon to focus more on revelation than translation.
• Change the title of the Book of Mormon, possible to "Another Testament of Jesus Christ: The Book of Mormon".
• Canonize and add The Family: A Proclamation to the World and/or The Living Christ to the scriptures.
7. “Home sponsored and church supported” curriculum change.
• In particular, there be a new Come, Follow Me curriculum (I think this is already confirmed, but adding for completeness)
8. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will change their name, possibly to The Tabernacle Choir or The Saints' Tabernacle Choir.
• Also, more announcements about no longer using the term "Mormon" in other situations such as Mormon.org
9. Singles Wards
• Will be discontinued.
• All singles aged 18-30 will be required to attend YSA wards.
10. Emeritus status for future apostles at age 80 or 85. Current apostles will be grandfathered into the calling for life.
11. The church will change its name from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to The Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days.
12. Leaders will announce that mothers will now officially be able to hold their babies during the baby's blessing.
13. New church buildings will no longer have gymnasiums.
14. Youth to follow school year instead of birthdays for advancement
15. Unlikely, in my opinion, rumors
• Reduce tithing to 5%.
• Coffee, tea, and beer no longer against the Word of Wisdom.

Some comments leading to rumors:

• Elder Holland supposedly said to a group of members that they should not miss General Conference this weekend because if they miss it then they will not recognize the church next time they attend and they will not understand all the changes.
• "The changes from the April conference are just a SNOWFLAKE IN A SNOWSTORM."
• "President Nelson said Sunday that Elder Gong was in China this last week speaking at a conference, and the speaker introduced him as a representative of a church that shared Chinese values of veneration of ancestors, family, moral uprightness. And then President Nelson said that “some of our topics this weekend have been in preparation for years.”
• From the Salt Lake Tribune (LINK):
  
  “We have spent many hours talking about how we can simplify our church programs to perform their essential function for a wide variety of family circumstances,” Oaks said, according to a story in the Church News. “Now, I am pleased to tell you that some help is on the way and more is under discussion.”

Resources:

• Mormon News Report Podcast (LINK)
• Mormon Discussions Podcast (LINK)
• MormonLand Podcast by the Salt Lake Tribune (LINK)
• This Week in Mormons Podcast (LINK, LINK, LINK)
• Mormon Matters Podcast (LINK)
• r/Mormon post (LINK)
• Jana Riess: "Top 5 Mormon rumors about this weekend’s General Conference" (LINK)

Missionary Demonstrates that the Word of Wisdom Means Nothing and Needs a Revamp

We have known for a long time that the interpretation of the Word of Wisdom has a sketchy past and the Church has chosen enforce only parts of the Word of Wisdom essentially making a Word of Wisdom 2.0 which members understand is: No alcohol, no tobacco, no coffee, no tea, no illegal drugs, and no other harmful substances. See the screenshot from lds.org below.

Unfortunately, D&C 89:12-13 is now essentially ignored:

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; 

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

This wasn't always the case as leaders like Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith, and John Widtsoe (link1, link 2) promoted either vegetarian or near-vegetarian diets.

Recently I was reading missionary's blog which reminded me of this. In his blog post he talks about teaching a new investigator about the Word of Wisdom and in the same blog post he posted a picture of a massive hamburger and french fries! If the Word of Wisdom is about health (which arguably it isn't but it is more about boundary maintenance and is a group identity marker) then his post is an example of how the Word of Wisdom needs a revamp in the mind and hearts of its members (and missionaries).

New Pilot Program: "Extra Class"

From senior missionary couple reports about a new pilot program in Vanuatu:

"Elder and sister Collette are the couple that I told you about in the mission that have started a pilot program of the church called extra class. They teach math and english to students that either don't go to school or go after school to try to help them keep caught up. As I've told you before, school is not mandatory. Parents don't have to send their kids to school and many don't bother to. In addition to their calling, they are really going the extra mile. They are trying to help Nivans to grow a business of their own. Elder Collette has been teaching a family how to plant and grow tomatos to sell. The first crop they got a little lazy and didn't water the plants. They are doing much better though and actually had a nice little crop to sell. Another venture has been to help a man set up a chicken business, to generate eggs to sell as well as chickens. You might remember me telling you about the portable coops the people were learning to make so that they could keep track of the eggs. Their chickens run free, so they don't always find the eggs. That project hasn't worked out so well, the problem is they get hungary and eat the chickens instead of using them to get their eggs. Anyway, Collettes have a couple of incubators in their apartment, and have been experimenting on hatching the eggs. They bought about 100 eggs, a couple of times, and none of them hatched. They think the place they got them from was not too trustworthy, so they found out about an egg farm in Malekula and sent for them. Finally, they now have 65 furry little chickies. They are the cutest little things! I guess they will now give them to this guy and see how it goes."

"It's Happening!": How Russell M Nelson Receives Revelation in the Middle of the Night

Elder Hruby of the England London South mission recounts the following from Wendy Watson Nelson's visit to London during their World Ministering Tour:

Again I think the highlight would be from sister in Nelson. She talked about basically what life had been like ever since her husband was called as a prophet of God. She talked about how sometimes at night he would wake up and say "Honey it's happening" then he would grab his notebook and she would leave and he would start receiving revelation for the church. It's so cool because you never really hear anybody talk about that kind of stuff! It was a cool thing to be apart of!

Predicting the Next Apostles

.

Before we take a look at who might be the new apostles, let's take a look of the current Q15 (First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles combined):

Current Leadership

First Presidency

• Russell Nelson, MD, PhD 
• Dallin Oaks, Esq. 
• Henry Eyring PhD

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

• Russell Ballard 
• Jeffrey Holland, PhD 
• Dieter Uchtdorf, MBA 
• David Bednar, PhD 
• Quentin Cook, Esq. 
• Todd Christoferson, Esq. 
• Neal Andersen, MBA 
• Ronald Rasband 
• Gary Stevenson 
• Dale Renlund, MD

Qualities 

In the past, blog posts that attempted to predict new apostles focused on the following characteristics (LINK, LINK, LINK):

• Age
• Experience
• Length of Service
• Education

Past attempts at predictions have not been very successful. Let me list a few trends I've seen:

• Looking at the last 16 apostles chosen (the 16th was Russell Nelson), the average age at which they were called was 60.4 years old with a standard deviation of 4.9 years. The oldest of the last 16 apostles chosen was Wirthlin aged 69.3 and the youngest was Oaks aged 51.7.
• Position at the time of call:
• 8 of the last 16 were serving in the Presidency of the 70 at the time of their call
• 2 of the last 16 were serving as Presiding Bishop (Eyring had also previously served in the Presiding Bishopric)
• 4 of the last 16 had served as presidents of church universities (Oaks, Holland, Eyring, Bednar)
• 2 of the last 16 were not General Authorities at the time of their call (Nelson and Oaks)
• 3 of the last 16 were serving in the First Quorum of the Seventy at the time of their call (Holland, Eyring, Renlund). Note: Renlund is the only apostle (of the last 16) chosen from the First Quorum of the 70 that was not a church school president
• Education:
• We currently have the most educated First Presidency in the history of the church (2 PhDs, 1 JD, 1 MD). 2 of the last 3 apostles chosen only had bachelor degrees. I imagine both new apostles will have graduate degrees.
• 3 of the current 13 apostles are attorneys
• 4 of the current 13 apostles have PhDs
• 2 of the current 13 apostles are MDs
• 2 of the current 13 apostles have MBAs
• 3 of the current 13 apostles do not have graduate degrees
• Only 4 of the current 13 apostles served as mission presidents
• Ballard: Toronto (as a Seventy)
• Anderson: France
• Rasband: New York City
• Stevenson: Japan
• Birth Location
• 6 of the last 6 apostles were born in Utah
• 11 of the last 16 apostles were born in Utah
• 15 of the last 16 apostles were born in the USA

The Possibilities

• L. Whitney Clayton
• As the Senior President of the Presidency of the 70, he has to be on the list. That is not a guarantee though. In 2004, when two spots were available, Earl Tingey was the Senior President of the 70, about the same age as Clayton is now, and also a lawyer. He was passed over for Uchtdorf and Bednar. Clayton's direct involvement in the Church's actions with Prop 8 in California make him a somewhat controversial choice. He was able to get his younger brother, Weatherford Clayton into the 70, so may still have the the influence and power to get into the Q15. I'm sure Nelson likes that he had 7 kids.
• Gerald Causse
• He replaced Gary Stevenson as the Presiding Bishop 3 years ago. I imagine they will want to keep him in that spot for a while (David Burton served in that position for almost 2 decades). He would be a popular choice as a non-American.
• Gerrit Gong
• He made news when a presentation he gave to church headquarters was leaked by MormonLeaks. His presentation was well-received (while the audience comments were not) and he is considered a popular choice by most people. He is Oxford educated as a Rhodes Scholar and as an Asian-American would add diversity to the Quorum while still keeping it American and highly educated. He is the progressive Mormon's choice.
• Craig Christensen: MBA and former BYU football player (when BYU football was good). He has served in various capacities in Salt Lake and has mostly flown under the radar. This is the choice if they don't want to make any waves.
• Lynn Robbins: Gave the infamous talk "Which Way Do You Face?"
• Diversity choices from the Presidency of the Seventy (the Presidency of the Seventy, the first place to look for new apostles, is refreshingly diverse):
• Ulisses Soares: Brazilian. I am not expecting him, so I won't comment more.
• Gerrit Gong: See above.
• Juan Uceda: Peruvian. I doubt he is in contention, so I won't comment more.
• Patrick Kearon: English. Gave a popular talk in General Conference not too long ago. Non-American, but still white. Unlikely in my opinion though.
• Gerald Causse: See above.
• First Quorum of the Seventy
• Kim B. Clark: Former President of BYU-I, dean of the Harvard Business School. President of BYU-I when they released their masturbation video. I imagine many in Salt Lake him.
• Michael Ringwood: Russell Nelson's son-in-law. Nelson is not afraid of nepotism.
• Marcus Nash: Attorney, serving in the Africa West Presidency (where there is huge church growth)
• Larry Echo Hawk: A very long shot, but as the former Idaho Attorney General and Assistant Secretary of the Interior, he would be interesting choice. He is 69, but as a Democrat that might be in his favor (he won't make it to being Prophet)
• Non-General Authorities
• Orrin Hatch: Nope
• Mitt Romney: Nope
• Clayton Christensen: Unlikely
• Harry Reid: Nope
• Terryl Givens: Nope
• Greg Prince: Nope
• A woman: Nope
• James Hamula: A popular guess 3 years ago, a definite No now.

My guesses

• Clayton, against all my wishes, seems to be a likely choice. He is not a lock, but he seems to be a kindred spirit to Nelson (and to Nelson's puppeteer and right hand man Oaks). At the age of 68, this is likely his last chance to get chosen.
• Gong would be a counterbalancing choice to the controversial Clayton. He is well-liked by most people I talked to and would satisfy those wanting someone non-white and non-Utahn. Being optimistic, he is my first choice.
• Causse would be my non-American choice, but I think he will stay as Presiding Bishop as he has only been in the job for 2.5 years (and he is only 54 years old)
• If someone is called directly from the First Quorum of the 70 it will likely be Nash, in my opinion. If not Nash, then Clark.

Addition Question

Will the Church finally choose it's first African-American General Authority?

Sin of Sodom was NOT Homosexuality #GDOT08 #GDTalkingPoints

In Lesson 8 of the Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Manual, titled "Living Righteously in a Wicked World," we cover chapters on Sodom and Gomorrah. I was glad to see the lesson does not specifically address "homosexuality," but we can be sure that that will be the focus of the lesson in many Gospel Doctrine classes around the world.

Interestingly, the current online version of the LDS scriptures has the following footnote 5a connected to the word "know":

“Know” is used in both Hebrew and English in this kind of context as a euphemism in place of a sexual word. Judg. 19:22 (22–28); Isa. 3:9. TG Homosexual Behavior.

The old version of the scriptures used to have "TG Homosexuality" rather than the newer "TG Homosexual Behavior."

 Let me first provide the relevant passage for this blog post, Genesis 19.4-11 (emphasis mine):

4 ¶ But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 

5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 

6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 

7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 

8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. 

9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 

10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 

11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with ablindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

"Men of Sodom"

"Men of Sodom" does not actually only men. This statement in gender inclusive and means "men and women." Just as is done in other languages, like Spanish and Portuguese, the masculine noun dominates such that, for example, a group consisting of 1,000,000 girl (niñas) and only 1 boy (niño) is called a group of "niños."

This is true just from knowledge of the Hebrew language. Verse 4 makes this even more clear by:

• The use of the merism "young and old" means a totality, or everyone
• Clarification at the end of the verse that "all the people from every quarter" came to the house

"Bring Them Out Unto Us, That We May Know Them"

First, it should be clear that the men in house aren't going out on their own accord. They don't want to participate in or be subject to whatever the crowd wants to do.

Second, the crowd means when they say they want to "know them" is that they want to have sex with them. Since it is not consensual, as mentioned above, the crowd wants to rape them. This "knowing" is the same "knowing" we've seen before in the bible:

• Genesis 4.1: "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord."
• Genesis 4.17: "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch."
• Gensis 4.25: "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew."

A parallel version of this story occurs in Judges 19-20. See Judges 19.22-25:

22 ¶ Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. 

23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. 

24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. 

25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

So, was rape the Sin of Sodom? 

Actually, the Bible itself, in Ezekiel 16.49, tells us what the "sin of Sodom" was (emphasis mine):

49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 

50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

Just so it is clear, I will provide the same scripture as translated in the NRSV, for clarity:

49 This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 

50 They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it. 

So, here were the sins of Sodom:

1. Pride
2. Excess of food
3. Prosperous ease 
4. Not giving aid to the poor and needy
5. Haughtiness
6. Committing abominations

Giving Aid to the Poor and Needy

Does this sound familiar? Caring for the poor and needy was added as the fourth mission/purpose of the church by President Monson in 2009. In my opinion, this may have been the most prophetic act that President Monson did. Unfortunately, many still seem unaware we now have four missions/purposes of the church and some have dubbed this as the "Fourthgotten" mission of the Church.

Who are among the poor and needy? Certainly immigrants and resident aliens which would describe the two men in the story in Genesis 19. See Genesis 19.9:

9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 

Robert Alter makes this clear in his translation and commentary:

The verb “to sojourn” is the one technically used for resident aliens.

So, they were resident aliens who Lot showed hospitality to while no one else would, see Genesis 19.1-3. We know this because without his hospitality they would be sleeping in the street:

2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and awash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

 Abominations=Homosexuality?

But, you might say, Ezekiel 16.50 also says the committed abominations. That must be referring to homosexuality, right?

No.

Yes, it is true that male prostitution and/or other male homosexual acts were called an abomination in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 18.22, Leviticus 18.27-30, Leviticus 20.13), but so was oppressing for the poor and needy, Ezekiel 18.10-13 (note that this is the same book Ezekiel):

10 ¶ If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, 

11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife, 

12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, 

13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

Do you know what else were considered abominations in the Old Testament?

• idolatry or idols (Deuteronomy 7.25, Deuteronomy 13.14, Isaiah 44.19) 
• illicit sex (e.g prostitution, adultery, incest) (Ezekiel 16.22,58, Ezekiel 22.11, Ezekiel 33.26) 
• illicit marriage (Deuteronomy 24.2-4) 
• male prostitution and/or other male homosexual acts (Leviticus 18.22, Leviticus 18.27-30, Leviticus 20.13) 
• temple prostitution (1 Kings 14.24) 
• offerings from the above (Deuteronomy 23.18) 
• child sacrifice to Molech (Jeremiah 32.35) 
• cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22.5) 
• cheating in the market by using rigged weights (Deuteronomy 25.13-19, Proverbs 11.1) 
• dishonesty (Proverbs 12.22) 
• dietary violations (Deuteronomy 14.3) 
• stealing, murder, and adultery, breaking covenants (Jeremiah 7.9,10) 
• usury, violent robbery, murder, oppressing the poor and needy, etc. (Ezekiel 18.10-13) 

Concluding "abominations" must be homosexuality is just a projection of your desired meaning on the text.

Further Learning

• Blog Post: "Lesson 8: Living Righteously in a Wicked World #BCCSundaySchool2018" (BCC)
• Blog Post: "Was the Sin of Sodom Multi-Level Marketing?" (BCC)
• Blog Post: "A Holiday Visit to Sodom and Gomorrah" (BCC)
• AuthorCast #89: Gospel Doctrine Lesson 8 with David Bokovoy (LINK)
• "The Old Testament Does Not Prohibit Homosexuality" (Rational Faiths)
• "Sodom and Gomorrah: Arrogant, Overfed and Unconcerned" (No More Strangers)
• "Why Doesn’t the Book of Mormon Say Anything About Homosexuality?" (Ploni Almoni)
• "What was Sodom's Sin?" (Light of Torah)