I heard a great broadcast on Wednesday night about Yes on Prop 8. It moved me and they encouraged us to blog about it to spread the word. If you’re in California, please register to vote and then vote Yes on Prop 8. If you’re not in California, please pray for us.
Many churches have formed a coalition to support Yes on Prop 8. Here’s their website.
My Church put out a broadcast with persuasive arguments. I believe it is worth reading. Here are some of my favorite quotes and reasons for voting Yes.
“The focus of the Church’s involvement is specifically same-sex marriage and its consequences. The Church does not object to rights (already established in California) regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the family or the constitutional rights of churches and their adherents to administer and practice their religion free from government interference.”
“Once a state government declares that same-sex unions are a civil right, those governments almost certainly will enforce a wide variety of other policies intended to ensure that there is no discrimination against same-sex couples. For example, advocates and government officials in certain states already are challenging the long-held right of religious adoption agencies to follow their religious beliefs and only place children in homes with both a mother and a father. As a result, Catholic Charities in Boston has stopped offering adoption services.”
Here’s a video that’s been circulating. It really affected me, especially as a parent.
“Those who favor homosexual marriage contend that “tolerance” demands that they be given the same right to marry as heterosexual couples. But this appeal for “tolerance” advocates a very different meaning … The Savior taught a much higher concept, that of love. “Love thy neighbor,” He admonished. Jesus loved the sinner even while decrying the sin, as evidenced in the case of the woman taken in adultery: treating her kindly, but exhorting her to “sin no more.” Tolerance as a gospel principle means love and forgiveness of one another, not “tolerating” transgression. In today’s secular world, the idea of tolerance has come to mean something entirely different. Instead of love, it has come to mean condone – acceptance of wrongful behavior as the price of friendship. Tolerance obviously requires a non-contentious manner of relating toward one another’s differences. But tolerance does not require abandoning one’s standards or one’s opinions on political or public policy choices.”
I post this with love in my heart. I love and respect all people for who they are. We are all given free agency to do with our life as we like. I support tradition marriage.
Now back to our regularly scheduled Gabriel.
24 comments:
Except that same sex marriage doesn't affect church marriages at all. There is a separation of church and state, if the state allows it, doesn't mean your church has to follow suit.
Just because the state allows two same sex partners to get married doesn't mean the church has to. They can continue to discriminate and treat gay and lesbians as second class citizens, just as they did non-white people in the 70's and before.
Didn't your church believe that anyone with dark skin was cursed by god not to long ago?
"traditional marriage" not too long ago meant white-white, or black-black.
A 1993 study published in Demography showed that Mormons after five years of marriage, 13% of LDS couples had divorced. But when a Mormon marries a non-Mormon, the divorce rate was found to have increased more than three-fold to 40%.
Celebrities get married and divorced like they are trying on new clothes, yet your church isn't putting up a prop to stop them from destroying the sanctity of marriage.
Prior to 1978, black members were restricted from some of the priesthood ordinances... NINETEEN SEVENTY EIGHT!
THIRTEEN years after the USA got with the program.... so I don't really think the mormon church has the best track record when JUDGING groups of fellow human beings.
Let other people be free to pursue their happiness, and work on your own short comings before you start saying what other people can't do.
Got me really fired up there, didn't proof read
I agree, it's easy to get riled up over something this sensitive. Did you read my post or just write a comment as soon as you saw Yes on Prop 8?
One of my arguments was that if this doesn't pass, it WILL affect churches. Did you read the example of Catholics Charities being told what to do? My other argument was how it affects me as a parent. Did you view that video? Basically is talked about how kids would be told that same-sex marriage is right and moral, no matter how the parents feel. Parents could talk about it with their kids at home, but at school they'd be told something different. That seems like it's infringing on my religious rights to teach my kids what I think is best.
And the LDS church does NOT see homosexuals as second-rate citizens. "The Church does not object to rights (already established in California)..." and "The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility towards homosexual men and women. Protecting marriage between a man and a woman does not affect Church members’ Christian obligations of love, kindness and humanity toward all people." and "We can express genuine love and friendship for the homosexual family member or friend without accepting the practice of homosexuality or any re-definition of marriage."
Perhaps the Church was a little slow in your opinion on accepting blacks. What about the prejudice that STILL occurs in some places in the US?!
I think it's easy to read anti-mormon literature and be quick to judge. I think it's harder to take a moment to see things from someone else's point of view.
God wouldn't create gay men and women if it was a sin, its not their choice.
Nothing wrong with teaching children that being gay is moral. Nothing wrong with forcing TAX-FREE charities to obey the law. If they want to give up their tax-free status then they can continue to discriminate.
I can't view the videos (no flash). But I saw one of the ads on TV and was disgusted.
You can't say gays are equal and then deny them the same rights that you and I enjoy.
Teaching children that being gay is moral won't convert the children into homosexuals. Right now many gay men and women have a deep self-hate because all around then people say how bad it is. All when it isn't even their choice.
Yes I read the blog post.
Should we stop teaching evolution because some people disagree with it? Should we stop teaching math if we put out a prop to stop it?
You always have the option of home-school or private school for your children where you can teach them whatever you want.
If my religious beliefs say that God created the earth 100 years ago, should we stop teaching history?
One last thing (can't seem to edit posts). If you say this one group of people has the right to marriage but this other group doesn't, you ARE saying that the second group is second class. You are denying them rights that the first class enjoys.
Muslims believe that eating pork is a sin, if they see someone eating a ham sandwich at school are their religious rights violated? Or see their teacher eating a ham sandwich. We had some weird teachers at De Anza, what if one of them went off on a rant about how delicious pork ribs are?
Hi Rachel! It's great to see how big Gabriel is getting - my how time flies! I got an email about the video you linked to your post and it is nothing short of scary. I hope marriage will always be protected. If not, I fear the consequences.
Yeah, I hope marriage will stay protected too! It is scary to think that in 2009 some people might not be able to get married to the one they love just because they are a little different.
Rachel good for you on posting this. More people need to be more educated and really stand up for what they believe in! I agree with you 100%, and I know many, many, many others do too.
Hi Rachel! I'm so proud of you for being brave and addressing the issue on your blog. My friend Lillie did this too and she's received 46 comments, so far and the debate is getting crazy. I've been doing phone calls and it's getting more and more difficult to actually get to talk to someone without being hung up on or yelled at. I'm glad you're standing up for what's right. Did you see the church's website on this issue? The video with Elder Bednar (click 'more videos' is really good)http://www.preservingmarriage.org
Oh, Lillie's blog is on my side bar, under Biesinger Family. You have to scroll down a bit to find the post, dated Oct. 1.
Good for you Rachel for stating your concerns.
In AZ we too are voting on prop 102 to protect marriage between one man and one woman.
I'm not sure where Mike got the idea that God created gay men and women. Who's to say it isn't something Satin created to destroy marriage and families?
I mean really, if you talk to an addict (no matter what the addiction is), they just might say they have no choice, God created them this way. Do you think God would create a drug addict? or alcoholic? or create a person who murders because he can't stop him/herself? We have agency here on earth. We make choices in our lives that leads us to the path or situation we are on.
I read an interview which states same sex marriages is a sin in the eyes of God. And I've yet to find anything in the Bible that says same sex marriage is normal and accepted. About the only time same sex couples are discussed in the scriptures are during the most evil of times just before God flooded the earth or rained fire on cities or allowed nations to be destroyed.
We all have our agency and will vote according to our beliefs no mater what others think about our beliefs.
I am not fond of being told I can't use the phrase Merry Christmas as it might insult someone who does not believe in Christ.
Nor did I like the removal of prayer from the schools and public offices.
Or the push to have the phrase "in God we Trust" removed from many places it has appeared.
I am, or try to be, a tolerant person to other's beliefs and life styles. But that tolerance does not mean I have to accept or agree with their choices.
It would be very nice if people demanding my tolerance of their choices would stop refusing to be tolerant of my choices.
I'm sure we all have heard or read in the Bible that God created Adam and Eve and told them to replenish the earth. God did not create Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve. They can not replenish the earth without help from the "other" sex. That's in the bible, it's not a 'Mormon thing'.
Anyway, good for you Rachel for stating your concerns. And Mike, you can state your concerns but there's no need to attack other's beliefs or religion.
Love you Rachel, and proud of you,
Mom-Lisa
I, too, find it hard to believe that the government would somehow force churches to accept or perform marriages they don't believe in. There is a separation of church and state for a reason, and unless they change the constitution, that cannot change.
I don't really think that non-profits should or can engage in advocating or condemning candidates or ballot measures. I believe it is actually against the law.
I believe in the Mormon church, and I believe they have the most truth, but I also don't believe we should stop people from exercising their free agency. That is a basic tenet of the religion. They are not going to force our kids to believe anything in school. They are going to learn about homosexual relationships either way. Would we rather that they learn it in a bigoted, hateful way, or a loving way? It is okay to accept that people are different for all kinds of reasons, isn't it? Letting all people have the same rights doesn't condone or endorse their actions.
Enacting this measure seems more likely to embolden those who would act out of hatred towards people they find different. In California, gays do have many of the same rights as straight couples, but not all. If you take the word "marriage" out of it, it really should be a no-brainer...
My friend Lillie had to remove her post because of all of the negative comments and stress it was giving her.
Thanks for all the comments. However, that's enough. This is my blog (not a political forum) and it's really about our darling son and the happy times we have as a family. I will continue to delete any more comments (especially anonymous) to this post. Thanks.
Nice how you delete posts that disagree with you.
Actually, I didn't. I left many comments that I disagreed with (namely, all of yours are still there, you notice). I deleted the ones that weren't coherent by "anonymous" people. What I meant by "Soapbox" is: this is my opinion that I'm sharing with you on my blog (that's what blogs are for). If you want a serious debate, go somewhere else. If you want to extensively post your own opinions, do it on your own blog. If you want a leave a short comment on how cute Gabriel is, feel free to leave something here.
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