Most of you know that I am the worst when it comes to politics. I have a hard time getting involved, keeping track of what is going on, or feeling like I am educated enough to even have an opinion. I definitely don't write on this blog about politics. Heck, I hardly write on this blog at all, and when I do its usually about my life or my adventures with sewing. But as I saw so many friends post red equals signs (I just looked it up and according to Wikipedia, that's its legitimate name)
I felt as though I was taking a stand by
not doing so and I wanted to explain why, for anyone who cares to know (I know that may not be anybody).
My religious beliefs define my life. I make decisions based on principles and the way I interpret those principles. That being said, the fact of homosexuality has been one that has taken some heavy pondering for me. I grew up in an area where I learned about homosexuality very early. I had friends who were 'coming out' basically as soon as we were all figuring out that the opposite sex didn't have cooties. And yes, I say friends. They were my friends, they still are my friends. So maybe you can see my struggle- I loved my friends but there were certain aspects of their lives that made me uncomfortable. But really, I ignored it, the same way that I ignored that some of my friends drank alcohol and smoked pot and did other things that I believe to be wrong.
So I never took a stand. I never knew exactly where to stand either; some of you may be surprised to learn that the LDS church doesn't make many statements about what its members should do in regards to gay rights. It wasn't until this past Fall that I decided to search out the Church's teachings on homosexuality in general and specifically on gay rights. One of the things I found that really helped me understand that Church's position was this:
Interview With Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Lance B. Wickman: “Same-Gender Attraction”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks is one of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Wickman is
another General Authority in our church. Here they have been assigned to
speak for the Church.
So here it is. The reasons I won't be posting a red equals sign on Facebook:
I believe that God, our Heavenly Father, gets to decide what is right and what is wrong. In this case, through His scriptures and through His living servants, the Prophet and others, He has clearly declared that homosexuality is wrong. I also believe that the point of this life is for me to become as much like my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, as I possibly can. Therefore, I try to align my beliefs about what is right and wrong with His.
I believe that our Heavenly Father defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Here is where He has said so clearly through one of His servants.
We say "there should be no sex (or sexual relations of any kind) outside of marriage" and to now say "no sex outside of marriage, plus no sex inside of homosexual marriages" could be confusing to some people.
I believe that there is a teaching aspect to the law. As Elder Oaks explains, "Law has at least two roles: one is to define and regulate the limits of
acceptable behavior. The other is to teach principles for individuals to
make individual choices. The law declares unacceptable some things that
are simply not enforceable, and there’s no prosecutor who tries to
enforce them. We refer to that as the teaching function of the law."
My own study of the scriptures has led me to believe that a nation's best chance for happiness is to govern according to God's laws. It is what our Founding Fathers believed as well. Didn't they make us "one nation
under God," after all? One example is the reign of King David in the Old Testament in the Bible: "David’s reign was the most brilliant of Israelitish history, for…the whole government rested upon a religious basis, and the will of God was the law of Israel.” The Book of Mormon echoes these sentiments, including a warning about what will happen if we don't govern based on correct principles: “If the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.” -Msh, 29:27
These reasons, and others, are why I can't feel good about posting an equals sign on my Facebook, though I love my friends that experience same-gender attraction very much. I know that our Heavenly Father loves you very much too. I know He wants what is best for you, the things that will bring you the most
lasting happiness in this life and in the life to come. I have come to know these things through my direct communication with my Heavenly Father as I have prayed to Him and as He has sent His Spirit to answer me. I want you to know that I follow the leaders of my church, not blindly, but because Heavenly Father has reassured me that they are His servants and that they speak for Him.
I don't want to start a debate by posting this, I just wanted to share my beliefs. I hope that you can respect them, as I respect your beliefs.
I also hope you can ignore misspellings and grammatical errors- I kind of had to write this in a hurry because I am going to be late for work!
The final thought I want to leave you with is love. Christ teaches us to love one another, regardless of our different beliefs. May we all treat one another with love.
Larken
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