Marriage, and Some Views on Prop 8

I've had this blog for a little while, but haven't known what to write about. Well, now that I've been engaged for a little over a week, I've been contemplating a lot on the sanctity of marriage and how significant it truly is. That being said, I finally know what to write about first.

As stated in the "Family: A Proclamation to the World," "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God." I know this to be true. I know that we have inspired leaders who gave us this remarkable council years before the calamities and attacks we are now faced with on the sanctity of marriage arose. We have known for over a decade now the principles taught in this sacred document. As I prepare to be married in early May, I have begun a careful study of this document in order to better understand my calling as a woman, wife, and future mother. As I have studied I have gained an immense appreciation for the divine calling of both the husband and the wife. Each of their roles is essential to the sustaining of a healthy and wonderful family.

Why is this so important today? First of all, divorce rates are disturbingly high in our current civilization. Many couples believe that getting married is great and wonderful, but isn't it nice to know that when things get a little hard, there's always the back door of divorce to escape through? Even worse is when a couple decides that before they make the significant leap into marriage, it is acceptable to embark in a "trial" period by simply living together. On top of that, many of these latter couples have a child out of wedlock, confusing the child from its very birth. How tragic that this has become the norm in society. It is child abuse to not give a proper home to a sweet, beautiful infant, who came into this world perfect and divine. That child deserves a family to be raised in, where he or she is nurtured and treasured by a loving mother, and honored and strengthened by an adoring father. This is God's plan, and it is perfect.

The culminating and most disgusting attack on the family today is now the subject of great debate in California, and the rest of the United States: that of legalizing same sex marriage. What a despicable idea that destroys everything the family stands for. Same sex marriage is a pinpoint attack on the family. It destroys the very center of God's plan. It is stating that mankind doesn't care about the Lord, and that they have every right to be selfish and choose to revel in their own terrible choices. Regardless of how the world views homosexuals, the Lord does not approve and does not honor it. It is contrary to his plan. Why do you think he created males and females in such a way so as to create a physical bond between them strong enough that they can literally fit together and become "one flesh?" To arose those same chemical feelings with two members of the same sex is a foolish mockery providing only temporary satisfaction. It is disturbing and wrong.

While it is understandable that same sex attraction is real and can be a powerful temptation in a person's life, that does not make it excusable nor give it the right to be tolerated. As a Latter-Day-Saint, I have been taught to love the sinner, but hate the sin. Just as an alcoholic struggles with putting down the bottle, so should the man or women who struggles with same sex attraction. We do not roll out the red carpet to the alcoholic and allow him to drink to his heart's content with no consequences. Rather we rally behind him, give him support to quit the terrible habit that is ruining his life, and punish inappropriate behavior. We invite him to change, and to free himself from the awful chain that is his addiction to alcohol. Why is a homosexual any different? It is a very real temptation, but embracing it, and then enforcing a law on others to embrace it is madness. It is as disturbing as creating a law allowing a sex-offender the right to walk around a school full of young children as often as he would like, and sue the parents that attempt to pull their child out of class.

If Proposition 8 isn't passed, religions may be sued for their belief in not honoring same sex marriage. Books will be read to children embracing the concept of homosexual relationships. Adoption agencies that do not support same sex marriage will have to withdraw their services or be forced to allow an innocent child to be given to an unethical relationship. It will have devastating consequences. We can and should love those who struggle with same sex attraction, but we can not and should not embrace their sinful choices. No matter what the world says, it will not change the fact that God's law is universal, and he will not be mocked.