If you know me, you know that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--a Mormon--and you may also know that I do not support the legalization of same-sex marriage. Including in this situation.
I recognize that my opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriage makes people think that I have hate in my heart. I realize that by admitting to these convictions, I may offend you or threaten our friendship.
Obviously, I wish it weren't so. But at this important time in our nation, I would just like to make a few things clear, both to my fellow Mormons and everyone else. I'll try to be brief, but I can't make any promises.
My personal religious beliefs inform my view on same-sex marriage.
Sharing one's religious beliefs in today's world is a dangerous game, but here I go:
- I believe that all people lived before they were born on Earth and that we'll all live again after we die.
- I believe that this life is just a tiny part of our eternal existence.
- I believe that the family is central to God's plan.
That means that in heaven, we will live with our families, and we'll be with them forever.
This next part is the most important. I believe that a family is, in its most boiled-down form, a man and a woman who are husband and wife. I believe that a man and woman together create a godly unit that is not only essential for life to progress but also impossible to imitate. Thus, a union between two men or two women is something that will last for this life only; it can't and won't exist in heaven.
I understand that personal religious convictions don't necessarily make for a solid legal argument, but I can't abandon what I know to be true.
I understand that personal religious convictions don't necessarily make for a solid legal argument, but I can't abandon what I know to be true.
I don't hate gay people.
I know this might seem contradictory to my previously stated beliefs, but please believe me when I say that I love all of God's children, including those who identify as gay, lesbian, or anything else. I'm going to try to address just a couple of the questions you may have about it.
"How can your religion be so cruel as to refuse gay people the right to be with their loved ones in heaven?"
I believe there are eternal laws that no one can change, not even God. The fact that marriage is the union of one man and one woman is one of those laws. It's not like the Mormons all conspired together and decided that being gay is not allowed. This is an eternal truth that cannot be challenged."If you say you love gay people, how could you deny them the happiness that comes from marriage?"
I believe that same-sex attraction is a temporary reality that will exist only in this life. In the eternity of existence that will happen after this life, our perceptions of same-sex attraction and same-sex marriage won't be the same as they are now; legalizing same-sex marriage would be creating something that can't extend after we die.I understand that not everyone agrees with me.
Not everyone believes in God. Not everyone believes in the same God I do. We all have different beliefs, and we all have different ideas of what's best for our nation and our fellow people.
If you think that my beliefs shouldn't be imposed on anyone else, I would like to say the same thing to you: legalizing same-sex marriage is just as much of a moral imposition as banning it is.
My beliefs about same-sex marriage won't change depending on the Supreme Court's ruling. (Furthermore, I think that the opinion that has been expressed [twice] by the people of California shouldn't be overturned by a court.) I know it's unpopular, and I know that I most likely won't convince anyone to change their stance by writing this post. But it concerns something so central to my belief system--marriage and family--that I can't stand by and be silent!
