I was listening to KSL this morning and they said there are going to be several protests in LA and on Temple Square today about Proposition 8. They think that because the Mormon Church spoke out for Prop 8 that this issue should be taken to them. Lets think about this in another way for just a second. Lets pretend that I'm a Vegan. I STRONGLY believe that eating meat is morally wrong right? Lets take it a step further- I'm Hindu- I cannot eat beef because I believe the cow is a sacred animal. Now. Maybe there are those of you who like to eat beef. Maybe you eat beef daily. However, maybe eating beef has only recently become legal in India (keep in mind, this is only a comparison). Then lets pretend that I get to vote that beef should once again become illegal. Now, if my religious philosophies are such that my conviction that a person should not eat beef is so strong that I feel that I should SUGGEST to other people in India that they vote with me instead of the beef eaters where is the problem with that? I did not force anyone to vote with me. I merely voiced my opinion. And if it's a strong belief that I hold OF COURSE I'm going to spend money to get my voice heard. Lets say it passed. Did I alone get the government to change that law? NO! There had to be MANY MANY MANY MANY people to agree with my beliefs, the majority of the people in India if you will. So, doesn't it seem absurd that all of the beef eaters would come and stand on my lawn until I apologized for standing up for what I believe in. Doesn't it seem absurd that they petition to get me to change my beliefs... something that I believe comes from GOD who is more responsible for my life than one or many people? Shouldn't the "beef eaters" be petitioning to get the law changed? Shouldn't they be knocking on the door of every voter? If they were really that passionate about eating beef couldn't they move to a country where eating beef was legal? Shouldn't they be petitioning the GOVERNMENT, the people WHO MAKE LAWS?
Obviously I realize that gay rights are not the same thing as eating beef. BUT if a church or even a group of people have a conviction that something is morally wrong, they are going to fight to keep it illegal, just as those who want it legal are going to fight to make it legal. However, lets be adults. Lets us agree to disagree. We are not going to change each other's views- that is obvious. Let us simply voice our opinion and let the people of this country decide. Then when they do- let us be adults about the decision. Let us be kind to each other. Let us be neighborly. Let us respect each other. If proposition 8 had not passed I would, as a strong conservative, have been disappointed. I would not go stand on my neighbor's lawn holding signs about how evil they were. This is not being a good Christian or even a good American. America was set up to be the land of the free, where we each may have our own thoughts and beliefs. However, there are laws here to. Laws that were set up to maintain peace in society. If I believed murder was ok it doesn't mean that I can go out and commit murder. That is not the definition of a free country. We are free to speak our minds. We are privileged to live in a country where we pretty much can live how we choose so long as it doesn't effect someone else in a negative way. We are free to be neighborly to those who do not share our views. That doesn't mean that we have to agree. If I wanted a different outcome, I would try again by petitioning the Government. Not by whining about the outcome. One news article stated that "It all came down to a difference of about 504,500 votes."That's still a half a million people who believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. The news tries to downplay that by saying it's only 3% of the population. That's A HALF A MILLION PEOPLE! There were only 102 passengers aboard the Mayflower. 102. And yet they started a country. I say lets share some of that tolerance that people keep shouting for. The Mormon church is not the only one who urged its members to vote yes. Yet, for some reason, they're getting all of the attention. If prop 8 hadn't passed I would be petitioning the government, not my neighbor, not the gay rights activists, not LGBT... the government. Anyway. I'm frustrated with people right now. I am also frustrated with people I know to be church members who are unkind to those who do believe that gay marriage should be passed. Again- I say to even people who share my conservative views, grow up and be kind. Don't forget, some of the best things you learned were in kindergarten...
- Share everything.
- Play fair.
- Don't hit people.
- Put things back where you found them.
- Clean up your own mess.
- Don't take things that aren't yours.
- Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
- Wash your hands before you eat.
- Flush.
- Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
- Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
- Take a nap every afternoon.
- When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
- Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
- Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
- And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
It's really frustrating seeing it get worse. I see it everyday in the attitudes of my students, and adults that I see. Lets grow up.
