Quick status update: If anyone is reading this blog to see how I'm doing, I am doing well! School is out in a week and a half, which is wonderful, but at the same time it means that I have to do pretty awesome on my finals, so I'll be studying quite a bit for those. I've recently learned the joys of longboarding (and oh! how great are those joys!), so of course I can't wait for the next time I get to go longboarding. I'm going to be in Arizona this summer selling pest control with an old mission buddy (readers of this blog might recognize the name Elder Fernelius :D), and I'm super stoked for that. And while I am not dating anyone currently, there is someone in whom I'm interested, but for lack of time in the semester I'm guessing we stay friends until who knows when. She's pretty fantastic though, so here's hoping!
This weekend was General Conference, and it was wonderful as usual. I must confess that I didn't have the most luck paying attention the whole time (I learn better by reading, not by hearing), but I am very much looking forward to reading all the talks when they come out in the Ensign. There was one talk that really impacted me, and indeed it is about a rather controversial topic nowadays. Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk about men's and women's rights and responsibilities involving the priesthood. As part of the talk, Elder Oaks mentioned, while referencing the institution of the family, that no matter what society begins to say is right, that does not change what truly is correct. No matter what society makes legal, God's commandments are supreme and immovable. Nothing man says will ever change that fact. I believe this statement to be unalterably true. And here is where things will get controversial. Elder Oaks stated (as far as I can remember) that marriage, according to God, will always be defined as a legal and lawful union between a man and a woman. I believe that this definition is and always will be true.
Many states are now passing laws making same-sex marriages legal. This case is a perfect example of what Elder Oaks was referring to. God never intended for men to marry men, nor for women to marry women. Indeed, especially in families, there are certain responsibilities that are best fulfilled by one sex or the other. In "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", modern-day prophets define certain responsibilities that are meant specifically for men or for women:
THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.I love this section of the Proclamation so much. Many might think that these views seem old-fashioned and possibly even sexist, but they are the same views that have been expressed since before the world. God's plan always has been and always will be for men and women to be united in marriage. Men were designed to be priesthood bearers while here on earth and after this life, and as such, they have the responsibility to guide and protect their families. Mothers have always had the special role of nurturing their children. This role cannot be easily fulfilled by a man, certainly not to the degree that a woman can fulfill it. Anyone who has a mother or has seen a mother in action can attest to the fact that there is a special love and devotion which only a woman can offer to her children. While there are many cases in which spouses divorce or become separated by some circumstance, the family is meant to consist of a husband, a wife, and their children. This is the example which we were given by Adam and Eve, our first earthly parents, and is the example which should still be followed.
Now, related to this topic is one that I have been wanting to address for some time. It seems to me that conservatives are being bullied by minorities, especially in regards to homosexuality. Anything that appears remotely homophobic or that might possibly cause any type of rise out of liberals has to be whispered and shoved under the table so that the minority's feelings don't get hurt. Never mind that conservatives now can't say anything that they feel and their right to free speech is being impeded, a relatively few others might get ruffled up over the conservatives' thoughts. I think it's rather ridiculous, to be honest. In case you can't tell, this section is going to be quite opinionated, but remember: I have just as much right to speak my mind as you do, and all I ask is that you respect that right.
I have seen many cases of laws being passed which will favor gays and lesbians while basically persecuting conservatives. One example of persecution against conservatives comes from a case in London a couple of years ago. In this case a street preacher was wrongfully imprisoned after he quite simply stated what the Bible says. In summary, this preacher, when asked his opinion on homosexuality by a gay teenage couple, said that the Bible condemns homosexuality, but that Jesus has taught to love the sinner and despise the sin. The couple became enraged at this and had the preacher arrested, saying that the preacher was harassing them. What this situation boils down to is a man being arrested for reading lines out of a book. This is completely unacceptable and unfair. If there were some "gay bible" and a preacher of that "bible" read from it on the street corner, no one would ever be able to have that man arrested because his words offended others. The offended persons would be deemed homophobic and they would be persecuted in turn, with critics saying that the offended ones were trying to limit the "gay bible" preacher 's right to free speech. But lest you think this is one isolated case, let's evaluate another case closer to home.
A recently vetoed bill from Arizona is a good example of discrimination against conservatives, and indeed attacking the First Amendment. Let us review the First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.There can be no law passed which prohibits the free exercise of religion. Okay, so that's pretty clear. There is a free-exercise clause to this amendment which protects any U.S. citizen's right to believe in any religion and to also act according to the beliefs of that religion. Now that we have this basis to start with, let's discuss Arizona SB 1062. Let me start by saying that I do not support the hostility which this bill could foster. I believe very firmly that everyone should be loved and shown respect, and I would never deny someone services because of their sexual orientation. However, I do believe that business owners should be given the freedom to choose who they want to give service to or not. Arizona SB 1062 would grant business owners the ability to deny someone service based on religious belief. Pro-gay rights activists saw this bill as a way for business owners to deny homosexuals service based on their sexual orientation, and so they took arms and shot the bill down. I believe that a business owner should be allowed to make decisions about who to serve and who not to serve for any reason at all. I would say that's a First Amendment right. If someone comes into my business and is cursing and generally being a ruffian, I want to be able to deny that person my services. I don't want to worry about him suing me because I wouldn't serve him. Besides, let's be real, it's not like there aren't other businesses that offer my same services. Suck it up and deal with it. If I don't want to deal with you, you probably don't really want to deal with me either, so you will probably have a better experience at another business. Now, those who know me know that I wouldn't turn down helping anyone unless helping that person would endanger my family or friends, but I would still want that legal right. Just think, one of these days a bank robber is going to sue a bank for not serving him while he was robbing the bank. Okay, that's probably hyperbole, but you can hopefully understand what a dangerous precedent shooting down Arizona SB 1062 sets for the rest of us. While I understand that the bill was somewhat unnecessary and was shot down more because it would have made Arizona appear "bigoted", it was another case of conservatives being bullied.
I don't understand why society has become so against anything conservative. I can't believe that people can be treated so harshly for opinions that they have. I know that I will probably receive some harsh backlash by people reading this blog, and I guess those people have a right to express their feelings. But it isn't fair. I want you all to know that I'm not homophobic in the least: I respect people who are courageous enough to say how they feel regardless of how they will be dealt with. I do not support homosexuality, but I will not condemn those who are gay or lesbian, and I won't condone people who condemn homosexuals. Everyone has their own right to practice and believe whatever they will. I don't believe in segregation of any sort. I believe that everyone should love and get along with everyone else. I sincerely hope that I don't come across as close-minded, bigoted, or anything like that, because I truly want to be understanding of everyone and non-judgmental. But I sincerely believe that it's time that everyone's opinions were respected, no matter how conservative or liberal they might be. I'm tired of fearing that if I post that I'm proud to be straight I'll get called nasty names. I'm tired of gays being called heroes just because of their sexual orientation, and straight people being called villains for the same reason. How about we choose heroes based on something much more important, like moral integrity, striving for excellence, or for constant acts of courageousness. How about we stop vilifying people because they think differently. Let's just all be friends and stop the hate, the name calling, and everything else that degrades someone else (this classic Disney song comes to mind). Let's learn to love each other.
I hope everyone found something of value in this post! Let me know what you think; I'm super interested to know what you have to say! I hope to hear from you and that you'll keep coming back for more in the future. Ciao!
