This is a different post than you would usually find on our blog...I'm not one to be all that vocal about my political or religious views in a "preachy" sort of fashion, but I decided this is MY blog for MY thoughts and if someone doesn't like to read what I'm talking about, they don't have to, right? Well, I received this email tonight with a link to an article written about the protesting at the LA Temple this last week regarding Proposition 8.
Ya know, I will be the first to say that I have not studied the scriptures like I should since being baptized and therefore, there are a LOT of things I still don't understand about the doctrine of the church and that Scott ends up teaching me :) BUT, I do understand that it breaks my heart to see people have so much hatred toward ideas that are different to them. I'm not saying that members of the church themselves never react poorly to a situation and end up hurting the image of the church in their quest, but we are definitely encouraged by the leaders of our church to live our lives according to the teachings and example of Christ and love everyone as our brothers and sisters and children of our Heavenly Father. I don't want to get deep here....all I want to do is encourage you to visit this link and read this article. It's very interesting and I feel like this gentleman, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and an LAPD police officer, did a great job of putting some things into perspective.
The main things that stuck out for me and made me think a little more deeply were the fact that we all have a "natural man" side to us and that it is important to remember we need to love as Christ loved. This "natural man" is the side that I am personally always in contention with as a member of the church who really wants to live a truly Christlike existence and do my best to be a better person with each day that I live. I have quite a temper and very strong opinions, as most of you know, and I constantly have to remind myself how to harness and disperse those opinions : ) Anyway, as upset as I get when I think about our beautiful temples and the house of my Father in Heaven being protested against, and even closed down, I must also remember that I have such little knowledge and that I only need to pray to my Father in Heaven to find the comfort that I desire over this, or any issue, and He will be there to hear me. One of my favorite quotes from the article is this, "But when we respond to our accusers as the Savior did, we not only become more Christlike, we invite others to feel His love and follow Him as well."
As hard as it may be for me to fight that natural tendency I have to "lash out irrationally" (I just watched The Santa Clause for those of you who recognized the quote), I must remember that my job at this present time isn't to prove anything about the church and what it stands for by vocalizing my opinions, but by LIVING what it stands for and letting the Spirit do the rest.
http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081110hate.html
4 comments:
i read the article and for a brief moment it scared me, then i felt sad and now i at peace because i really do know that Heavenly Father will watch over this church and it will never again be taken from this earth. I love you kelli and your dedication and love for the gospel has taught me so much. I always think of how when you were taking the discussions and you werent quite ready to commit to baptism. You told me 'listen, if im gonna actually do this i am gonna DO it so i need to be sure i'm ready' and then we had that discussion where we talked about running through the line not to it. and it all just went from there.... I am so proud of you for making that decision but even more so of you for living it and DOING it! you made the commitment, covenant really, and you are living it everyday. I have learned so much from you and I admire what a wonderful wife, mother, friend, daughter, aunt, and just all around good person you are. just wanted you to know.
my friend julie posted this on her blog and i thought it was interesting...
The Facts (complied by Kevin Hamilton)
1. Mormons make up only 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 750,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 36 million.
2. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then out of a total of 5,661,583 yes votes, LDS voters made up 4.4% of the Yes vote and 2.3% of the total Proposition 8 vote (11,050,301).
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign (except for a nominal, and legal, in-kind donation of $2,078.97, to cover the travel expenses of leaders coming from Utah for a meeting). Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $36 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Proposition 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Proposition 8. San Diego County voted in favor of Proposition 8. Orange County voted in favor of Proposition 8. San Luis Obispo County voted in favor of Proposition 8. Sacramento County voted in favor of Proposition 8. Fresno County voted in favor of Proposition 8. And the list goes on and on: Merced, San Bernardino, Riverside, Mariposa, Tulare, Imperial, etc.
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims - all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Though the Church urged its members to "do all [they] can to support the proposed constitutional amendment," not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do - we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
Thanks so much Baloni...you're the best!!! Thanks for that info from your friends blog too, that was interesting! Love you!!
Dude. I hear ya Kell (and Joni, wow.. awesome quote from your friends site, I'm going to borrow it. ;) I also wanted to point out just for reference: it's the "natural man" not the "normal man" just to let you know. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Thanks for sending me that article and sharing your opinion! We miss you guys!!!!
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