Quote of the Week (June 23)

Please read and share your thoughts: I love reading others' thoughts. This is a quote from Sis. Bonnie D. Parkin, former General Relief Society President. It can be found in the Nov. 2003 Ensign, her talk entitled: Choosing Charity: The Good Part.

"Elder Marvin J. Ashton beautifully observed: 'Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.'

In exercising charity, we come to know a sister’s heart. When we know a sister’s heart, we are different. We won’t judge her. We will simply love her. I invite you to not only love each other more but love each other better. As we do this we will come to know with a surety that 'charity never faileth.'"

Quote of the Week

Here is a quote by Elder Alan F. Packer of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He shared it at the April 2009 General Conference of the Church. Please read the quote then comment with your thoughts. Please remember to 1) be respectful of others' thoughts and 2) be respectful of others' beliefs. I look forward to reading what you think.

When the winds blow and the rains pour, they blow and pour on all. Those who have built their foundations on bedrock rather than sand survive the storms.¹ There is a way to build on bedrock by developing a deep personal conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing how to receive inspiration. We must know—and know that we know. We must stand spiritually and temporally independent of all worldly creatures.² This begins by understanding that God the Father is the Father of our spirits and that He loves us, that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and Savior, and that the Holy Ghost can communicate with our minds and our hearts.³ This is how we receive inspiration. We need to learn how to recognize and apply these promptings.

Back on again

So I have been neglecting this blog for too long. I'd like to try again and offer a little more of a discussion for my posts, anyway. I will try and get on weekly and share a quote that others are welcome to comment on. I ask just two things: 1)Please be respectful of others' thoughts (as has been going on thus far); and 2) Please be respectful of others' spiritual beliefs. We don't all have to agree, but we can be respectful. I hope that we can have some fun discussions from this.

Hope

"Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls...

Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity." - Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This talk has already been a big strength for many since his address was shared in October. I think hope is a wonderful principle that we need to be reminded of as we face challenging times. I am grateful for the infinite power of hope.

The Source

This is a statement of personal opinion. To find the official stance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints please click here.

To tell the truth, I have been annoyed with the amount of misinformation coming from both sides about Proposition 8. I was thankful that I didn't have to form an opinion on the proposition, because I am not a California (Arizona or Florida) voter. But, now that the protests targeted the LDS community in New York City I felt motivated to seek out the truth and form my opinion, because as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are encouraged to seek out the truth and form our own opinions. We are never taught to blindly follow the crowd even if that crowd is made up of other LDS people.

My husband and I have many gay and lesbian friends and acquaintances. On an individual basis we have found that we can respect each other's opinions, desires, and rights. We respect their desire to be in a committed relationship, and they respect our desire to teach our son that God doesn't approved of the sexual actions of homosexual couples. We have been able to love and care about these same-sex couples, without demeaning our religious beliefs. I recognize that many religious people find our tolerance too accepting, but we have found just as many religious people who share our so-called liberal-mindedness.

The problem is that Proposition 8 is an attempt to combine church and state. For those of us who believe that marriage is ordained by God to be between a man and a woman, opening the definition of marriage infringes on our religious right to define marriage. Now, if the fight was really about equal rights, same-sex couples seeking equal rights would not be opposed to calling it a "civil union" by which the rights that should be granted to all people who love each other are granted. And, it is on that reasoning that I have decided that I am glad Proposition 8 passed, because in its passage, religious rights are protected. After much internal debate I have decided to share the sources that helped me form this opinion.

In the Doctrine and Covenants (a sacred book of scripture) Section 134 defines the church's beliefs about government. In verse 7 it states,

We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy."

The reason the Church leaders encouraged its members to be active participates in supporting Proposition 8 is because if it did not pass it would mean government would be proscribing religious people in their opinions.

Another poignant verse in section 134 is verse 4

We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.

It is for this reason that I cannot be of the opinion that same-sex couples should be denied rights granted by government to committed couples. In "The Divine Institution of Marriage" an official document of the Church, it sates,

The Church does not object to rights (already established in California) regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the family or the constitutional rights of churches and their adherents to administer and practice their religion free from government interference.

I would encourage you to read the section 134 of the Doctrine and Covenants and "The Divine Institution of Marriage" to gain a better understanding of the Church's standing on the issue. I have found it enlightening and encouraging.

I am grateful for the rights I have been granted by the United States Government. I hope that the government will sustain the vote of the people. I hope that both sides demanding rights will be able to avoid hate and work towards a solution. I believe that marriage is a divine union, that it is sacred, and that it should be protected. I believe that it is my right to think, teach, and practice that belief. I hope that right is never taken from me, and that my opinion is allowed, in just the same way I wish to allow lifestyles that do not fall in that definition. I will admit that I can't call it marriage, but I do firmly believe that government should protect the rights of all couples, just under a different name.

The Facts of Prop 8 and Mormons

The Facts of Prop 8 and Mormons

I think its awful that so many groups are isolating the mormons as the persecutors for prop 8. Here are some facts:

1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.

2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. 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 $32 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 Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

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. 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 as 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.

Love

So I have come to realize how grateful I am for the knowledge of the truth. With the rapid increase in the signs prophesied of regarding the Second Coming, I am grateful to know this is all part of it. It is really sad to see protestors defiling the temples, hurting people, and threatening others, but we have been warned that this would happen. I am grateful to know that in the end, Christ will come and make everything right. I am grateful to know that I still have power over my family and can still have the spirit to comfort us in trials. I am grateful to feel the love of the Lord. In a way, I feel a sort of sorrowful love for those who are confused about the truth. Really, they are very valiant individuals who are confused about which side to fight for. I am sad for them, because their choices will hurt them. I have realized that I need to turn my prayers toward them and hope their hearts will soften for their sakes. Here is an article to show the depth of their confusion regarding marriage.