Friday, November 21, 2008

More Protests Planned at L.A. LDS Temple

They plan to hold a peaceful protest this time? As peaceful as the last protest at the LA Temple?

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7 comments:

WT said...

What was violent about the previous protest??? Any specific examples???

November 21, 2008 at 7:45 PM
Unknown said...

Good. I hope they rip the temple down. They may have won a battle, but they sparked a war and, I promise, there is nowhere we will stop short of equality. Enjoy your little Pyrrhic victory.

November 21, 2008 at 7:50 PM
WT said...

I am Catholic. Of less importance, I am also gay. Although I am gay I am one of the most devout Catholics you will ever meet. I attended the University of Notre Dame and even minored in theology. My faith is VERY VERY important to me.

From a marriage perspective, it is very unfortunate that I was born gay. Believe me, I NEVER would have chosen to be gay. NEVER.
I didn't wake up one day and decide, "OKAY! Tired of being straight! I think I want to be judged, criticized, and looked down upon for the rest of my life. I think I'll be gay!" Nobody CHOOSES that lifestyle. I would have loved so much to have found the woman of my dreams and to have settled down and had kids with her. I've finally come to terms with the fact that that will never happen, though.

Growing up, I spent many nights crying myself to sleep because I thought I was going to have to spend the rest of my life alone. The Bible says that homosexuality is wrong. Certain interpretations of the Bible condemn homosexuals to hell. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (TNIV), Paul says:
“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

I ask then, why are we all so quick to condemn homosexuality, but we can continue to live in a society that permits drunkenness [as condemned by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians]? If drunkards are equally condemned to hell, where is the push for a proposition that forbids men and women to get drunk.

I beg our society first, to work to separate the church from the state. As a Catholic, I want our government to be influenced by Christian belief and doctrine, but we cannot cast our views on the entire nation. To do so is to laugh in the face of the greatest commandment: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Defined: RESPECT. Respect does not mean taking traditional Christian values and applying them to non-Christian members of this society. Second, I implore us all to not be hypocritical in our application of scripture. If society is going to prohibit gay people from getting married, it must also forbid drunkenness and greed. [And, as a side note, isn't is a bit odd that only male prostitutes are condemned to hell in the passage from Corinthians? Doesn't that say something about the belief system in place at the time the Bible was written? I absolutely believe it is the inspired Word of God, but I also realize that the inspired Word of God was written with the hands of men.]

To get back on point, when I finally came to terms with the fact that I was gay, it saddened me quite a bit to think that I would never have a family of my own. Family is so incredibly important to me and I want to spend my life raising children to be good, God fearing young men and women.

So when the recent debate regarding gay marriage surfaced, I began to gain a sense of hope that maybe I could spend the rest of my life with the person I loved and that together we could raise a healthy, beautiful, faith-filled family.

But some of the information that came from the Yes on 8 campaign was very hurtful - on a very personal level.

I just don't understand how my marriage will have a negative affect on the traditional marriage. I respect the traditional marriage so much and I have so much love and respect for mothers and fathers who devote themselves to their families. But wouldn't gay marriage be a good thing. Allowing gay marriage would reduce promiscuity in the gay community, decrease the transfer of the HIV virus, and make a group of marginalized people feel less marginalized. That would all happen if gay men and women could made lifelong commitments to one another that the rest of the nation can already make.

At one time I thought that civil unions could be enough. But I realized that it's not quite the case. It's like the black/white drinking fountains of the past. Separate but equal. You can both have drinking fountains, but you can't drink out of the same one. You can both be together as a couple, but you can't join together in marriage.

I struggled with this issue for a long time, but what made me change my mind was the fact that this in no way affects the Church. Gay unions would be legally recognized by the state. They would not have to be recognized, however, by any religious institutions such as the Catholic Church. I think that is a very legitimate compromise. First, why should our government be able to decide who can and cannot get married when it involves two consenting adults? It shouldn't. Gay marriage is not going to destroy the family unit. I can't think of single instance where two men or two women getting married would destroy the traditional family unit. Straight people aren't going to throw their hands up in the air and say, "Well, now that gay people are getting married, I'm getting a divorce; I'm no longer going to have children; I'm not longer etc. etc. etc." I just don't see how this will impact the family at all. Second, why the heck does this need to be a part of the constitution? That seems like killing a deer with a bazooka when a bow and arrow will do.

So, it is my hope that you will all rethink this issue. I respect the Church's stance on this issue very much, but I believe a legal marriage vs. a church-based marriage are two very different things. Legal marriage will extend to gay couples the same rights as straight couples. At the same time, using the word marriage will force gay couples to see it as a true, lifelong bond, again cutting down on promiscuity and the transfer of disease. In the end, it will lead to COMMITMENT. A great thing in my mind. IT IN NO WAY AFFECTS THE CHURCH OR CHURCH-BASED WEDDINGS.
Finally, it's so sad that the $40 million spent on the yes on prop 8 campaign could have gone to children's hospitals or education or anything else that truly had a profound impact on the life of a child. It is so unfortunate that the money was spent to prohibit two consenting adults from marrying one another.

Please, PLEASE, take a second look at the words of Christ in the Bible. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Christ never once condemned homosexuality. Not once. And it is my hope and belief that He will one day judge me not by who I loved but by the person I was and the faith I placed in Him. Please give me the opportunity to raise a proper family and permit me to live with some sense of normalcy.

And please don't let the violent actions of a few determine your view of the whole. I despise the actions of several people in the gay community for the way they have handled their defeat. I beg you, however, to not take away my right to marry because of a few militant gays. Thank you so much and God bless.

November 21, 2008 at 7:56 PM
libhom said...

The only violence that occurred was by homophobes attacking the peaceful protesters.

November 22, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Kurt Keyser said...

WT: Why do we care? What's the harm? Is this a civil right?

I've answered this from MY point of view:
http://keysercauses.blogspot.com/2008/11/marriage-is-rite-not-right.html

November 22, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Reid said...

Cynthia - thank you for showing your true colors. And believe me, you won't stop at equality. You want to be "more equal" than everyone else.

November 23, 2008 at 1:32 PM
Reid said...

WT - were you at the L.A. Temple protest last time? Did you see the defacement of private property committed in the name of "equal rights"? Did you see the protesters climbing up on the temple fence? Did you see the signs condemning Mormons for their religion? If that is peaceful, then you and I simply have different ideas of what is a peaceful protest.

November 23, 2008 at 1:34 PM

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