W03: Threats to Marriage

We live in a world today that every single one of us probably has a friend or family member affected by same sex marriage. I personally watched 14 years ago as my sister’s husband walked out the door to go live the life he always dreamed of having. She has raised her boys as a single mom, while on the other side of town he shared the raising responsibility while being married to his husband. One thing that stands out when reading the articles is that people want the right to have personal choice in their intimate decisions. Sometimes that personal choice has a negative effect on another person. Another thing that stood out to me was that it is too early to see the long-term consequences of this change. We just don’t know how this will affect children and spouses down the road. My nephews love the church, they love their mom. On the other side of town, they love their dad and his husband. They support all three parents to show their love for them.

It’s no secret that the environment in each home is different. In the readings it mentioned that those who oppose same sex marriage will be labeled as bigots. This is where is becomes difficult for the Saints to stand for their beliefs. It is almost demanded that we agree, or we must hate those who support it. This isn’t true. What is true is that the doctrine of the church is not something we change. All changes come from revelation from God. It is going to become more difficult as we strive to live the gospel and the world around us pulls further from the truth.

My nephew recently left on a mission. Before leaving his father let him know that if he serves a two-year mission he is not welcomed in the home when he returns. He wanted to serve so bad. He left and had a great time in the MTC. When he got to his mission the guilt and fear of losing his dad set in. He returned home last week after only serving a few months. This isn’t about him not loving the gospel or about his testimony. This is about his father not supporting him because he assumed his belief in God automatically means he doesn’t love his dad. This is a problem that we are all going to face as we have friends and families in these situations. I don’t want to be labeled that I “hate” someone for their choices. We must continue to stay close to the gospel and show love for those around us as things change.