Amidst Turmoil and Despair...

There have been a lot of talk recently about Proposition 8. Much of the news of recent has been involving dissatisfied voters with those churches and groups involved in the coalition for Prop 8. Of most notable are the bigoted and railing attacks on church buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ, as well as the Church proper. With many members of the church stating that they are leaving the church, maybe as a sign that they are trying to prove their views are right and the church leader's views are wrong, or that this is a scapegoat for more grievous reasons, is not evident.

I find it very interesting that there is so much disparaging anger and hatred towards those who demonstrated their legal and moral right to vote in something they believed in. There is no difference between the voters who were for Prop 8 and those who were against it; a bill was placed before the state voters and the right to vote for or against was cast. In this case, the votes for were more than the votes against. And like an angry child, furious that his/her way was not given, people are lashing out against those who supported, in whatever degree, their opposition.

And the media is having a hay day, twisting the truth of the matter to rigamarole status; news media like Utah's ABC 4 News try their best to sensationalize the facts and the truth to incite further anger and mistrust. Being LDS, this particular news story seems to hit more home than in other stories. I am outraged that people, both straight and gay, are reverting to childishness to demonstrate their disgust that they did not get their way. To these people, I say demonstrate your legal right, under state and federal magna chartas, to petition lawmakers and voters to change what you think needs to be changed. This is what those people who supported Prop 8 did. There is nothing more and nothing less than this. Beating up, terrorizing, inciting property damage and the like only demonstrates to the rest of the world and society that you cannot be civil and thus revoke your legal responsibilities and rights as an American citizen.

God also wants us all to be civil with one another and respect other people's dispositions. And what happens when one person's disposition encroaches upon another's disposition? Well, we also live in a country were its constitution allows for people to adjust and define the laws through established legal means. This same constitution was given to us by God so that we can govern ourselves in communities and societies. There are other ways to express your frustration from the polls than by destroying property and injuring your fellow man and woman, both physically and verbally. This is America, even the United States of America. Start acting like a Citizens and and not militant guerillas. We all can be more than who we are, that is what the American dream is all about.

As for those people who are now former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, your leaving of the church is nothing new. In the Gospel of John, the Savior taught the people the importance of feasting on the Bread and Waters of life. When He taught that one must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, some were confused, some were offended, and "many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more (John 6:66 (51-68)." We read in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ that there were many people who left the churches because they did not agree with the church (all of Mosiah 26). Leaving God's Kingdom on earth will not stop the work from progressing; it will not change the mind of God, nor will it prove anything except how unsteady are the hearts of the children of men (Helaman 12). The issues at hand are nothing new; they have been on the face of the earth since before the days of Sodom and Gomorra and God has strong feelings about these issues.

Will disagreements ever stop? As long as people have an opinion, no. Will we see the contention melt away? That is up to all of us.