Okay, so I've really been thinking this out and this is what I've come up with. One of the biggest reasons (from what I've observed) that some people are voting 'no' on Prop 8 even though they don't necessarily agree with same-sex marriage is this: they worry that by "pushing" our beliefs onto others we are opening ourselves up to the same happening to ourselves, and when it does we will not have the right to complain since we are a guilty party as well. Well, I've finally figured out my response for that because it is a valid argument, and this is what I've come up with:
Yes, that time may come, and possibly (probably, in fact) by voting 'yes' on Prop 8 I am opening myself up to that at some point in the future, and you know what? I think that's okay with me. There are many examples of people in the scriptures who decided that standing up for what was right was more important than the possibility of losing their religious (or otherwise) freedoms in the near or distant future. Daniel, Abinidi, and countless others, but those two stand out the most to me right now. Both of them weren't just putting their freedoms at stake, they were putting their very lives at stake by standing up for what was right. Daniel, fortunately came out of it okay, but Abinidi wasn't so lucky. They didn't say to themselves "Hmm, I could stand up for what's right, but if I do that they could put me in jail, or kill me, so what good would that do?" They said "I must take a stand for what I know to be true, even if I'm condemned to death for it."
So, where do I stand on this? Well, I think I've decided that I would rather be imprisoned (since we've kind of done away with condemnation of death at this point) with a clear conscience knowing that I stood up for what was right than be free with the thought that I could've and should've done more. Satan doesn't need us to do and say awful things to people to make us his, he just needs us to be silent. That is enough for him. And he convinces us to do that by telling us that it's not our place, or it doesn't effect us, or we're not being tolerant if we take a stand, or it could end up backfiring on us in the future. If by voting 'yes' on Prop 8 I am setting myself up for others to push their beliefs on me later, I will take that chance knowing that I stood up for what was right when I was called upon, because ultimately others actions will not condemn or exalt me--my own will.
Yes, that time may come, and possibly (probably, in fact) by voting 'yes' on Prop 8 I am opening myself up to that at some point in the future, and you know what? I think that's okay with me. There are many examples of people in the scriptures who decided that standing up for what was right was more important than the possibility of losing their religious (or otherwise) freedoms in the near or distant future. Daniel, Abinidi, and countless others, but those two stand out the most to me right now. Both of them weren't just putting their freedoms at stake, they were putting their very lives at stake by standing up for what was right. Daniel, fortunately came out of it okay, but Abinidi wasn't so lucky. They didn't say to themselves "Hmm, I could stand up for what's right, but if I do that they could put me in jail, or kill me, so what good would that do?" They said "I must take a stand for what I know to be true, even if I'm condemned to death for it."
So, where do I stand on this? Well, I think I've decided that I would rather be imprisoned (since we've kind of done away with condemnation of death at this point) with a clear conscience knowing that I stood up for what was right than be free with the thought that I could've and should've done more. Satan doesn't need us to do and say awful things to people to make us his, he just needs us to be silent. That is enough for him. And he convinces us to do that by telling us that it's not our place, or it doesn't effect us, or we're not being tolerant if we take a stand, or it could end up backfiring on us in the future. If by voting 'yes' on Prop 8 I am setting myself up for others to push their beliefs on me later, I will take that chance knowing that I stood up for what was right when I was called upon, because ultimately others actions will not condemn or exalt me--my own will.
2 comments:
Good examples. My favorite phrase from the scriptures is "But if not". When the king tells Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-nego that he's going to throw them in the furnace if they don't renounce God, they say, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. . . .BUT IF NOT. . .we will not serve thy gods, not worship the golden image which thou hast set up." I love that--God can deliver us from whatever evil you may bring upon us for doing right, but even if He chooses not to, we're still going to do what's right, because the temporal consequences aren't the important ones and He's still in control.
Word to Becky's comment! I love that phrase too:) And I always think of the reason God flooded the earth in the first place when it comes to things like this. It wasn't just because of wickedness... it was because there was SO MUCH wickedness that future generations did not have the opportunity to be raised in righteousness. And if we don't do what we can in our lifetime to prevent that, our descendants have less and less chance of finding the clear black and white line because they will be wading through so much gray. Satan can't be underestimated that way!
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