Friday, June 26, 2015

What Do I Think of Today's Decision?

What do I think of today's decision?


I think that The Constitution is not failing us because it was poorly written; rather, it is being poorly interpreted and stretched beyond its frame.

Even so, life continues to be what we make it. We can use our agency to be angry or to continue in love. “Perfect love casteth out all fear.” If we continue to teach and uphold correct principles in our families, we as the little leaven will be blessed to raise the whole lump through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I think that we now have a state-imposed religion in our Country, by a government who claims that we should not mix church and state. Will there be implications following? Of course there will. I'm not a prophetess, so I will not say "Mark my word" or any such nonsense; but, I believe that all churches whose beliefs are founded in the moral tradition of marriage being between a man and a woman will be in jeopardy of losing their tax-exempt status if they do not bow to the demands of those who desire same-sex marriages in their congregations, as these people will appeal to the government in the name of equality. And I no longer trust our Republic to represent the virtuous principles on which this country was founded.

I don't fear losing tax-exempt status. I think that this can serve to make believers even stronger. Yet I do hope that our Country, which was founded upon the Judea-Christian Tradition by great men of faith, will not become a country that persecutes those who hold to that tradition and strip them, or anyone else, of their freedom of religion.

I think that we were all expecting the outcome of today's decision. It has been years in the making. I think that awareness of same-sex relationships has been good and bad, because we all need to learn to inhabit this earth as brothers and sisters; and, we all have our own challenges. But none of them are terribly unique. On the plus side, we have sought to engage in better conversation and become more understanding. On the minus side, there are those who will not measure anything by religious belief, because they have abandoned any beliefs that won't condone their or their friends' personal choices. To deny the right of religious freedom is one of the biggest evils ever perpetrated, and religion freedom is something that our Founding Fathers demanded for us as a people in The Bill of Rights.

I think that the rainbow itself is a token of the covenant God made with Noah to never again flood the entire earth. To flaunt that token in living the kind of life led by those who were destroyed in the flood shows open rebellion to God. He cannot continue to bless those who curse Him.

Before this earth life, we all lived with our Heavenly Father. There He presented His Plan for our progression, and He chose His Firstborn Son to be our Messiah. We accepted His Plan, we accepted Jesus as our Savior; and we were given the opportunity to come to earth, receive a body, and learn obedience. Why? So we can become like our Father.

Lucifer and one-third part of the host of heaven rebelled against God and His Anointed. They did not want to live by God's laws, and so they were kicked out of heaven.

Every human being who has lived on this earth, who is now here, and who will yet be born, accepted our Father's Plan for our Happiness and His Chosen Son. But if we turn from His laws, we cannot expect to receive heaven's blessings any more than the one-third who lost out for the same reason.

I think that those who are cheering today's decision will one day find themselves weeping. Then it won't be up to us to say, I told you so,” but to feel sorrow with them in their pain and loss and do the best we can to bring comfort and restoration.

It is interesting to me that people think that they can be moral without a moral code. Yes, time-tested marriage is based in the moral traditions of the people who lived according to their books of Holy Writ, no matter what religion they were.

It is also obvious to me that when people turn their backs on scriptures, history, and the Lord and His prophets, that they lose their moral compass; and, they don't even realize that they've lost it.  

The scriptures were so important to Lehi's family, that Nephi and his brothers were sent back to Jerusalem, at the peril of their lives, to get the plates. Why? Because without the scriptures, they would have dwindled in unbelief, as the Lamanites did, and perished.

Unfortunately, in today's world, people turn their back on God. They still think that they can be just as kind and loving. I, myself, am more capable of loving my neighbor when I put the commandments in the order the Lord gave them: First, to love the Lord God with everything that I have; and second to that, to love my neighbor as myself. I believe that those who put themselves and their neighbors first, before God, fall far short in finding the joy that they can in their own lives or in giving joy to others through their service. 

When we forget God, we become self-serving and lost.

With all that said, I did not feel any particular anger and concern in today's ruing. Why? Because we were expecting this. And God is at the helm. If we continue to teach and live the gospel, we can become the leavening agent that will invite and draw others to Christ as we prepare for His return.

Every single one of us accepted God's Plan of Happiness in our pre-mortal realm. Agency was a gift in the plan, and so was the Atonement. I hope that we will all use our gifts to accept God's grace.


I think that because human emotions are involved by those who support traditional marriage and by those who are in favor of the legalization of same-sex marriage, we need to make sure that we respect human dignity. I think that we need to remember that God made us all just a little lower than the angels. When some take God out of the equation, they are denying our roots and that we have a Father who is Diety; in so doing, they also are denying the deity within themselves and within others. We cannot afford to do that. We need to respect each other as children of God even when we do not agree.

The Lord allows for agency in this life, where men are allowed moral interpretation. Sometimes our governments legalize those things which are not lawful. But God's laws remain constant, and I am happy that the Church reflects that.

It's nice to have the surety of God's love and His Plan for our Happiness. This we need to teach; this we need to live; this we need to pass on to the next generation, and the next.

I think that it is still important to stand up for family values, for traditional marriage, for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and for religious freedom in general. Why? Because these things are still important to us, and their value will not change because of temporal legislation. Remaining faithful means something to me, and it means something to God. If we can hold on faithful to Him and to His laws, I believe that one day even those who are fighting against us will actually thank us. We can never serve our fellowmen properly by abandoning God. And we can best love our neighbors when we remember to put the first commandment first.

I choose to be positive, and I seek to do as the Spirit guides. But I do think that today's ruling will have a profound effect in damaging society further and in lessening the credibility and security of us all. Soon, the only safety to be found will be in the Stakes of Zion and in the walls of the homes of the righteous, be they of whatever religious persuasion they may.

I also firmly believe that now is the time for us to bear strong and positive testimony of the things which we believe and most assuredly know to be true, rather than engaging in petty arguments that testify of defeat; for, we are not defeated. God is at the helm.