Okay, I have something to say.....

I realize that my blog is generally filled with humor and laced with sarcasm and that it's very seldom that I say anything serious, but I'm losing sleep over this one, so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Like some, maybe not many, I've been concerned with the outcome of this election. Setting aside the poor economic condition of this country, the state of war, and the multitudes of other issues facing our citizens, I believe our country is battling severe moral decline. It's this issue that has me most alarmed. It's that same issue that urged me to vote for McCain. It's also that same issue that had me hoping and praying for a miracle.

Regardless of the outcome of everything else, I thought that the passing of California's Proposition 8 and other similar measures was my miracle. And maybe for now it is, but I realized today that the fight has only begun.

The internet is a wonderful tool that allows us access to the world and enables us to keep in touch with friends from all over. I'm a facebook user and through my news feed I saw that an old high school friend had joined a group devoted to repealing proposition 8. I checked it out to see what their argument for that would be. I didn't find their argument, but something else entirely.

All of the group's comments and discussions were basically dedicated to destroying the Mormons. It seems that regardless of the hundreds of other churches and organizations involved in the support of proposition 8, we, as a church, are to shoulder the "blame." There are petitions circulating to revoke the church's tax-exempt status due to its "heavy involvement" in politics. There are cries for declaring our religion unconstitutional and banning our members from marrying in this country. The list goes on and on.

I was shocked and a little bit perturbed, to say the least (and anyone who's witnessed my temper can imagine that, I suppose). I thought about it all day and my irritation has morphed into something very different.

We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have been charged to defend marriage and the family as was ordained by God. God's laws don't change at society's every whim, as much as that would be convenient for all. We are to be immovable. Those opposing proposition 8 view our firm stance as intolerance and an attack on human rights. They believe that we "hate homosexuals" and are trying to force our beliefs on the country. The contrary is true. You can love an individual and not a behavior. They believe that our rights to worship and practice what we know to be true are beneath every other group's right to do so.

A photographer was sued in New Mexico for refusing to photograph a same-sex couple. The couple had the right to demand "equality," but the photographer didn't have the right to live his beliefs. A doctor was sued for refusing to artificially inseminate a lesbian couple. The couple had the right to demand "equality," but the doctor didn't have the right to live his beliefs. The rights of same-sex couples are believed to trump the rights afforded to religious worship. And in the courts, religion is losing.

So my irritation slowly changed to sadness, but I still feel the fire of conviction. It's been almost 200 years since Joseph Smith knelt in the Sacred Grove. Almost 200 years since he conversed with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Almost 200 years since the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, along with its Priesthood authority and saving ordinances, was restored to the Earth. And again, almost 200 years since the Saints trekked west to the Salt Lake Valley, threatened with extermination orders, angry mobs, and zero protection from the government of the United States of America. And those Saints, upon arrival, still praised God and country and were grateful to be living in the land of the free.

God has declared this the promised land. He's promised His blessings as we live His commandments. He never promised an exemption from trials or persecution. So although I imagine that the attacks on the church will only get worse with time and am sure that this battle over proposition 8 is only the beginning of an even larger moral war, I am grateful to live in this country. And I'm even more grateful to belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This won't be the first time that the members of this church face persecution, nor will it be the last I'm sure, but I'm proud to be standing on this side of the line.