Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Thoughts on Same-Sex Marriage

                The decision of the United States Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage has been on my mind since it passed on Friday.  At first I was concerned about the worldly consequences of the decision, but I soon recognized the eternal consequences also.  Same-sex parents will condemn their children to being without family for all eternity because same-sex partners can never be sealed and their children cannot be sealed to them.

                Matt Walsh published an essay here about how gay marriage hurts him personally and listed three reasons:  (1) We apparently have a society of “moral idiots” because people are okay with the decision because same-sex marriage “doesn’t affect me.”  We should all be alert to any evil in our nation whether or not it affects us personally or financially. 

                (2) We are all affected by “State-imposed falsehoods.”  “Marriage is a certain thing with a certain nature and definition.  When the State mandates that the thing is something other than what it is, and has a purpose other than its actual purpose, you are now living under a tyranny of confusion.  The severity of that confusion depends on the degree of the falsehood….  I would still oppose this redefinition because it’s not true, and I prefer Truth…. I want our culture to have a proper understanding of reality.  Moreover, I don’t want our government to impose an improper understanding…. Marriage is the bedrock upon which all of human civilization rests.  To expand its definition into oblivion is to weaken and destabilize it….”

                (3) “Why do you think liberals care so much about [same-sex marriage]?  If it doesn’t matter, why have they dedicated years to bringing about this past Friday? … Gay marriage is not an essential or true institution, nor does it serve any real purpose in society.  There’s no practical or moral reason for the romantic lives of homosexuals to be recognized or elevated or protected in any way…. This whole gay marriage debate is about opening up the lifelong monogamous bond of matrimony to a community that often doesn’t desire a lifelong monogamous bond.  Do you understand what’s going on here?  They don’t want marriage as it currently is; they want to change it into something else….  It makes no sense.  That is, until you come to understand that liberals desire not to fortify or strengthen the family, but to dismember it.  This is purely a game of power and destruction….”

                Walsh continued his essay by explaining other destructive actions that will follow the decision.  Walsh thinks the first step “they” will take is to destroy the churches by taking away their tax exempt status if they oppose gay marriage and attack the churches legally if they refuse to perform same-sex marriages.  The second step is to attack church leaders for not performing same-sex marriages.  We already know that florists, photographers, bakers, and even T-shirt makers have been sued for refusing service to same-sex couples.  The third step is to reduce the institution of marriage to nothingness.

                Michael J. Davidson published his thoughts here, but he chose to looks at the consequences of the same-sex marriage ruling from an eternal perspective.  “It is not every day that the Supreme Court of the United States issues an opinion that has such eternal implications as we have in the Obergefell v. Hodges case.  I undertake to read the syllabus, opinion of the court and the dissents (103 pages!) thinking that I would possibly write a legal critique of what the court did, but I found that such a critique would likely be similar to those already done.  Instead, I thought about the eternal consequences of this decision and found them to be very sobering.
                “Frankly, a lot of what the Court does really is somewhat insignificant in the timeframe of the gospel, but today’s decision is different….  There are some truly important things addressed there, but for the most part we won’t look back [at them] as something that impacted the salvation of souls in the world.
                “Families, on the other hand, are eternal.  Or at least some of them are.  In this brave new world, violence is being done to individuals in a manner that will impact these individuals in the eternities. Today’s decision by the Supreme Court gives legal sanction to marriage relationships (and parental relationships) that will not and cannot endure in eternity.  With this legal recognition comes an increased level of social acceptance that will result in more individuals engaging in such relationships, and doing so in a manner that is more permanent.  In discussing these developments, we need to keep in mind not only of the sinful nature of homosexual behavior, but also of the futile nature of these relationships from an eternal perspective.”
                Davidson quoted the Proclamation of the Family, presented to the world in September 1995: “THE FAMILY is ordained of God.  Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.  Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity”  He also quoted a 2004 statement from the First Presidency:  “As a doctrinal principle, based on sacred scripture, we affirm that marriage between a man and a woman is essential to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.  The powers of procreation are to be exercised only between a man and a woman lawfully wedded as husband and wife.  Any other sexual relations, including those between persons of the same gender, undermine the divinely created institution of the family.”
                Davidson quoted statements from other Church leaders:  In his last General Conference address Elder L. Tom Perry spoke about standing “against all of the counterfeit and alternative lifestyles that try to replace the family organization that God Himself established.”             Elder Russell M. Nelson said, “Marriage between a man and woman is fundamental to the Lord’s doctrine and crucial to God’s eternal plan.  Marriage between a man and a woman is God’s pattern for a fulness of life on earth and in heaven.  God’s marriage pattern cannot be abused, misunderstood, or misconstrued….  It is not ours to change.”  (October 2013 General Conference)
                The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement after the Supreme Court announcement last Friday:  “The Court’s decision does not alter the Lord’s doctrine that marriage is a union between a man and a woman ordained by God.  While showing respect for those who think differently, the Church will continue to teach and promote marriage between a man and a woman as a central part of our doctrine and practice.”
                After these quotes, Davidson stated:  “Clearly, there is no reason to think that the doctrine of the family can or will change.  As a result, same sex marriages are not and cannot be sealed.  Nor can the relationship between homosexual parents with their adoptive children endure in eternity.  Such children cannot be `born into the covenant’ nor can they be sealed to the legal parents as if they were born into the covenant, because you can’t be sealed to parents who can’t be sealed to each other.”
                Even though the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, those marriages are made for time only and can never become eternal.  Malachi, the prophet who wrote the last book in the Old Testament, wrote explained the importance of the family about 400 years before the birth of Christ:  “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).
                Quite frankly, same-sex marriage goes against the main purpose for which the earth itself was created – the sealing of families for eternity.  As Davidson explained, same-sex marriages and families cannot be sealed because their marriages are not recognized by God.  I know that the eternal consequences of this decision by the Supreme Court are much more important than any personal, political, or financial reasons.  I personally feel great sorrow for the many people who have been deceived as well as for their children.   I know Heavenly Father loves all of His children, but I also know that He has to obey His own rules.  

No comments:

Post a Comment