...to the new Moroni hoisting the "yes on 8" banner, found some words to express my shock at the comparison. Rest assured that I love you all, yes-folks and no-folks, even though I am, of myself, a gutless flip-flopper.
I think there are significant differences between the ancient Book of Mormon situation and our modern one. Moroni was dealing with power-hungry conspirators who wished to install Amalickiah as king. When it looked like they were going to lose, the cowardly traitors took off to join the vicious enemy, intending to come back and destroy the Nephites. Moroni made the standard of liberty, then he stopped as many of the dissenters as he could, encouraging them to renounce their conspiring ways, and killed those who refused.
Those who did renounce their intentions to overthrow the government were spared to...[fast-forward a couple chapters]...come back as the nasty king-men who were willing to allow the Lamanites to kill their fellow Nephites so long as they got a piece of power. Moroni again compels the no-good dissenters to support the cause of freedom or die, again uses the title of liberty as a statement of his society's values. Freedom being the central point of those values.
Even though Moroni and the freemen did not delight in bloodshed, "they could not suffer to lay down their lives, that their wives and their children should be massacred by the barbarous cruelty of those who were once their brethren, yea and had dissented from their church, and had gone to destroy them by joining the Lamanites" Alma 48:23
Life and death. Not definitions. I believe these events happened. Not as symbolic fiction but as absolute fact. But I just don't think the comparison to proposition eight is wise or accurate.
Are we really going to kill the "no on prop 8" folks? No.
Will my children and I be massacred if the "no on 8" people defeat the proposition? Extremely unlikely.
Marriage as an institution is in danger. Fornication, adultery, serial divorce, same sex families are all symptoms of a problem that will not, should not, be solved by legislating chastity. Turning people's hearts toward God would do the trick. I just feel strongly that the other societal attacks on marriage are much more destructive than the very small percentage of people who are breaking the law of chastity in a same-sex relationship.
That said, I will vote yes on eight because to me marriage is one man and one woman in a lifelong committed relationship. That has been the definition for centuries with very few exceptions. I'm willing to vote yes to keep it that way.
So anyway don't hate me because I was flabbergasted yesterday by the comparison to the title of liberty and the support it or die implications therein. I love you all. (Except you meanies. I just tolerate you. I'm working on it though. One of these days I'm going to love you all, even the meanies.)
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6 comments:
Well said. I guess that is the part that really chapped my hide too. That they could even dare to compare Prop 8 to the Title of Liberty was demeaning to the battle fought. Thanks for the explanation, because you done good!
wow! You're smart. You lost me at Amalikiahahhaha.
But it sounded beautiful.
Do you mind if I take some notes for my class?
legislating chastity . . . serial divorce . . .
oooh, you're good.
Thanks Jo. I stewed for a while then it made more sense to me.
CTD, um, yeah, Mrs. College Professor, like you're not? Am-a-lick-I-uh. You can do it.
I'm completely lost. I think I missed something. I read your post with the picture yesterday (or was it this morning?)but I still think I missed something. So confused! It comes from baking all day . . . yet, in wheat I did not imbibe. Yay me!
Heidi, I'm just being long-winded. I don't like the picture. My post ponders the reasons for my gut reaction.
Well said Jami. I have HUGE issues when the public/politicians get all up in our personal lives in regards to moral choices. It just chaps my hide and that udder cream just doesn't do the trick! Anyways, I would vote with you and like you if I could vote for the same things.
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