I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS for short and more commonly known as "Mormon"). I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. Period.
If you are reading this and you find that statement offensive you are welcome to click that red button at the top of your screen and close this out. I know that not everyone agrees with this and I respect that. Please know, however, that there is more to where I stand on this subject than what I said above, and all who are interested are welcome to continue reading.
I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. I also believe that children under the age of 8 do not need to be baptized. I believe that there is only one God. I do not believe in reincarnation (though I admit the idea is intriguing). I do not believe that any one race, country, religion, sex, etc. is "superior" to all others.
Just because I believe (or don't believe) these things, does not mean I don't care about the people whose beliefs are different than mine. What I believe, how I believe, in no way affects whether I love the people around me or not.
If you are gay and happily married or in a relationship, that is wonderful. I am glad that you have found happiness in your life. If you are atheist and living a happy life then I am happy for you, too. If you don't know where you stand on the subject of religion or gay marriage or whatever, but you are happy, then I am happy for you. I am happy for those who are happy, whatever their lifestyle or beliefs. If you are truly happy, then I am happy for you.
Is that really such a bad thing? Is it really so awful for someone to believe something and still love people who believe differently? I don't think so, and I think that is what being truly Christlike is about. Loving everyone regardless of their beliefs.
I have friends who are gay. I have friends who are Atheist, Pagan, Catholic, Buddhist, LDS, and probably several other denominations I am not even aware of. Why? Because it doesn't matter to me. I don't care what they believe. I respect their beliefs, and as long as they are respectful of mine, we are good.
I have been thinking about the topic of gay marriage for a long time now, and for a long time I wasn't 100% certain where I stood with it. When I finally figured it out, I was scared of saying so because I didn't know what my friends would think of me or if their opinions of me would change. Then I realized, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what my friends may think of me because if they are my friends they will love me regardless of how I feel about certain topics.
I believe in love. Love for our families regardless of the things they do or do not do. Love for our friends even when they let us down. Love for our neighbors no matter their beliefs, lifestyles, or actions towards us. Love for our world in spite of our differences.
What about people that don't believe like I do (or who do believe like I do) that are not being respectful towards others? I love them too. I may not like what they are doing, but I still love them.
See, love isn't about who you marry. It isn't about your family, race, country, religion, sexual orientation, gender, political affiliation, age, social standing, etc. It is about wanting good for others. When you truly love people, you want good for them, whatever that is. You want them to be happy, truly happy. Happiness is different for everyone.
I believe in Christ. I believe in the Gospel as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And what I believe or what you believe does not change the fact that I love you.
Period.
