Rayla's Thoughts on All the Same-Sex Marriage Drama

This has been on my mind a lot lately and I wanted to get my thoughts out somewhere.

A topic that has been hotly debated lately is the issue of same-sex marriage and the way Christian and LGBT people treat each other. I know that my views are very different from many(maybe even most) of my family and friends, and I think that is okay. My hope is  that everybody, no matter which side of this issue they fall on, will treat each other with love and respect and consider whether their words and actions actually express the love and respect they profess to.

The official teachings of my church(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) is that any sexual behavior outside of marriage between a man and a woman is sinful. Frankly, I don’t think what I or anyone else believes to be morally or spiritually wrong matters much in THIS situation. The USA is a country where personal liberties are highly protected(even if some people seek to destroy them) and people are allowed to make their own choices, whether or not we agree with them. I don’t believe that it is the right of any group to impose their moral and spiritual beliefs on an entire nation of people, and our constitution does not allow for it.  The exceptions to this are actions which cause people to be victimized(murder, rape, theft, etc….).

But what about the family? Isn’t protecting the family what this is really about? If protecting the family is really our main objective, why are we singling out a group who may be a very small part of the problem with the modern family? Why are we not trying to pass laws outlawing common law marriage, pre-marital sex, adultery, and most divorce? I believe STDs, broken families, and many societal issues come from these issues far more than from same-sex marriage. I think we are far better off to spend our energy living our lives to the best of our abilities and setting an example of joy rather than trying to legislate and force our standards onto society. Let’s not talk about sin and sinners, let love speak first lift and build those who need it. Change is going to come one person, one family, at a time, not with legislation and certainly not in the divisive political climate we live in. If you believe people are making mistakes, let them make mistakes. If it is not making them happy, they will seek change, and then you can be there to share what knowledge of life and joy you have.

My greatest goal is to live a Christ-like life, and I believe the best way to do that is to show love to everyone first, and let the rest fall into place with the Lord’s timing. I am not even close to perfection with this principle yet, but I am trying. I hope that in this Christmas season all of us will strive to lift those around us and live as Christ would.

PS-If you disagree with me in any way, I still love you, and I hope you still love me. I also reserve the right to change my mind and evolve my thinking on this or any subject in the future.