"YES" on 8

I am not a California voter, but I have been following a very important issue in the state of California......I wanted to share it with my readers because I have noticed the mainstream media on TV, and our local paper, have not been giving it the coverage it deserves.

This November, along with the presidential candidates, voters in California will have to choose regarding Proposition 8. Voting "YES" on prop 8 will amend the California constitution to read, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

How often have we heard in the last 50 years that the family is under attack? So many times, it is almost cliched, it is almost a by-word that is not even noticed any more. Well, now that it's not really noticed any more, the doors are swinging shut and legal decision are being made to completely disintegrate what a family is.

So, I ask all my readers to take careful consideration of this issue....because we will soon face it in our own states and most likely in the U.S. Supreme Court some day. I take my beliefs of family directly from the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please follow this link to learn more lds.org . Please decide how you feel about family, the make-up of a family, and how God wants our families to succeed.

A "no" vote on prop 8 will take away all person's, in the state of California, ability to choose a "traditional" family values, with a mother and father and children all protected under the bonds of marriage. Churches will no longer have the option of preforming marriages to couples with similar beliefs. Doctors will not be able to fully practice their own personal beliefs, and be forced to offer treatment they do not agree with. Children in the state public education system will be taught that all marriage is acceptable. A "no" vote takes away all parent's rights to teach their children according to their own beliefs, regardless of what they are.

I can never be as eloquent as Elder Dallin H. Oaks, former Utah State Supreme Court Judge, so here are some of his words on the subject, which speak for me as well:
"This is much bigger than just a question of whether or not society should be more tolerant of the homosexual lifestyle. Over past years we have seen unrelenting pressure from advocates of that lifestyle to accept as normal what is not normal, and to characterize those who disagree as narrow-minded, bigoted and unreasonable. Such advocates are quick to demand freedom of speech and thought for themselves, but equally quick to criticize those with a different view and, if possible, to silence them by applying labels like “homophobic.” In at least one country where homosexual activists have won major concessions, we have even seen a church pastor threatened with prison for preaching from the pulpit that homosexual behavior is sinful. Given these trends, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must take a stand on doctrine and principle. This is more than a social issue — ultimately it may be a test of our most basic religious freedoms to teach what we know our Father in Heaven wants us to teach."

You can find the full text of his interview at the newsroom.

What ever you choose, please be an activist. Let us not be caught on the proverbial fence in this subject. We are all part of a family, and hopefully we will continue to value the importance of family and its effects on a person, on a community, on a society, on the world.