More Thoughts On Prop 8

I just read this article from the LA Times about some of the backlash that the church has been facing. From the article:

For years, church leaders have tried to blunt the assertion that Mormonism is somehow out of the political and cultural mainstream. The backlash over gay marriage carries risks and rewards toward that goal.

This is probably nitpicky, but that line doesn't really feel very objective to me. And what's that comment based on? And maybe I only say this because I'm a member, but I don't really think that the church makes its decisions based on trying to appear mainstream, or out of a desire to be liked by the world over. The church takes its positions based on what's right, regardless of how that appears to anyone on the outside. It's convenient when Right is aligned with what's popular, but the acceptability of certain positions do not dictate the direction in which the church moves.

I was hometeaching a girl yesterday and we started talking about the Prop 8 issue (which is kind of interesting because even here in Utah, every class and every discussion that we have seems to revolve around that particular topic). She had a really great observation, I thought.

She served her mission at the visitor's center in Indepedence, Missouri and has a number of cool stories about persecutions that the church has faced in its history. But she made the point that of any time in the history of Christ's church, this time that we're living in is the aberration. Throughout all of history, and in our own brief existence as the restored church, His cause has always endured heavy persecution. These last several decades are unusual in that what we support actually does happen to coincide with what a lot of people around us believe, and as a result, we've received few full-throated lambastes recently. At least until now.

For the most part that article actually does seem to be pretty balanced, but I do take issue with some of the personal opinions that seem to surface from the author. And I do like the comment that closes the article.

In any case, there is still a fight and will continue to be one for a long time to come. You can still write your local congressman, donate to the Protect Marriage campaign even though there's no election currently, or just keep abreast of the latest news and developments. Maybe even just start with this Elder Hales talk from last General Conference that feels especially prescient now.