Being Brave

Something that has been rolling around my mind for the last couple years is the debate over redefining the definition of marriage to allow gay couples the “right” to be married. Being LDS, knowing and believing the doctrine, and wanting to follow the prophet, I know that it is possible to love Gay people and be kind, but not to agree with gay marriage. This is my stance on the issue and how I try to live.

While this is a fine opinion, I have always felt like there is so much more to the argument, than just “because God says so.” While searching for more material on the subject, I feel as though it has been hard to find specific reasons of why Gay marriage would be a negative thing for our society. Over and over again I hear, “It is their civil right,” or “If they love each other they deserve it,” and or “How will it hurt you? Just live and let live.” 

These half-truths can be very convincing, but I knew there was much more to this issue. Yesterday, I stumbled across a video from an address given by Ryan T. Anderson at Stanford University. It was a short 4 minute clip. In that four minutes, I felt like the real questions we should be asking and clarifying were finally being addressed and answered. 

This peaked my interest and as soon as N was down for her nap I watched the full hour long presentation and thirty minute Q and A portion. It answered all of the questions and the statements the media keeps feeding and asking the public. It was enlightening, entertaining (he is a great public speaker), and refreshing to finally hear someone address this topic clearly, concisely and address the real issues. What is the true definition of marriage and why is it that? How will this effect society? Why does marriage even matter?

I feel as though everyone could benefit from watching this presentation. I know it is long, but I promise, it is well worth the time. Anderson presents his material purely from the stance of why marriage is important in society. He does not mention religious, tradition, or moral reasons. Those are perfectly fine reasons to be opposed to gay marriage. However, it has been great to see how Sociology supports the teachings of Theology.

So please, if you can. Make the time to watch this. I don’t think you will regret it. I would love to hear everyone’s opinion on it. I know that because I share his point of view, he was basically preaching to the choir. However, I believe each side could gain greater insight by listening to the facts he presents and the civility he uses when discussing the issue.  

The Q&A portion.

 

Thank you for reading and hopefully watching.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard