There are so many mixed voices in the world today and it can get kind of confusing. With the Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. (2015) Supreme Court of the United States case it opened up both sides of how some see it as a right to marry who they want and others thought it went too far. From this it was interesting to see both sides and the things that you don’t think of if you aren’t in this situation. Some of the problems people in same-sex marriages ran into were not being able to be a surviving spouse when death occurs, both partners not being able to adopt together, and their wedding not being lawful depending on the state they are in. Although I don’t have the same views as these people or agree with their choices, I do feel for them and believe they deserve happiness. However, just as I respect them, I hope I would receive that same respect back. There is a point though where we have to make sure that we are getting the point across that we still have our views.
In the talk given by Russell M Nelson, Disciples of Jesus Christ-Defenders of Marriage, he said “The day is gone when you can be a quiet and comfortable Christian.” I could not agree more with him. We must stick up for our beliefs when faced with these challenging topics. He also mentioned how there is no such thing as a part time disciple. How important it is for us to be a disciple and stand as a witness of God in all times, all things, and all places. I have a child and family advocacy class this semester and there was a talk given by Elder Holland and in that talk he mentioned a story of a college student who played basketball and transferred teams. Well it came time that his new team played against the team he used to play for and a fan of this team, as well as many of the others at the game, were acting like you wouldn’t believe and really being rude to this student. The kid said “we check our religion at the door”. By this he meant it was okay to lower his standards and to use religion as casual and only show it when he wanted and then forget about it and be a jerk other times. I think this is the same with standing for our beliefs and for standing for marriage. I have mentioned that I hate contention and like to stay far from it. There is a happy medium to this and Elder Oaks does a great job of explaining this when he said, “Even as we seek to be meek and to avoid contention, we must not compromise or dilute our commitment to the truths we understand. We must not surrender our positions or our values.” (“Loving others and Living with Differences.” November 2014 Ensign)
Neil L. Andersen said, “While the governments and well-meaning individuals have redefined marriage , the Lord has not.” Time and time again we hear that marriage is between a man and a woman. We are taught to guard the family and to uphold them! The world is changing around us, but the standards of the Lord will never change. We too need to keep our standards and beliefs upheld and be that difference in this ever changing world.
Marriage 