I went to the Dr with my wife yesterday for her weekly checkup and I came across an article in Time Magazine that struck my eye. "The Storm Over the Mormons" was the title, Being a Mormon myself I figured I'd read it and see just what this article was about, and how accurate it was. To my surprise, The article was fairly well written and I felt that it explained in a very brief way the overall stance on Mormonism and Families. There is a lot to understanding Mormonism and this article barely scratches the surface as the author indicated as he began to describe "What makes Mormon's different" and there were a few words the author chose that I might not have chosen but I'm impressed at his overall unbiased opinion,"Even as Mormon's have become more prominent, they have struggled to overcome lingering prejudices and misrepresentations about the sources of their beliefs" The article focused mainly on California's Proposition 8 and the contribution that Mormon Members placed, also mentioned in the article were 2 of the things that set Mormons apart from other Christian teachings: I'll attempt to summarize the 2 things that this article pointed out.
1) We believe that we existed and lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to this earth as his "Spirit Children" and that this earthly life is an interlude for learning, and testing. We believe that upon living a righteous life, We will be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father and that we will be able to continue learning from him and becoming like him.
2) We believe in a modern-day prophet. Websters Dictionary defines Prophet as "a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration". We believe this exactly, As Mormons, We believe in a current-day prophet, a man who speaks for god by divine inspiration, Currently this man is President Thomas S. Monson.
-"The LDS (Mormon) faith makes much of free will, and each believer divines his path privately with the help of reason, prayer, and the holy ghost"
- The article made reference to a claim of "Blind Obedience" to the prophet, I would have to say that i both agree and disagree with this claim, I agree because I have prayed and asked god for myself if President Monson is a true prophet and I feel that my prayers have been answered in a way to confirms to myself that he is a true prophet, Believing this, I am willing to follow his counsel, I dont' think in that way that I am "Blindly" following the Prophet. "If I believe that the Prophet is a true Prophet of God, and I disregard his counsel, what does that say about my belief in God?" ... I couldn't have said it better myself.
I think a 3rd thing that differs is the fact that we as Mormons believe in a book of scripture called "The Book of Mormon" -Hence the nickname "Mormon", This book is another testament of Jesus Christ, We use it as a companionship with the Holy Bible, This book of scripture is a compilation and history of the people in the America's and thier teachings of Christ from ancient scripture. I mention this briefly because it was so briefly mentioned in the article and I think its another thing that makes us stand out, Just as we do with the Prophet, We are asked to pray and ask if this is also a true book of scripture.
Overall, As I stated earlier, This article was very well written. I should point out that the Mormon Church DOES NOT OBJECT TO SAME SEX RIGHTS! A Statement released by LDS Church leaders said this: "Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong. The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches."
In my own opinion, One of the major reasons for Mormons standing up and campaigning for Prop 8 has several reasons, One being the chance that the Church could lose it's tax exempt status if it refused to perform gay marriages. (This is not contained to just the Mormon's, All Church's are Tax Exempt.) I have several Gay friends, and I would never in a million years hope to offend or push my beliefs on them. I just wanted to put my two cents worth in with this article.
Again, This blog isn't about Religion, or Politics, Its about my daily life and the things that I encounter, It is intended to be mostly Humorous and Stories from my life in EMS. However, If you want to learn more about the Mormon Church, Feel free to contact me and I'll send you more free information,
Time Magazine, June 22, 2009 Issue. www.time.com/mormons
Well said. So many misunderstand the Mormon church's stance on hot issues like Prop 8. Sometimes it is that the views of an outspoken Mormon minority come to represent those of the whole, others times it is simply the media twisting things for a reaction. Any person interested in learning about the official stance of the Mormon church should check only the official sources www.lds.org, The Ensign, and other official church publications.
ReplyDeleteI agree man, As I stated though: This article was well written by a person who obviously is not a member of the Mormon Church, But it appears to me as though he did his research.
ReplyDeleteI too saw a similar article, I can't recall where. But Prop 8 would not have altered the tax exempt status of any house of worship.
ReplyDeleteAny house may still refuse services they provide for profit (hall rental, staff) for any reason. Just as if I asked to be wed at a mosque or Jewish temple without being of their faith.
Prop 8 would not have changed that. It is that misunderstanding that led to it being defeated.
Imagine if someone suggested that left handed people should not be married and the law passed. Could your temple refuse to marry a left handed person?
I very much respect the way you openly explain your faith here in this forum. Of the world religions I believe Mormons are one of the most "misunderstood" by lay persons.
HM
Happy: Thanks for reading. Certainly "Mormons" follow any legal law and are bound to the common laws of the State and Country where they reside.. Its a touchy subject for sure, I would have to agree that there is certainly more than a "Tax Exempt" status that made so many mormon's want to participate. I also think its a moral issue, Unfortunately, I think that often times "The World" see's this as a "Civil Rights" issue, and Mormons as well as many other Christian Faiths see this as a "Moral" issue, and looking at it from those two completely different points of view, I don't see that these two sides will ever agree.. Personally, I'd like to see them receive "Rights". Thanks again for commenting!
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