Proposition 8 And The LDS Church

It has been a long and difficult week my friends. Loaded with trials, tribulations, and assorted gibberish that pushed the levels on mental exhaustion. As such, I couldn't think of anything to write, leaving the ol' blog dry and neglected for a whole week. This has been very frustrating, considering that there has been a great deal of things to write about lately. Interesting occurrences have been firing off all around me, just begging for my gentle sense of literary finesse.

Things like, oh gee, I don't know........an all out assault on the Mormon church perhaps?

Apparently, LDS facilities have been the targets of vandalism, protests, and the occasional bomb threat. And all because of a little thing known as Proposition 8. A California supreme court ruling which had the power to reverse same sex marriages being accepted as legal. Imagine, a law two states away from my little corner of the world, has created hostility and a small amount of pandemonium. You see, the LDS church helped built support, and finance the campaign to have Proposition 8 approved. This has made them somewhat unpopular with those individuals who wanted nothing more than to see the continuation of legal same sex marriages.

This is my backyard people. The place where I work and live. I call Utah home, and the Mormons my neighbors. And to watch the assaults and the tensions rise between people, all because of something that is happening in another state? Well, it's something I can be silent about no longer.

So to those of you who have attacked the church. You individuals who have committed physical acts on the institutions of the religious majority in this state, those who have spoken with harsh tongue and harsher action on all that is LDS, I have but one thing to say to you.....

Have at 'em.

Go ahead and teach them a lesson. Show them how pissed off you are, I don't mind a bit.

Now, don't walk away from this thinking that I personally endorse property damage, or that I am a fan of frightening innocent people with violence, whether it be active or implied. Aside from my outspoken tendencies, I'm a big advocate of peaceful leaving. But, given the circumstances, and the clearly blunt statement that the LDS church has taken with regards to the legality of homosexual marriage, well I'm all in favor of the current spectacle.

For those who don't call Utah their homes, and really don't deal with the Mormon society on a day- to-day basis, let me explain a little something to you. The LDS community thrives on gossip, and the sticking of noses in other people's business. The religious docterine encourages the flock to meddle in the lives of one's friends and neighbors, in order to keep them on the right track. It is through fear of being discussed, that people lead more righeous and wholesome lives. And If you are caught doing something wrong, then it is a sure bet that everyone will learn about it. You would not be a good Mormon if you didn't tattle to everyone on the block.

Those of us who live here have learned how to grudgingly adapt. This is a trying thing, particularly when you're as guarded with your personal life as I am. Every day, I step into an environment, where people want to know stuff. And they will take anything. How well I slept, what I really think of certain people, or what things make me weep into my wee little pillow at night. They'll take all of it, and eventually spread it around. It's how the circle works, and one learns how to protect their vital information while continuing their residence in this state.

It is this quirk of the Mormon church that has them in the pickle they're in right now. What goes on in California has precious little effect here. And yet, they decided to throw in their weight and money on an issue that is irrellevant in the lives of the average Utah person. And while I can accept that this kind of meddling is going to happen to me because I chose to live here, I think them Mormons may have gone a little too far.

First off, I'm of the thinking that I needn't give too much of a fuck about what gay people do. Homosexual men and women are going to be engaging the world and forming relationships, whether I leave the house or not. And unless I happen to know these people personally, and am actively involved in their lives, it doesn't seem to have any effect on me.

Does it bother me that a gay person can walk into a church with another gay person and marry them? Absolutely not. Because as far as I know, the whole purpose of a wedding ceremony is to tell God that, "I love this person, and I'm gonna be with them for the rest of my life." Thick or thin, better or worse, and all that jazz. And I'm pretty damn confident that a gay person takes their wedding vows just as seriously as a straight person. In fact, if I look at the statistics for divorce in this country, I would dare say that a gay person might take them even more seriously. So, if you're talking to the highest authority and saying you're gonna spend every day with the same person until you grow old and die, well shit. You've got my support.

Naturally, a better-than-thou religion like Mormonism doesn't have this philosophy. Fair enough, it's not for everyone I suppose. But there are things that they need to consider.

First, Utah isn't California, it's Utah. And as such, what goes on in California, really shouldn't be any of our fucking business. California runs on a level of ethnic diversity and socio-economics that we can't even begin to comprehend in this part of the world. Face it Utah, we're in a hick town. Oh sure, we've got culture, we've got some spunk, but we're still not much more than Wilford Brimley and Beef commercials. Perhaps if this tidbit of information was acknowledged, then maybe they would know better than to get involved in the matters of some state that is far grander, and more intense than us, simply because the black and white of things is not agreed with.

Secondly, Utah has a pretty healthy gay population of it's own. It's not discussed much, but we all know it's out there. And while I don't expect the church to be setting up social events inviting the homosexual world to come over for bland food and choruses of Cumbaya, I'd say that it needs to be acknowledged that they are out there. I acknowledge it daily, and you know what? I'm a happier person for it. At the very least, acknowledging that they exist might have kept this whole shit storm from happening.

So to you pissed off supporters of gay rights, I tell you to keep protesting. Continue to make noise, spray a little paint, and remind this state that you exist. As long as people aren't getting hurt, I'm all cool with it.

And yes, I said don't hurt people. Because while the believers and the supporters of the ideology that homosexuals do not deserve eternal matrimony are clearly in the wrong, they are still our neighbors. And when we start to wound and scar them, we only do that damage to ourselves. Windows can be replace, buildings can be repainted, but lives are not mended so easily. And the minute we start strongarming them, is the minute we lose our credibility.

So, rebels and supporters, go out there and vent some steam. Make your point, and then go home. Your voices are still needed, and the hard part is yet to come.