Morgan's Version of Peekaboo

Morgan really likes it when we do Peekaboo with her. In fact she has started to do it back.

My Thoughts On Prop 8

Are first week at church in California a letter was read regarding Prop 8 that asked the members in California to vote yes on Prop 8 and to give of their time and money in efforts to make it pass.

For anybody that is interested, here are some of the thoughts that I have had regarding it.

In the words of Ezra Taft Benson “I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed his stamp of approval on the Constitution of this land.” As the Lord himself stated "I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose" (D&C 101:80)

I do believe that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights,” and that governments are instituted “to secure these Rights.” This inspired Constitution was established to provide a practical guarantee of these God-given rights.

Marriage is a privilege, not a right in the Constitution. Since it is a privilege, society has every right to set limits. We already have societal limits governing what is acceptable as far as marriage goes, such as marriage is between 2 people, related persons cannot marry each other, age limits on parties entering into marriage. Freedom does NOT mean an unlimited right to do anything we want, that is anarchy.

Those who enjoy the blessings of liberty under a divinely inspired constitution should promote morality, and they should practice what the Founding Fathers called “civic virtue.” In his address on the U.S. Constitution, President Ezra Taft Benson quoted this important observation by John Adams, the second president of the United States:

“The Constitution was designed to work with only a moral and righteous people. "Our constitution," said John Adams (first vice-president and second president of the United States), "was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other"

“We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said:

Even this Nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the constitution is upon the brink of ruin this people will be the Staff up[on] which the Nation shall lean and they shall bear the constitution away from the very verge of destruction.”

Will we be prepared? Will we be among those who will "bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction"? If we desire to be numbered among those who will, here are some things we must do:

President Benson’s advice

1. We must be righteous and moral. We must live the gospel principles--all of them. We have no right to expect a higher degree of morality from those who represent us than what we ourselves are.

2. We must learn the principles of the Constitution and then abide by its precepts. Have we read the Constitution and pondered it? Are we aware of its principles?

3. We must become involved in civic affairs. As citizens of this republic, we cannot do our duty and be idle spectators. It is vital that we follow this counsel from the Lord: "Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil" (D&C 98:10).

4. We must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, and our advice. We must be wisely informed and let others know how we feel. We must take part in local precinct meetings and select delegates who will truly represent our feelings.

I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. But it will not be saved in Washington. It will be saved by the citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church--men and women who will subscribe to and abide by the principles of the Constitution.

How will the Constitution be on the brink of ruin?

Although the constitution does not provide the right of marriage, the first amendment does state “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech”

Which brings me to my first reason that I voted Yes on Prop 8,

Why I am Yes on Prop 8

1) Protect our constitutional right of freedom of religion.

-Sweden pastor Ake Green, was sentenced a few years ago to a month in prison under Sweden’s law banning hate speech, because he gave a sermon denouncing homosexuality.

2) Protect what is taught to our children at school

-No on Marriage, a major backer of the No on Prop 8, was the sponsor of a required no parent opt-out exemption in Massachusetts. This exemption does NOT give the parents the right to have their own children out of the classroom when gender or sexual orientation is being discussed. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, the same rhetoric was used—this will have nothing to do with our schools and our kids.

-The California Teachers Association (CTA) donated over a million dollars to the No on Prop 8. How could anybody even begin to believe that they do not have intentions to bring these topics into the schools? They are activists, that money could have been put to a lot better use in the schools system.

I could go on but this is quite long enough. However I will leave one last thought. Major supporters of No on Prop 8 include Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg and other big names in Hollywood. The Prophet of God has directly asked members of the Church to support this proposition through their votes, their time, and money. Hmm, who’s should I side with, the Prophet or Hollywood?

Screams and Laughs

Screams



Laughs