Y'all knew I couldn't TOTALLY let this topic slide on my blog. It has torn me up and made me question a lot. Trying times are meant to do that, methinks. I simply can't ignore it. It's too significant, too far-reaching in its implications. I can't chalk this one up to political humdrummery or lazily shrug it off. It's a big deal. It makes me wonder where moral legislation begins and ends. It makes me challenge my own notions of constitutional rights, freedom, discrimination. It makes me wonder how we'll see it in 30 years. It makes me question what laws I support that I have little sociopolitical or legal defense for but which I support for primarily moral reasons and whether I am willing to stand those up against my own reservations regarding Prop 8. Regardless of the outcome in California, life will go on. But this issue will also likely become national. Now is the time to gain an understanding of the issue, not when it is staring me in the face from the ballot. So I've been quietly reading, commenting, mulling it all over.
Following is a list of some resources I've found most helpful in understanding both sides of the issue, particularly from an LDS perspective. While I am wary of the risk of pushing our country in the direction of majority moral tyranny, I also appreciate the desire to protect what is sacred and prevent constitutional protection from becoming a shield for moral degradation. I guess it comes down to what you believe is most sacred and what constitutes degradation.
For now, I'm still developing my opinions on the idea of amending the constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual relationship, which has never been done before but which supporters argue is only because it was implied and understood.
Instead of writing a whole new essay right now, I'm going to post discussions I've had with various people that I think have most helped me draw out the crux of the thing politically, spiritually, and emotionally. I'll do so in a series of posts. Most of you won't have the patience to wade through it all, but that's OK. Blogs aren't really for the readers anyway, right? *wink*
Addendum (2008-11-04) - I am disallowing comments on my Prop 8 posts. I'm sick of the debate, and I posted these the way I did because I'd rather show what debates I've had than engage in more right now. Just believe what you will about the prop, vote how you will, and maybe we can come back to this discussion later, but for now (and I apologize to the two of you whose comments I rejected from different camps) this is not an open discussion, thus sayeth O-Mo, king and grand dictator of this blog. Amen.
Some background:
Protect Marriage - Pro Prop 8 site
Vote No on Prop 8 - Anti Prop 8 site
Mormons For Marriage - active and ex-LDS against Prop 8
Official Church Position - from Church newsroom
Preserving Marriage - church owned web site with videos and resources supporting Prop 8
Rebuttal to "Six Consequences if Prop 8 Fails - by Morris Thurston, complete with rebuttal of rebuttal of rebuttal
Rebuttal to Thurston's "Commentary" - by Kurtis Kearl?
Additional background on a more fundamental level:
Merriam Webster's definition of marriage
Wikipedia Article on Marriage
Wikipedia Article on Fundamental Rights
News Stories And Editorials I Found Particularly Interesting:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96032318
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-honeymoons-over-for-gay-newlyweds-as-mormons-lead-revolt-965469.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-jacobs/do-mormons-deserve-equal_b_136392.html
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10797630
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/mormons-vs-civi.html
http://newnewsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/69741
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-prop8-2-2008nov02,0,5926932.story
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/27/BAP113OIRD.DTL&tsp=1
http://www.sltrib.com/columnists/ci_10809759?source=email
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/2/25/93416.shtml
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gaymarriage6-2008nov06,0,2331815.story
Interesting Blog Entries/Discussions:
http://mormoninthecloset.blogspot.com/2008/10/follow-prophet.html
http://mormoninthecloset.blogspot.com/2008/10/forbidden-fruit-and-opposition-in-all.html
http://smurfyourself.blogspot.com/2008/10/k-time-for-some-joseph-smith.html
http://smurfyourself.blogspot.com/2008/10/preparation-h.html
http://ldslights.org/?p=398
http://ldslights.org/?p=405
http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/orson_scott_card/?id=4740
Very Interesting Forum on Facebook:
Fair and Balanced Forum for All to Speak on Prop 8
Church Statement:
The Church's Response to the Passage of Prop 8
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