Northern Lights

The last few weeks have been a firestorm of discussion around gays and marriage, particularly, since the California Supreme Court ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and ordered that same-sex couples who wished to marry could do so within 30 days of the ruling. Discussion picked up even more, however, when the Church announced it’s support of a November ballot initiative to amend the California constitution.

The following are from among the barrage of blog discussions that have been going on in the Bloggernacle, or among others as they pertain to Latter-day Saints:

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I read a statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith recently that very much resonated with me: “All I want,” he said, “is to get the simple, naked truth, and the whole truth.” He loved Truth. And whether it came by reason or revelation, he wanted it—and he wanted others to want it. To have it. To treasure it. Proclaiming the dawning of a new dispensation, he announced the re-opening of the heavens and with it a cloudburst of new revelation. He also believed that this deluge of knowledge was not just for the him, but for all the Saints. “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph,” he taught, “but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them.”

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Recently a cancer patient who was preparing to go to prom asked me how drinking alcohol would interact with her therapy.  When I deferred to my attending, I was surprised to hear him refuse to provide any information other than a stern warning that drinking is illegal for her.  Period.  It’s the same as the abstinence only versus comprehensive sex education battle.

I have always come down on the side of providing full information to people so they can make informed decisions for themselves—for better or worse.

So, I wanted to post something here about the rising incidence of HIV among men who have sex with men.

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In one of my recent posts, I mentioned John Hall’s New Testament translation of 1 John 2:1-3 regarding our call to “stand watch as a sentry awaiting [the Lord’s] every instruction,” if we are to know Him. One a different note, but with a related sub-theme, I’ve been interested recently in reading experiences of those who have had “other world” glimpses, either through visionary or near-death experiences (there are several insights I find interesting and may post on in the upcoming days).

In one of the most well-known experiences, a woman named Elane Durham wrote concerning a question she asked of the the spirit teacher/guide who was leading her through her “other world” experience. Though now a Latter-day Saint, she wasn’t LDS at the time of her experience and it was quite a few years later before she became familiar with and joined the Church. Her intro states that she was raised in a fundamentalist Christian church, with several people in her immediate and extended family being ministers, but that she later became interested in other religious traditions, including Methodism, Presbyterianism, Catholicism, and Judaism. Later in her narrative, she states some of the things that eventually guided her to the Church. She wrote:

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Update: When I started writing this, -L- had not yet posted his thoughts and question on the same topic. Somehow, the lad snuck in his post before I got mine up. 

It’s fairly old news now, but last month the California Supreme Court ruled that a state marriage ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The ruling overturned both a 1977 state law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman and Proposition 22, a ballot measure affirming the law that was approved by 61 percent of California voters in 2000. The Church responded to that ruling, stating:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes that same-sex marriage can be an emotional and divisive issue. However, the Church teaches that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is the basic unit of society. Yesterday’s California Supreme Court decision is unfortunate.

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I’ve read in several news outlets that a letter will be read in California next Sunday asking for activism from members in opposing gay marriage through a constitutional amendment.  A church spokesperson would say only that the reasons were explained within the letter itself.  The letter says (among other things):

The Church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal.  Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His children.  Children are entitled to be born within this bond of marriage.

I have a feeling my question is something Borealis may already have written about on previous occasions and it just flew over my head.  Why are the unequivocal moral issues relevant to the issue of best governance?  I realize there’s a lot of philosophy wrapped up in that topic, and I read a couple articles today that inform the topic.  Does the church oppose marriage in order to block adoption rights?  Is it really about children?  The wording here makes it sound as if the topic should be a lot clearer to me than it is.

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I have complained before about how the press seems uninterested in following up with all the happy gay couples they depict on the courthouse steps. So I was gratified to read this article in the New York Times, titled “Gay Couples Find Marriage Is a Mixed Bag”

I haven’t seen any studies on the effect of gay marriage in Massachusetts, either on the couples themselves or its larger effect on families and children; it’s probably too early for that yet anyway. So we will have to make do with anecdotal surveys like the New York Times‘ article.

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I recently attended another meeting for organized medicine.  I’m not a member of the American Psychiatric Association, so I don’t attend their meetings, but GLBT concerns are often discussed in other concerned organizations.  The pediatric group (AAP) has some of the most progressive policy on homosexuality, including support for gay marriage as it has potential health care access consequences for gay families.   The American Medical Association recently discussed this same issue.

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See this LA Times article about a Kern County Clerk who has decided to stop all civil weddings in her county, not-so-cooincidentally on the day before the gay marriage decision takes effect.

Compare and contrast this media coverage to what happened when Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco, decided to illegally issue marriage licenses to gay couples a few years ago. Or when clerks in Sandoval, New Mexico, New Palz, New York, and Multnomah County, Oregon followed suit.

There is an argument some libertarians are making that the government should get out of the marriage business altogether. Are we moving toward this eventuality?

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