Its not what you think

I need to vent. I'm so tired of all the junk going on right now because Prop. 8 passed. I'm so tired of being labeled as hateful, bigot, discriminatory, or any other false accusation. I'm tired of the LDS church as a whole being attacked because it exercised its right to stand up for what it believes. I'm disgusted that individuals are being attacked for their political and moral views. Prop. 8 was/is never about hate. I don't hate homosexuals (is this the pc term or should I just use gay?). I could care less what sexual orientation they choose to practice in their personal lives. But when you try to redefine society by redefining marriage I have to object. But do I stand outside your home or business and call you names and try to defame you? No. Do I write letters to your boss complaining about your personal contributions to causes you support and ask you be fired? No. I get that you are upset. I completely understand you voicing that opinion but your "dishonor list" is going too far. I drove by our Newport Beach temple on Sunday to take a look at the protestors there. They had some pretty catchy signs, like "Hate the Mormon Bigotry, Love the Mormon Bigot" or "Jesus Said Love Everyone Bi*ches" or "Did you just cast the first stone?" Or this one here. But I think this one is my favorite here. This woman is so very brave and I wish I would have known about her because I would have applauded her or shown some kind of support. Way to go!! Here's a good quote from Elton John that I got from an email sent to me by the Prop. 8 coalition. Elton John: Heterosexual Couples Have Marriage, Same-Sex Couples Have Civil Partnerships USA Today published an article yesterday in which Sir Elton John spoke about his position on Proposition 8. John clarified his position on Prop 8 while attending the annual benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. He was accompanied by his longtime partner David Furnish, whom he joined in a civil union in 2005. John was quoted as saying, "We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage." John went on to emphasize that civil unions grant same-sex couples the same rights afforded to married heterosexual couples. He stated, "I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership…the word marriage, I think, puts a lot of people off. You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships." Last but not least, when everyone seems against us its nice to read about people who've got "our backs." SACRAMENTO 7 November 2008 (This news release was issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento) The following statement was released today by Bishop William Weigand, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and former Bishop of Salt Lake City, in response to attacks on (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) for supporting California’s Proposition 8, defending the traditional definition of marriage: “Catholics stand in solidarity with our Mormon brothers and sisters in support of traditional marriage — the union of one man and one woman — that has been the major building block of Western Civilization for millennia. “The ProtectMarriage coalition, which led the successful campaign to pass Proposition 8, was an historic alliance of people from every faith and ethnicity. LDS were included — but so were Catholics and Jews, Evangelicals and Orthodox, African-Americans and Latinos, Asians and Anglos. “Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8. “As the former bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, I can attest to the fact that followers of the Mormon faith are a good and generous people with a long history of commitment to family and giving to community causes. “I personally decry the bigotry recently exhibited towards the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — coming from the opponents of Proposition 8, who ironically, have called those of us supporting traditional marriage intolerant. “I call upon the supporters of same-sex marriage to live by their own words — and to refrain from discrimination against religion and to exercise tolerance for those who differ from them. I call upon them to accept the will of the people of California in the passage of Proposition 8.” SOURCE: Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento