Week 3- Same-sex Marriage

“It takes a man and a woman to bring a child into the world. Mothers and fathers are not interchangeable. Men and women are distinct and complementary. Children deserve a chance to grow up with both a mom and a dad.”

-Russell M. Nelson

Same-sex marriage is a very touchy topic in this day and age. It’s one that can hurt a lot of feelings, and has caused a lot of people to feel upset and that the Church needs to “get with the times” or that we are being judgmental. That is not the case. 

In a talk Russell M. Nelson gave to BYU graduates he said, “God is the Father of all men and women. They are His children. It was he who ordained marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Marriage was not created by human judges or legislators. It was not created by think tanks or by popular vote or by oft-quotes bloggers or by pundits. It was not created by lobbyists. Marriage was created by God!” I love this quote because it really solidifies that marriage was created by God, it is his union and therefore man cannot change it. God has declared marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He then goes on to say, “Man simply cannot make moral what God has declared to be immoral. Sin, even if legalized by man, is still sin in the eyes of God.” We cannot begin to try and change the ways of God, and that is what is happening in the world.

I grew up in California, and when I was in high school Prop 8 was going on. This was a really hard thing for me, because although I knew it was right, I was one of the three members in my high school. To top it off I was on the same cheer leading team as a gay guy. One day as the car pool dropped me off they saw our many Prop 8 signs, I was given a pretty hard time for this and as a high school student I really didn’t know how to respond. But I made sure this guy knew that it didn’t change the way I thought about him, it wasn’t to hurt him, that he was still my friend, but that I simply thought marriage should be between a man and a woman.  Surprisingly he was understanding as were my other friends. As time has gone on I have seen this fight get worse and worse and uglier. I know my children will grow up in a much harsher world than I did and I just hope that I can teach them to love others, but to stand for the right.