Thank you for sharing your conversion story with me. In my church we invite everyone to come to Christ, and if they don't want to listen there is no bashing people over the head with a Bible (or Book of Mormon--which would hurt less since it's smaller, but still). Our 11th Article of Faith states, "We claim the priviledge to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow others the same privelidge, let them worship how, where or what they may." So tolerance is a part of our belief system. But we're not going to change what we believe just to fit in to society, and they shouldn't expect us to. We don't protest in a violent manner, and that we should be targeted like this by people who have been victims of such intolerance just doesn't make sense to me.
I really appreciate you doing the research to come up with the origins of the word "marriage". Now I don't have to ;) In my church, the policy can be summed up with this statement from the Proclimation on the Family, released to the world in 1995: "We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children" (full text can be found here: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e1fa5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=1aba862384d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0) Make no mistake; we have always believed this. The Leaders of our church felt inspired to make this proclamation as the issues surrounding families became increasingly muddy.
I will stand up for what I believe, even if it's not popular. I will not tell people they have to believe the same as me, although I will invite them to listen to what I have to say. To be fair, I will listen to them. But they should not mistake my willingness to listen as willingness to change my mind. They have no right to be upset if I still disagree with them. They have no right to follow me home and set up a picket line in my front yard--or if they do, I have the right to call the police. And the police should protect me just as much as they protect them.
Thank you for sharing your conversion story with me. In my church we invite everyone to come to Christ, and if they don't want to listen there is no bashing people over the head with a Bible (or Book of Mormon--which would hurt less since it's smaller, but still). Our 11th Article of Faith states, "We claim the priviledge to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow others the same privelidge, let them worship how, where or what they may." So tolerance is a part of our belief system. But we're not going to change what we believe just to fit in to society, and they shouldn't expect us to. We don't protest in a violent manner, and that we should be targeted like this by people who have been victims of such intolerance just doesn't make sense to me.
I really appreciate you doing the research to come up with the origins of the word "marriage". Now I don't have to ;) In my church, the policy can be summed up with this statement from the Proclimation on the Family, released to the world in 1995: "We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children" (full text can be found here: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e1fa5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=1aba862384d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0) Make no mistake; we have always believed this. The Leaders of our church felt inspired to make this proclamation as the issues surrounding families became increasingly muddy.
I will stand up for what I believe, even if it's not popular. I will not tell people they have to believe the same as me, although I will invite them to listen to what I have to say. To be fair, I will listen to them. But they should not mistake my willingness to listen as willingness to change my mind. They have no right to be upset if I still disagree with them. They have no right to follow me home and set up a picket line in my front yard--or if they do, I have the right to call the police. And the police should protect me just as much as they protect them.
Thanks for the discussion!
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