Obergefell v. Hodges

2019 EDIT: A lot in my world has changed since I originally wrote this post. I no longer believe in the exclusive truth claims or prophetic authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I understand why communities and societies would push and teach a worldview where a literal God would give strict guidelines on sexual behavior and preferences. Sexuality is a powerful part of being human, and it can be scary for many of us. I currently believe that the ultimate and proper law of sex and sexual behavior is consent. Consent can be a difficult topic as well, but to me it's simpler and straightforward than trying to explain the existence and judgments of a heterosexual (or even gendered) God.

I still have a lot to process regarding the recent Supreme Court decision. A blog post I read today helps both sides understand the viewpoint of the other. Can we all really learn to get along?

Here is a famous poem by Alexander Pope:

“Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.”

To many of us, homosexuality is a perversion distasteful to think about. (To be fair, there is plenty of heterosexual behavior that is just as perverse and distasteful.) But in recent years, popular music and media have exposed us to gay and lesbian acts and imagery. We are becoming accustomed to it. Now that it is legally sanctioned by our highest court, we will be exposed to it more and more. But it’s not us adults I worry about—it’s our curious and impressionable children. They are growing up in a world where gay, lesbian, and transgender lifestyles are not only permitted but celebrated. For some reason, mass media loves to follow whoever is pushing the envelope, titillating us consumers with the new, the strange, and the shocking. This has had and will go on to have more of an effect on the rising generation.

What should I do? Should I be afraid? I am concerned, but I think fear, hate, and anger will not help anything but rather make matters worse. Those of us who believe in God should trust in Him. We should follow the example of Jesus and be magnanimous. But we cannot compromise the principles He has taught. There is a reason Jesus said what He did in Luke 12:51-53. God calls us to walk a challenging line: to be in the world, but not be of the world. It is not easy, but we can learn to disagree without being disagreeable. We can hate the sin, without hating the sinner, but only if we remember that we are all sinners in our own ways. Although we like to rank ourselves as more righteous than others, in God’s eyes, we are all pretty much the same. We are all in equal need of His forgiveness and grace.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:

    "When [people] are not united in striving to keep the commandments of God, there will be divisions. We do all that we can to avoid impairing... relationships, but sometimes it happens after all we can do.
    "In the midst of such stress, we must endure the reality that the straying of our loved ones will detract from our happiness, but it should not detract from our love for one another or our patient efforts to be united in understanding God’s love and God’s laws.” (Source)

Thank you all for listening as I work these things out in my head.