Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A two way street

A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance toward those of differing beliefs. The predominant usage in modern English refers to persons hostile to those of differing race, ethnicity, religion or spirituality…

 

Dear Facebook friend who posts provocative statuses and who shall remain anonymous:

This is a shot in the dark but, I’m guessing you might be so angry about opponents to gay marriage because you are secretly gay. Just so you know, if you are a closet homosexual I would not care. If you wanted to get married to a guy in New York, I would not care.

If you want to know the truth, I am happy for my other friend who lives in New York who is overjoyed at the prospect of being able to be married now…and for other friends of mine who would like to seal the deal legally but have not been able to…honestly happy for them…

I’ve been in countries where parents kill their children for being gay, such as Ethiopia…

I think that’s more sinister, obviously, than gay marriage.

***

The LDS Church has gotten a lot of flak about its stance on Proposition 8.

Personally, I find the published statement “marriage is defined as between one man and one woman” ironic since historically we are the only ones who have practiced nontraditional marriage in the US (one man married to many women), illegally to boot.

So I understand if you disagree with the traditional definition that one man and one woman makes a marriage, but…

Responding to perceived bigotry with hatred doesn’t really solve anything, does it?

I’m LDS and I would support your decision to be gay.

I’m not so sure you could say the reverse. (I’m gay and I support your decision to be LDS.)

Respectful dialogue is needed by both parties on sensitive issues.

Bigotry can be a two way street.

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

7 comments:

Laura H. said...

Well said!

oh said...

Something I just read--
"This new modern tolerance is often a one-way street. Those who practice it expect everyone to tolerate them in anything they say or do, but show no tolerance themselves toward those who express differing viewpoints or defend traditional morality. Indeed, their intolerance is often most barbed toward those of religious conviction. But let there be no misunderstanding or deception: the First Amendment right of free speech applies to religious speech as well as to other kinds of speech. Believers of all faiths have every right to participate in and share their convictions in the public arena." (Bruce D. Porter, BYU conference talk, March 5, 2010 )

Laura A. said...

Sometimes I feel like you have to be homophobic to live in Utah County. Some of the things people get away with saying around here make me want to scream!

And in doing research, I found out that Congress did not make polygamy illegal until 1862, and the law was made to target Mormons, hmm.

Laura A. said...

Oh, and we were far from the only ones who practiced non-traditional marriage in the U.S. There have been records of people in the South practicing it after the Civil War, and there were some "mountain men" who practiced it. It's just that we're the more famous and targeted ones ;)

Jacob and Kalli Hiller said...

Eliza Ann Young, one of Brigham Young's disenchanted wives, was a major reason polygamy became illegal in the US--she made her career with speaking engagements around the US and she testified against the practice in Congress. Personally I'm very grateful to her :) I would not want to share my husband. Even after it became illegal, it was continued to be practiced into the 1900s by many active LDS, including my own ancestors.
There may have been small cases of irregular marriage practiced here and there, but the LDS groups have been by far the largest and most organized, as far as I know. I'd be interested in the Civil War polygamy though, I'll have to check that out.

Jacob and Kalli Hiller said...

Ann Eliza Young, that is.

Laura said...

I'm glad that polygamy is illegal too; I don't like the idea of sharing my husband. I am also descended from a few polygamists, some famous ones even.

However, I can't help but wonder if the polygamists will lobby for legal rights to marriage if gay marriage is recognized in all states. I do realize that it's a slippery slop argument, but it's something that keeps crossing my mind.

Although in some ways, they might as well make it legal again. There are plenty of polygamists (esp. here in Utah) who don't get in legal trouble for it. It's just the ones like Warren Jeffs who promote underaged marriage.

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