Enduring Til the End

I ran into this website called Signing For Something, giving people an outlet for resigning their LDS membership on this issue of Prop 8 and this is all I have to say about it.

Good riddance.

People have every right to do whatever they want. The church is a huge proponent for Freedom of Choice, which includes the freedom to live as you want. Anyway, I wrote a letter. Since it probably won't get posted, here is my statement to these people. This is strictly from an LDS point of view, and is directed to people of my faith. If you are not LDS, then this probably won't have the same impact.

There is a saying, endure to the end. Anybody who has a testimony of the Church knows that we are in the final days. The church is well known for our peculiar ways and high moral standards.

This is strictly a moral issue for the church. If you believe the church is wrong in this, then you need to leave. You may have a testimony of Jesus Christ but your testimony of the church does not exist, because if it did, you would know that President Monson is a Prophet of the Church and speaks for God. If you believe that, you would know he is speaking on behalf of God's will. If you cannot endure to the end, in the light of all that is occurring in the world, knowing what is coming, leave.

Whatever you feel about your gay brothers and sisters, you can still love them without supporting their lifestyle. The church cannot and will not condone this lifestyle. But it doesn't promote hate. It promotes standing for your convictions.

You may have your own opinion on this issue, that is your freedom of choice. The church urged members to get involved but it was not mandated. Truthfully, I didn't care one way or the other, if it happened, it happened. But with the hate and anger from the Anti-8 mob directed towards the church because its members utilized their constitutional rights and freedom of speech in a lawful manner, including McCarthyistic boycotts against people who donated their money to this cause, threatening to burn down religious buidings, shouting hate slurs towards people who disagree with them, made me realize I could not stand by passively and watch this happen. I've gotten involved in helping others understand where the church was in coming from this, and trying to help educate those that disagree that we are merely another point of view on a hotly debated topic. This was brought up for public debate, and 52% of the voting population of California passed it.

The rage is not on the pro-Prop 8 side of this issue. If it had failed, a large majority of people would have gotten on with their lives with a few fringe groups on the right continuing to protest. However, the anger and tantrums of those on the anti-prop 8 side have made me realize what we are dealing with. We are in the final days.

Are you going to endure until the end?

Whether you agree with my sentiment or not, its interesting to me that in the last three weeks, I have been more active in my faith then I have been in years. This issue has only been part of the reason.