Over four years ago, on June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court dictated in a 5–4 decision that same-sex marriages be granted and recognized in all states, defying an overwhelming majority of the country's citizens who had previously voted to uphold the traditional concept of marriage. Yesterday, for the first time, I read the full 103-page court summary on this decision and its dissenting opinions. It is laborious, studious stuff, full of legal interpretation and precedential citings but in spite of the written jargon or maybe even because of the lengthy reasoning described, I came away from that experience even more convicted in my belief that no man or woman has the right to redefine marriage, an institution which dissenting Justice Roberts wrote, "has formed the basis of human society for millennia, for the Kalahari Bushmen and the Han Chinese, the Carthaginians and the Aztecs." I believe its divine roots in our society date even further back to the very first marriage of Adam and Eve.
The five Justice's who favored this dangerous redefining of marriage have alleged that their decision was a bestowal of liberty upon the 20 claimants of the lawsuit and all who are like-minded. However, dissenting Justice Clarence Thomas firmly reminds us that "Our Constitution—like the Declaration of Independence before it—was predicated on a simple truth: One’s liberty, not to mention one’s dignity, was something to be shielded from—not provided by—the State." (Obergefell v. Hodges, 2014, Thomas, Scalia Dissenting, p. 84).
Almost a year previous to this court judgment, Russel M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stated this theological doctrine clearly. "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-quoted bloggers or by pundits. It was not created by lobbyists. Marriage was created by God!" (Nelson, Russell M., 2014, Disciples of Jesus Christ--Defenders of Marriage).
As such, not only is this divine institution of marriage at stake but the religious freedom of every American citizen as well. Alexander Dushku, a civil liberties lawyer, anticipates that maintaining these rights will "depend...on people like you and me. If supporters of traditional marriage retreat, if they are intimidated into silence, if they give up trying to find the right words and arguments to defend their beliefs, if they do not stand up as living examples of the goodness of their beliefs, and if people of goodwill do not stand up for the rights of others to descent in good faith and yet still be numbered among us as our fellow citizens, neighbors, colleagues, and friends, then the Supreme Courts gay marriage decision will indeed become a disaster for religious liberty. But, if those who support traditional marriage are indeed examples of what is highest and best about their beliefs, if they... refuse to be silenced, if they find ways to explain and persuade with reason as well as kindness, meekness, and love, and if they cheerfully but resolutely endure the indignities that will indeed be visited upon them without bitterness asking only for toleration and understanding for their basic rights as Americans, then I believe that ultimately the great goodness and decency of the American people will rise up and our culture and law will carve out and protect enough spaces so that people of faith and their institutions who maintain traditional beliefs about marriage, family and sexuality can participate fully in all aspects of American life." (Dushku, Alexander, 2015, Religious Freedom Conference, BYU).
So what are we to do, those of us who in our Christian faith still hold to the incontrovertible truth that the only union which can be accurately characterized as marriage, still exists, between a man and a woman? Though we must abide by the laws of the land, we cannot conscientiously make concession for any other definition, so it is our solemn duty to stand up and speak boldly for the right to disagree and retain the religious liberty to live within our own moral guidelines. As Cathy Ruse profoundly reminded us at the World Congress of Families conference in October of 2015, "Our enemy in this fight is not our neighbor, not even 1.6% of our neighbors who identify themselves as gay. No. Our enemy is those who would be our masters. The judge who jails a clerk for failing to give her signature. The magistrate who takes the house of a baker for want of a cake. These are our enemies in the fight ahead." (Cathy Ruse remarks, World Congress of Families IX). It is vital that we recognize this and show kindness, compassion, and love to those who believe differently from ourselves and offer others the same "privilege of worshiping...according to the dictates of [their] own conscience, ... " (Articles of Faith 1:11) that we claim for ourselves. I believe that we are all children of God (thus brothers and sisters) and as such have the unalienable right to make our own choices. We each deserve respect. However, as children, we do not, any of us, have the right to alter divine doctrine. Dallin H. Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court Justice, and current counselor in the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has warned, "Even as we seek to be meek and to avoid contention, we must not compromise or dilute our commitment to the truths we understand. We must not surrender our positions or our values. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the covenants we have made inevitably cast us as combatants in the eternal contest between truth and error. There is no middle ground in that contest.” (Loving Others and Living with Differences, Dallin H. Oaks))
With that in mind, I here add my personal conviction, to the powerful prose of others, that "gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. ...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." (Hinckley, Gordon B., 1995, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, General Relief Society Meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). These roles and relationships in their original form are crucial to our civilization. I know the boat is not easy to row but we cannot rebuild it to our own specifications because it is not ours to alter. We must trust that as we take hold of the oars in all their authenticity that our marital muscles will be magnified and we will have the power to "row well and live." (Quintus Arrius, Ben Hur, 1955)
So what are we to do, those of us who in our Christian faith still hold to the incontrovertible truth that the only union which can be accurately characterized as marriage, still exists, between a man and a woman? Though we must abide by the laws of the land, we cannot conscientiously make concession for any other definition, so it is our solemn duty to stand up and speak boldly for the right to disagree and retain the religious liberty to live within our own moral guidelines. As Cathy Ruse profoundly reminded us at the World Congress of Families conference in October of 2015, "Our enemy in this fight is not our neighbor, not even 1.6% of our neighbors who identify themselves as gay. No. Our enemy is those who would be our masters. The judge who jails a clerk for failing to give her signature. The magistrate who takes the house of a baker for want of a cake. These are our enemies in the fight ahead." (Cathy Ruse remarks, World Congress of Families IX). It is vital that we recognize this and show kindness, compassion, and love to those who believe differently from ourselves and offer others the same "privilege of worshiping...according to the dictates of [their] own conscience, ... " (Articles of Faith 1:11) that we claim for ourselves. I believe that we are all children of God (thus brothers and sisters) and as such have the unalienable right to make our own choices. We each deserve respect. However, as children, we do not, any of us, have the right to alter divine doctrine. Dallin H. Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court Justice, and current counselor in the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has warned, "Even as we seek to be meek and to avoid contention, we must not compromise or dilute our commitment to the truths we understand. We must not surrender our positions or our values. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the covenants we have made inevitably cast us as combatants in the eternal contest between truth and error. There is no middle ground in that contest.” (Loving Others and Living with Differences, Dallin H. Oaks))
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| Enjoying time together at the Logan, UT temple - 2016 |
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