Tonight I attended a conference hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's topic was the protection of the institution of the family, and its importance to the world. The impetus for such an event was the recent call for a redefinition of marriage in California, entitled Proposition 8.
If such a proposition were passed, it would allow people of the same gender to be married and given equal protection under the law as any other marriage. To be short, it would upset the very foundation upon which the traditional society rests, and it would escalate into various forms of pro-same-sex marriage teachings and initiatives in schools and communities throughout California.
As one who one day wishes to return to California to live for part or all of the remainder of life (my wife permitting =) ), I hope that this state, instead of being a hotbed of anti-traditionalist tension and teaching, might remain a stalwart bastion of hope for all those who hold conservative family values. I would hope our whole nation would rethink its stance on same-sex marriage, and how we are to uphold our values if we give such a practice equal rights under the law.
All of this tension, and all of this redefining our values bespeaks a larger push by the enemy of all mankind, even Satan, to disrupt our lives and make it harder for God's good grace to shine down upon us. In the final day, it will be us who will be held responsible for the errant ways of many in California and elsewhere if we do not do all we can to support traditional marriage and family roles. It will be our own children who will suffer for this.
