Paul
Update on Perry v Schwarzenegger Case
Friends of Utah Voices,
I wanted to share with you this latest update from the Prop 8 campaign. Obviously, UtahVoices.com provides you bloggers from all sides of the political spectrum. This post shows my strong beliefs for keeping the traditional definition of marriage being between one man and one woman. Since it seems I have been the only blogger to share my opinions as of late you definitely are getting a one sided opinion. If you would rather read a post supporting gay marriage, I recommend Crystal’s post, A Liberal LDS Perspective on Prop 8.
I strongly believe that the institute of marriage has never been, and was never intended to be, merely the union of any two adults who have formed a strong emotional bond. Marriage has always been the way society ensures that every child, to the degree possible, is raised by his or her own mother and father. To destroy this bedrock foundation of marriage is to unravel the ties that bind society together across the generations. Andy Pugno makes this case eloquently in his remarks below. If we are to defend marriage we must understand why it exists, and Mr. Pugno is tremendously helpful in this regard. I hope you enjoy his comments.
Keep up the Fight,
Paul
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Dear Friends,
As you know, we are still in the thick of the Perry v Schwarzenegger trial. Both sides have submitted post-trial briefs to Chief Judge Vaughn Walker for his review. Closing arguments have yet to be scheduled.
Essentially, our post-trial submissions “connect the dots” between our legal arguments and the hard evidence we put forth during the three weeks of courtroom proceedings in January. This email will provide a snapshot of some of those arguments and evidence. Look for more discussion of our legal defense of traditional marriage in coming emails.
A primary foundation of our case is the history of the institution of marriage itself and the central role it has played for centuries in societies all across the globe. Historic marriage has its roots in pairing a man to a woman and has served as the foundation of the family and society as a whole. In fact, across societies, marriage has been defined in both law and language as a union between a man and a woman and acts as the predominate relationship in which to create and support children. As we have noted previously, and one of our expert witnesses spent a great deal of time addressing, the purpose of marriage through the ages has been and continues to be the “guarantee, insofar as possible, that each child is emotionally, morally, practically, and legally affiliated with the woman and the man whose sexual union brought the child into the world.”
And while it is true that the traditional model of marriage between a man and a woman has been disputed of late in the United States, a set of universal functions of marriage remains:
- Complementing nature with culture to ensure the reproductive cycle;
- Providing children with both a mother and a father whenever possible;
- Providing children with their biological parents whenever possible;
- Bringing men and women together for both practical and symbolic purposes; and,
- Providing men with a stake in family and society.
In addition, there are corresponding universal features of the institution of marriage, which include the following:
- High social and legal authority and attractive incentives supporting the institution;
- Maleness and femaleness;
- A definition of eligible partners;
- A public dimension;
- Encouragement of procreation under specific conditions;
- Mutual support between men and women and duties toward children; and
- An emphasis on complementary parental roles and relationships.
Simply put, to change the definition of marriage that has served California, the United States and every other country on Earth to include anything other than one man and one woman would result in such a profound change to the structure and public meaning of marriage as to severely damage society, possibly beyond repair.
As we indicate in our Findings of Fact court brief, “no society has established same-sex marriage as a cultural norm. Leading linguists, lawyers, philosophers, and social scientists have always understood marriage to be uniquely concerned with regulating naturally procreative relationships between men and women and providing for the nurture and care of the children who result from those relationships.”
This is precisely what we are fighting for, what your vote in favor of Proposition 8 was predicated upon, and what we need your support to help preserve. With your support we will continue to put our best legal minds to work throughout this arduous process.
We will continue to share with you, our partners in this epic battle, the core components of our legal case.
Sincerely,
Andy Pugno
General Counsel
Mandatory Political Testing
—Paul
Representative Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, on March 25, 2010 gave a bizarre concern about the island of Guam possibly tipping over (he used the word “capsize”) if any more U.S. troops were stationed on the island. Admiral Robert Willard, the head of U.S. Pacific Command who was testifying, paused briefly and offered a deadpan response: “We don’t anticipate that.”
Seriously, has anyone thought about requiring a mandatory testing for our politicians?!?! We have to take a drivers test to show that we are capable of driving a vehicle. I think being in the drivers seat of our country is much more serious and should require a test of competence. If failed, the island of Guam would have to take the politicians, and hopefully America might get lucky when Guam “capsizes” due to all the failed politicians stationed there!
http://forwardeverforward.com/vids/Hank-Johnson-Guam-Tip-Over.flvDoes Liberalism Equate to Socialism?
…it does for this Liberal
http://internetpaul.com/vids/InTheirOwnWords.flv—Paul
The Lord Will Always Warn His People
In 1978, the late Neal A. Maxwell (former Apostle in the Mormon Church) delivered a powerful and prophetic sermon at Brigham Young University concerning what he called “the secular church.”
In this talk he predicted the rise of irreligion as the new state religion and prophesied that the important moral issues of life, family, marriage and religious rights would become subjects of intense persecution by the Secular Church.
Although he does evoke a few examples from the Book of Mormon, Elder Maxwell’s talk is a message and a warning to people of all faiths.
Video collage and above content was created by Seth Adam Smith.
Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize
—by Paul Wilson
So, last night I posted this on facebook:
My wife, Lindsey, warned me that I was stirring an angry nest with this status, and in all honesty, I knew I was. Yet, I strongly believe in what I posted and it is apparent by the overwhelming response to my status that many disagree with me.
Regardless what my friends may think, I am not an evil plotting liberal/progressive. In fact, on most moral issues I stand in opposition with the liberals and Mr. Obama. Key issues as abortion and gay marriage make it impossible for me to ever be in that camp of belief.
So, why would I feel that Obama deserves the Nobel Prize? For me, my feelings on who should receive this distinguished award are independent of my political stance. I sincerely believe that the many people scoffing at the notion of Obama receiving this prestigious award, are basing their opinions on their political feelings. Many are not looking at what our President has accomplished in his short time in office.
My previous post highlights almost 80 acts of note worthy, Noble Peace Prize deserving, behavior—and that is only for nine months in 2009. It amazes me that people are willing to cast a blind eye to these achievements because they stand on opposites sides of the debate. For me this seems the underlying problem of America’s politics, we choose not to understand the other side or even be amiable to it.
With that all said, I do have to agree with my friend Katie (concerning both her statements 
) when she said:
I seriously felt awarding the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for “their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change,” was, well, um….interesting to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure “An Inconvenient Truth,” was probably an inspiring movie, but was it worth the highest award for peace?
This example could feasibly support my friend’s Katie’s assumption that the Nobel Peace Prize is more of a liberal platform. Understanding this, I can see why some may feel that Obama’s award was more political than anything. However, when deciding who should be the worthy recepitant of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize I have to ask the same question Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee, asked when he stated, “The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world. And who has done more than Barack Obama?”
Timeline of Obama’s Achievements for the Nobel Peace Prize
—Paul Wilson
With much of the uproar about President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, I thought I would highlight all the things that he has done which make him worthy of this award. The timeline starts when Obama took office and goes until the end of September, 2009. February 1st is the deadline for when nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize must be submitted. However, the committee actually doesn’t choose the winner until October.
JANUARY
January 20 – In one of his first official acts, President Obama enacts a pay freeze for Senior White House Staff making more than $100,000 per year, as well as announces stricter guidelines regarding lobbyists in an effort to raise the ethical standards of the White House.
January 21 – Obama revokes Executive Order 13233, which had been initiated by the Bush administration to limit access to the records of former presidents.
January 21 - Obama issues instructions to all agencies and departments in his administration to “adopt a presumption in favor” of Freedom of Information Act requests, reversing earlier policy set by former Attorney General John Ashcroft.
January 22 – President Obama signs an executive order announcing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp within a year, and signs a prohibition on using torture and other illegal coercive techniques, such as waterboarding, during interrogations and detentions, requiring the Army field manual to be used as a guide.
January 22 - Obama issues an executive order entitled “Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel,” governing the limitations on hiring of employees by the executive branch to qualified individuals only, and placing very tight restrictions on lobbying in the White House.
January 29 – Obama signs his first bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which promotes fair pay regardless of sex, race, or age.
FEBRUARY
February 4 – Obama signs the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 reauthorizing and expanding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
February 10 – President Obama temporarily halts a Bush midnight regulation that opens the Outer Continental Shelf to offshore drilling for oil and gas.
February 17 – Obama signs into law the $787 billion Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Denver, Colorado. The White House launches Recovery.gov to explain the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery.gov is the U.S. government’s official website providing easy access to data related to Recovery Act spending and allows for the reporting of potential fraud, waste, and abuse).
February 17 - President Obama approves a deployment of 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan (Yes, this should be considered. The American focus is no longer in Iraq, under false pretenses of weapons of mass destruction).
February 19 – Obama makes his first trip abroad as president to Ottawa, Canada, where he speaks with Prime Minister Stephen Harper about environmental issues, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and other US-Canadian relations.
February 25 – Obama cancels leases for oil shale development on 1,900,000 acres of federal land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
February 27 – Obama delivers a speech at Camp Lejeune on his plans for troop withdrawals from Iraq.
MARCH
March 2 – The White House pledges $900 million of humanitarian and development aid to the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
March 3 – Obama restores a provision of the Endangered Species Act requiring that federal agencies consult the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and/or the National Marine Fisheries Service before taking actions that could harm endangered species.
March 4 – Obama issues a memorandum limiting the possibility to grant no-bid contracts to private businesses.
March 9 – President Obama orders all executive officials to consult with the Attorney General before relying on any signing statement previously used to bypass a statute.
March 19 – Just before midnight Obama releases a video message to the Iranian people and government to coincide withNowrūz (Nowrūz, meaning “New Day,” is the traditional Iranian new year ceremony).
March 24 – Obama holds his second prime time press conference in the East Room of the White House, to discuss economic hardships, as well as the government’s intentions to solve the global economic crisis.
March 26 – Obama holds an online town hall at the White House, a historic first in American Presidential conveyance.
March 27 – Obama announces a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
March 30 – Obama signs the Omnibus Public Land Management Act into law.
APRIL
April 3 – Obama meets French President Nicolas Sarkozy and holds a town hall meeting with French and German students.
April 5 – Obama gives a thoughtful speech on nuclear proliferation disarmament to a public crowd in Prague. Earlier the North Korean government had launched a long-range multi-stage rocket.
April 7 – Obama finishes his trip in Istanbul, including a town hall meeting, and makes a surprise visit to Baghdad, Iraq (his first as president), where he meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
April 9 – In a presidential first, Obama hosts a White House Seder for the second night of Passover.
April 12 – Richard Phillips, captured by pirates in the Maersk Alabama hijacking, is freed by Navy Seals after Obama approves military action.
April 13 – Obama signs a presidential memorandum eliminating limits on Cuban-Americans governing family visits and remittances sent to the island.
April 16 – Four memos are released by the Obama administration on enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA on Al Qaeda suspects.
April 16-17 – President Obama states the US is a “full partner” with Mexico in its fight against the Mexican drug cartels.
April 21 – Obama signs the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law (the bill reauthorizes and expands the AmeriCorps program first established in 1993)
April 23 – Obama speaks at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony at the capitol sponsored by the National Holocaust Museum.
April 27 – Obama addresses the National Academy of Sciences and announces that more than 3 percent of the GDP will be devoted to research and development. He also announces a doubling of the budgets of NSF and NIST, and a goal of reducing carbon pollution by more than 80 percent by 2050.
MAY
May 5 – Obama meets with Israeli President Shimon Peres in the Oval Office of the White House to discuss the foreign affairs of Israel, the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis, and the prospects of a two-state solution.
May 6 - President Obama holds a summit with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at the White House.
May 16 – Jon Huntsman, Jr., the current Republican Governor of Utah, is named United States Ambassador to China by President Obama, to replace Clark T. Randt, Jr. of Connecticut (go Utah, oh yeah, nice partisan Obama).
May 18 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Obama and Sec. of State Clinton in Washington.
May 19 – President Obama announces plans to create new automobile fuel efficiency standards requiring cars, as well as light trucks to have an average of at least 35.5 miles per gallon, by 2016, in an attempt to curve emissions and reduce the United States’ contributions to global warming.
May 20 – The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act are signed into law by President Obama to help alleviate burdens caused by the economic financial crisis in the United States.[
May 22 – Obama signs the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act (an act that was created to reform the way the Pentagon contracts and purchases major weapons systems).
May 22 – Obama signs the Credit CARD Act into law, to reform legislation and aim “…to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan, and for other purposes.”
May 25 – President Obama continues the long standing tradition of the U.S. President sending a wreath to the Confederate Monument at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day and garners praise from Sons of Confederate Veterans Commander Chuck McMichael.
May 30 – Plans for a CyberSpace Czar to help prevent web crimes such as identity theft and other breaches of computer security networks are announced by the President.
May 31 – Obama denounces and condemns the killing of medical director and abortionist George Tiller, saying he was “shocked and outraged” by the assassination and death of Tiller.[
June
June 2 – President Obama holds a press conference announcing legislation honoring the achievements of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan.
June 3 – President Obama visits with King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia on his way to Cairo, Egypt to make a speech introducing himself to the Muslim world (I would love to see President Bush try this).
June 4 – President Barack Obama gives a speech in Cairo, Egypt, as a part of a worldwide attempt to repair the image of America around the world, a promise he made during his campaign for President of the United States. During the speech, Obama notably references the Bible, the Torah, the Qur’an, and other Muslim texts in his address to the more than one thousand Cairo University students in attendance.
June 5 – Obama visits Buchenwald, a former Nazi concentration camp used during World War II, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and survivor and activist Elie Wiesel, during his trip through Germany.
June 6 – Obama commemorates the 65th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, along with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Prince Charles and President Nicolas Sarkozy.
June 17 – Obama announces sweeping proposals to rework financial regulation and move the country toward financial stability.
June 19 – Along with other prominent fathers, Obama holds a town hall meeting at the White House to commemorate Father’s Day, and bring awareness to the relationship of American fathers and children. Obama notably identified his father as one of the greatest influences in his own life, in the short time that they were together.
June 22 – President Obama signs legislation granting authority over tobacco products to the United States Food and Drug Administration in the Rose Garden of the White House.
June 22 - Obama also announced an $80 billion, 10 year offer by drug manufacturers to close the gap between Medicare prescription drug coverage and comprehensive health care reform.
June 23 – President Obama holds a press conference to discuss the issues of the recent Iranian election protests in Iran.
June 26 – The President signs the “Cash-for-Clunkers bill” into law to increase national fuel efficiency, as well as stimulate the automobile industry, after both Chrysler and General Motors had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
June 27 – The removal of American combat troops from major Iraqi cities begins.
June 30 – The President delivers remarks at an event in the East Room to highlight programs that have been able to make a difference in communities across the country.
July
July 6 – The President and First Lady Obama arrive in Moscow to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, to discuss diplomatic progress in regards to nuclear weapons, as well as the situation in Afghanistan.
July 7 – President Obama meets with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in a continuous attempt to restructure the U.S.–Russian relationship. Obama also meets with former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev in Gostinny Dvor, Russia.
July 8 – President Obama visits the quake zone in Italy that was struck in April, 2009.
July 10 – On the final day of the G-8 Summit, President Obama meets with South African president Jacob Zuma, Obama also visits Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City. The President then heads to Ghana in Africa, his first visit to any sub-saharan African nation since he was elected president.
July 14 – Obama speaks at Macomb Community College, and proposes a $12 billion effort to help two-year institutions to “train more people…for the jobs of the future.”
July 22 – The President holds a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the Oval Office, and hold a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden.
July 27 – Obama and Chinese leaders Wang Qishan, Chinese Vice Premier, and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, attend the U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue held in Washington, D.C.
July 30 – President Obama and Vice President Biden hold a “beer summit” at the White House with Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates and the arresting officer Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambride Police Department, in order to address the issue of race in America and discuss the arrest of Gates in his Massachusetts home on July 16, 2009. Obama also discusses remarks he had made during his news conference on July 22, in which he stated that the police department had “acted stupidly” in arresting Gates.
August
August 3 – The President meets with Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, in the Oval Office.
August 5 – Obama visits Elkhart, Indiana for the second time in his presidency to hold a townhall meeting about unemployment in the work force and new jobs being created.
August 10 – President Obama meets in Guadalajara, Mexico with President Felipe Calderón of Mexico and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada for a trilateral meeting to discuss the global economy, climate change, security and safety, as well as the H1N1 pandemic.
August 18 – President Obama, along with Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton, meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Oval Office.
September
September 8 – Obama speaks at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia to promote education.
September 9 – President Obama outlines his healthcare proposal in a speech to a joint session of Congress, amidst controversy in regards to a public option, illegal immigrant’s access to healthcare and “death panels”.
September 10 – President Barack Obama meets with Prince General Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi in the Oval Office.
September 11 – President Barack Obama addresses family members and friends who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001, in the September 11 attacks, at The Pentagon.
September 14 – President Obama speaks about the financial crisis at Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City.
September 22 – President Barack Obama addresses the Climate Change Summit at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
September 24 – In a first for an American president, Obama chairs a U.N. Security Council summit dedicated to nuclear disarmament and proliferation.
September 25 – While at the G-20 Pittsburgh summit, Obama and the leaders of France and the UK make a public statement accusing Iran of constructing a secret nuclear facility near Qom.
Inner Conflict Concerning Gay Marriage
—by Paul
You may have already heard, but the California Supreme Court upheld the decision of its citizens today by not striking down proposition 8. However, they did state that they would still recognize the 18,000+ gay marriages that happened before the amendment took place.
Upon the ruling, the LDS Church issued a press release. Here is a paragraph I particularly liked from the release:
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes the deeply held feelings on both sides, but strongly affirms its belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman. The bedrock institution of marriage between a man and a woman has profound implications for our society. These implications range from what our children are taught in schools to individual and collective freedom of religious expression and practice.”
I like this statement because it helps feed the debate that rages on within me concering this issue. Often, I have been wondering if it is right or not to restrict people from rights that others have. You can’t make an argument that it is right for someone to murder but not someone else. Either everyone has the right or no one has it.
Also, I look back at the last 100 years with the great power of retrospect and see that there was not a single issue that harmed our society when we gave rights to a minority. For me, I wonder how much gay marriages differ?
Personally, I think homosexuality is not genetically or religiously right. On the scientific angle, when you impede the process of passing on DNA from one generation to the next, you genetically harm the species. Religiously, we can see that all historical religious text (Bible or non-Christian canon) condemn the act of homosexuality.
However, it seems that all these lines become blurry when you talk about people’s rights. Does someone have the right to be an alcoholic? As long as they do not hurt someone else—unequivocally yes.
I guess for me, gay marriage does cross the line of infringing on others rights. As stated by the LDS Church, allowing gay marriage in our society causes problems that “….range from what our children are taught in schools to individual and collective freedom of religious expression and practice.”
I do not agree with homosexuality and do not want my children to be taught that it is okay. I also do not want to be punished by the government because I chose to believe that homosexuality is a grievous sin.
Honestly, I cannot see a resolution that is possible to appease both sides. As I look at all the facts and arguments, I have to wonder if history will see me on the same side as those who fought against women and blacks from having equal rights. I hope this is not the case, but even if it is, my children will know that I fought for them to have the right to not have a loud minority redefine what they believe is right or wrong.
The 8th Amendment and Gay Marriage
—By Paul Wilson
It has been very quiet here at UtahVoices. I think with the downturn of the economy most of us authors here have been a bit preoccupied with other things than blogging.
I have been actually meaning to write this post for a couple of months. Even though California’s Proposition 8 has passed I still think we are just at the beginning of this topic. Unfortunately, the incivility we’ve seen the last few months from the gay community is most likely only going to get worse.
I saw first hand this disrespect to other people and organizations having a different viewpoint when I went to Salt Lake to support the LDS Church’s stance against gay marriage. The gay community had decided that they were going to target the Mormon church because it was the Mormon’s fault for Proposition 8 passing in California.
Interesting thought, even though the Mormon vote only accounted for 2.4% of the overall vote. However, this percentage was large enough that the opponents against Prop 8 decided to rally Temple Square (without a legal permit) and vent their frustration. I went to make a stance against such religious bigotry. I was surprised however, that when I got to Temple Square how large the gay protest was. There was most likely a thousand plus people that marched on Temple Square screaming their hatred to the church.
I was with a very small group standing quietly to protest the march. Our quiet passiveness was in stark contrast to the chanting and screaming by the gay community supporters. Due to this unusual approach I was interviewed by KSL, Salt Lake’s local television station. In my interview I stated that even with Amendment 8 passing that no rights of the gay community were lost (my interview appears between 3:13 and 3:36 of the below video).
That’s right I said “Amendment” and not “Proposition.” I was nervous and without thinking I interchanged my words. I didn’t see my mistake until later that night on television. I am grateful to KSL for correcting my slip in the text of the article, but I still felt foolish for making such a simple mistake.
However, my quite visible mistake can easily be used as a metaphor for legalizing gay marriage. The 8th amendment states, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
The passing of Proposition 8, if upheld, will make sure that the California citizens shall not be at the mercy of the legal system inflicting an excessive bail on marriage. If gay marriage becomes a civil rights issue, those of us who feel that homosexuality is immoral and wrong will be at the mercy of those who do not.
If marriage had been redefined to be between any two consenting adults, it wouldn’t have added rights to the gay population, but it would have taken away rights from adoption agencies, churches, schools, and other organizations whose moral agencies didn’t agree with same-sex partnerships. Here are just a few examples how legalizing gay marriage would create an excessive fine imposed upon our society.
Adoption services: A same-sex couple in California applied to Adoption Profiles, an Internet service in Arizona that matches adoptive parents with newborns. The couple’s application was denied based on the religious beliefs of the company’s owners. The couple sued in federal district court in San Francisco. The two sides settled after the adoption company said it will no longer do business in California.
Housing: In New York City, Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a school under Orthodox Jewish auspices, banned same-sex couples from its married dormitory. New York does not recognize same-sex marriage, but in 2001, the state’s highest court ruled Yeshiva violated New York City’s ban on sexual orientation discrimination. Yeshiva now allows all couples in the dorm.
Parochial schools: California Lutheran High School, a Protestant school in Wildomar, holds that homosexuality is a sin. After the school suspended two girls who were allegedly in a lesbian relationship, the girls’ parents sued, saying the school was violating the state’s civil rights act protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. The case is before a state judge.
Medical services: A Christian gynecologist at North Coast Women’s Care Medical Group in Vista, California, refused to give his patient in vitro fertilization treatment because she is in a lesbian relationship. He claimed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. The doctor referred the patient to his partner, who agreed to do the treatment. The woman sued under the state’s civil rights act. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in May 2008, and legal experts believe that the woman’s right to medical treatment will trump the doctor’s religious beliefs. One justice suggested that the doctors take up a different line of business.
Wedding services: A same sex couple in Albuquerque asked a photographer, Elaine Huguenin, to shoot their commitment ceremony. The photographer declined, saying her Christian beliefs prevented her from sanctioning same-sex unions. The couple sued, and the New Mexico Human Rights Commission found the photographer guilty of discrimination. It ordered her to pay the lesbian couple’s legal fees ($6,600). The photographer is appealing.
Youth groups: The city of Berkeley, California, requested that the Sea Scouts (affiliated with the Boy Scouts) formally agree to not discriminate against gay men in exchange for free use of berths in the city’s marina. The Sea Scouts sued, claiming this violated their beliefs and First Amendment right to the freedom to associate with other like-minded people. In 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled against the youth group. In San Diego, the Boy Scouts lost access to the city-owned aquatic center for the same reason. In June 2008, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asked the California Supreme Court to review the Boy Scouts’ leases. Meanwhile, the mayor’s office in Philadelphia revoked the Boy Scouts’ $1-a-year lease for a city building
While these cases do not directly involve same-sex unions, they presage future conflicts about whether religiously oriented or parachurch organizations may prohibit activities or events which go against what they hold sacred.
Where does this conflict between the two opposing mindsets end? Why should one minority’s ‘rights’ override the majority’s legal and religious rights and views? In turn, this same minority feels that others’ ‘bigotry’ and ‘narrow-minded thinking’ are trampling on their views and rights.
Is there even a common ground available to settle on? There has to be, but right now I can’t see one.
The Gift
—by Paul Wilson
Christmas for me is a time of reflection, and whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I feel it is always an important time to remember the real purpose and meaning of life. For me the purpose of life and the meaning of life are two very different things. Different both in application and in belief.
My understanding of the purpose of life and the meaning of life have come little by little—and in a large sense the truths are still unraveling for me. Yet, as I discovered more and more how differently both these beliefs interact with my life, I also began to see how both of these principles are dependent upon each other.
So, for this Christmas I offer, as a belated gift, my insights and philosophies on this subject in hopes that I can give something that has come to mean so much to me. I hope this gift does not come off presumptuous or arrogant. I do not pretend to be an intellectual, in fact, what might seem profound to me may be quite trifle to you. If this is the case, this will neither surprise nor offend me. So, with this being said, I move on to share with you my Christmas gift.
My religious upbringing has ingrained into me that life is a training ground. We exist to be tested, and depending on how we do in this life will ultimately decide what level of progression we will obtain in the next life. As with all things, there is definitely more to this belief, but this is pretty much the core of it.
However, life for me is not just about trying to fill out the right multiple choice answers. Rather, it is also about trying to understanding why I even bother filling out the multiple choices in the first place. Why put your efforts into doing something if you do not understand why you are doing it. Surprisingly, this concept of mind has increased my faith in God instead of diminishing it?
That for me has been the ultimate question in my life—what is my purpose? This question has plagued me for years. I cannot exactly remember when I finally came to find an answer which satisfied me, but it hasn’t been too long.
The purpose of life, for me, is to find truth and to live it as best as you can. I do not subscribe to subjective truth, but I do believe in subjective people. We are intricate beings who are woven with cords of emotional and intellectual complexities. We all interpret differently what we think to be right.
That is why I feel it is important to constantly redefine what truth is to us. Often I see many devout followers of religion (particularly those of my own faith) not seeking to continually discover and re-discover truth. The truth they found at the beginning of their sacred religious pilgrimage never grew from a tiny seed of hope to a mighty oak of faith. Instead, the seed morphed from a seed of truth to a seed of complacency.
Truth is fluid in the sense that as individuals we are unceasingly changing. As Heraclitus stated, “You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.” Like water, truth continuously flows and what was true in your life 10 years ago, is not pertinent today.
That may sound as an absolute, but think of it in another sense. As a child, If you only learned your ABC’s what real benefit would they be to you now if you never formed them into words. Yes, the ABC’s are still considered a true principle, but it is a principle that is not pertinent because you never really developed that particular truth.
For me this understanding has helped me be much more open-minded. I have learned that what I consider as truth is definitely not the end, but rather the beginning, of my understanding. Appreciating people’s ideas who oppose my beliefs has helped me further understand myself and what I believe in.
I learned as a missionary for my church, though, that living truth doesn’t necessarily determine that my life has meaning. I served as a missionary in Southern California from 1996 to 1998. The first six months of my mission I lived a life as close to what I thought was right as possible. I sincerely tried to understand truth. However, I remember after six months of this life I was miserable. I wasn’t miserable because I was living a life of truth, but rather I was miserable because I was living only a life of truth.
Yes, “truth will set you free.” Free from the chains of ignorance. Free from the absurdities of temporal knowledge. Yet, being free rarely equates to happiness. Why? Happiness is not an idea or belief like truth, but an action.
The reason I was miserable as a missionary was that I was not focusing on the meaning of life, and for me, this meaning, which illuminates truth, is love. It wasn’t until several years after my mission that I discovered love to be the fountain of joy, peace, and above all significance in one’s life.
Unfortunately, in the English language we have only one word for love but a thousand different definitions. When I speak of love, I speak of healthy relationships we develop with the people we engage with on a day by day basis.
As I think of all the happy times in my life, I recognize that these memories are surrounded by the love of others. Holding my soon-to-be wife’s hand on our wedding day; my family cheering me as I received my college diploma; and even feeling my unborn daughter move around in my very pregnant wife’s belly; are all memories that have enriched and developed my life.
Death, pain, and suffering are also all teachers in unearthing meaning to one’s soul. For me, I firmly believe that there is love and even truth in personal suffering. Yet, as I contrast my alone times of pain, and the suffering I spent with others, I can starkly see a difference. Though, I believe there are times that detaching oneself from others for self reflection is a must, I have found that suffering alone is a recipe for dark misery, and greater pain; whereas, healing and hope have come about only as I have reached out to others for strength. The pop motivational speaker Tony Robbins encapsulated it well when he stated, “The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.”
It has been this desired quality that has proven to be guidance in my own life. In my early twenties I was the ultimate networker. I would learn your name, your passions, and your job, within the first minute of talking with you. I was the entrepreneur who continually probed to learn if there was anything you could do for me. Yet, throughout the years as I morphed from self-absorbed to self-aware, I became acutely mindful that I needed to be more on the giving side than the taking with those who I valued. Being a locus which devours a friend of all usefulness was not a friend at all.
Interestingly, it wasn’t until years after making this change in my behavior that I saw the difference. One day I was pondering on what made me the most happiest, and I recognized it was the time spent building memories with my family and friends. I know for many of you this is not a new discovery, but for an ambitious 20-something year old, it was a profound revelation. It helped me recognize that there is nothing so valuable in this world that is worth losing the love of another.
As our nation embarks on some difficult economical times I hope my Christmas gift will linger in your thoughts. No matter how financially destitute you may feel, there is no destitution as great as being void of truth and love. If you pursue for truth continually and strive to love throughout your life, you will always have a divine purpose and a lasting meaning to your existence!
May you have a meaningful Christmas and a purposeful New Year!
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM UTAHVOICES
Merry Christmas from all of the voices here at UtahVoices.com. May we earnestly seek to find peace for all, and bring joy to all that we may meet! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!