What I Believe In

Warning: This is a serious post. No jokes. No “Life of Megan”. Just me laying some thoughts out.

This is me: I’m 24 years old, a native Oregonian, and I’m Mormon. Now all of these are facts about me that I don’t exactly hide in my posts, so I’m sure that saying so is very superfluous. But I’m saying them now because I feel I must write about something that affected me in an extremely negative way. It’s not something I can control, and it’s not something worth complaining about, especially now that election time is over. But I’m going to write about it anyway, because I spent a lot of my time yesterday sifting through my work, completely dumbfounded at the low and degrading tactics people will use simply to get a vote.

I believe that marriage has been ordained by God to be a union between a man and a woman. There are those of you who read this who disagree with me. That’s fine. But that’s what I believe, and I don’t really plan on changing that anytime soon, or ever. But nor do I believe that it’s right to barge into other peoples’ homes and ransack their possessions to take away their rights about a lifestyle that I happen to disagree with. There was a “No on Prop 8” commercial run that depicted Mormons as the kind of people who do that, though. My first reaction to this commercial was anger, because I know I’m not the kind of bigoted, ignorant, tyrannical person that was portrayed, and neither are my people. I’m not saying Mormons are perfect, because we’re not. We’re human. We make our mistakes. But to be portrayed in that manner is simply disgusting. And so I was angry. I was also sad, because unfortunately, there are people who do believe that about us, and there are people who probably saw it and believed the lie because they haven’t been given the chance to know any better.

That commercial was posted on youtube.com, and when I looked at some of the comments posted below the video, I saw this one: “One of the funniest and truest ads ever!” I’m disappointed, really, because this ad was neither funny nor true. I don’t even see how this was funny to people who have been against Proposition 8. I would think it’s sobering to see a commercial where my way of life is invaded and destroyed by those who don’t agree with me; I wouldn’t find that funny at all. I was gratified, though, to see comments by people who, by their language and tone, were clearly not Mormon but who were also appalled at the unfair and slanderous treatment we were given. I thank those of you who know who we really are, even if all our views don’t coincide.

I hope and pray that my friends know the truth about me and my people. I hope they know that we give everybody the right to live their own life (and that’s a right that’s not ours to give, either—sorry, that’s just the way it’s phrased). We don’t send out missionaries to force their way into homes; rather, we send out missionaries so that those who want to know about us can be found.

People have fought so that violence, sex, profanity, immorality of all levels can be portrayed in our media that surround us. They have fought so hard for this, that to portray someone as even believing in God is a no-no. It is okay to use profanity, but it’s not okay to talk about Deity in a sacred fashion. It’s okay to show people sleeping around, but it’s outdated and terribly un-hip to show someone who’s going to wait until marriage. Haven’t the tables turned too far in that direction? It’s offensive to some people to hear God talked about; well, unfortunately, it’s offensive to me and several others to see a lot of the trash masquerading as entertainment. Maybe a good balance will never be achieved. Maybe we’ve gone so far in this politically correct world that it won’t ever be possible to talk about God or morals or standards without seeming backward, ignorant, and oppressive. What a tragedy.

I support what I believe in, so I supported Proposition 8. I’m sorry if people think that by doing so, I was taking away their rights as human beings. But traditional marriage is something I believe in, and it’s something I think is sacred. I’m not going to apologize for that. And if there are those of you who know me and think of me as the kind of person willing to invade homes and tout my beliefs and lifestyle, you clearly don’t know me that well or the way I’ve been taught to treat other people. And maybe you should take a closer look at the tv screen and see what’s invading my home and ransacking everything I believe in.

-Me