is webster's ready?

So, I don't usually become heavily involved in politics, but I have found myself listening to talk radio, watching debates and actually taking a personal and public stand on the way I feel. It has been a strange election and to be completely honest, I don't love any of the presidential candidates. I think McCain and Obama are both good men and I love Sarah Palin (I was sold after the Republican "pep" rally, just ask Kent), but I think there are probably other men or women better suited for the job. The most important issue at hand for me, as a California voter, deals with Proposition 8.

This proposition has been plastered everywhere-the TV, internet, radio, roads (we finally have a sign that I put up today, we'll see how long it lasts), college campuses-everywhere. I get at least one Prop 8 forward everyday and sometimes they're not even from California residents. I think most people who read this blog are LDS (Mormon), but if not, I am LDS, and my church has taken an active, decisive stand on this issue. The church usually stays out of the political arena and has a healthy respect for the 'laws of the land', but as members of the church, we have been asked to donate our time and means to help the measure pass. Why you might ask? This is my personal feeling as to why.

When I first learned about this proposition, my immediate feeling was, of course marriage should only be recognized between a man and a woman, it just makes sense, but then I started thinking more about the issue. I thought, I don't care what another person does. If it doesn't affect me then go ahead and be married. I don't agree with same-sex marriage, but people should have the right to do what they want. They are good people, I just don't support their lifestyle. That's when I realized I was becoming too tolerant and lax. Too tolerant you might ask? Yes. I was getting sucked into this "everything goes" mentality that is so prevalent in our society. I concluded that society must draw a line somewhere or else the line will continue getting pushed back further and further until we lose sight of it altogether. Since coming to that realization, I have become a firm Yes on 8 supporter. I guess I was never going to vote no, but I had to feel good about a yes decision and know why I was doing it.

Ultimately, Proposition 8 is an issue dealing with moral beliefs and tradition. It has nothing to do with being tolerant or civil rights in my opinion. We're talking about the long-standing definition of marriage.

What is marriage? Here is the #1 definition I found in the dictionary:

mar·riage

the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

To me, it's the union of a man and a woman bound together to create a family unit. A husband plays the role of provider and protector while a wife takes on the responsibility of caring for and nurturing the family (see Proclamation on the Family for the best description of a healthy family). When both of these roles are carried out to the best of a couple's ability, a stable family unit is created. It is a beautiful concept in my mind and something I have seen work in my own life. Some might argue that a same-sex couple might do a wonderful job raising a child and I don't disagree, but I believe in the traditional view of marriage and there is nothing wrong with that.

There are always exceptions to the "norm", but the definition of marriage is not something I am willing or ready to change. I like tradition and I'm not prepared to break this one. Hopefully, Webster doesn't have to get the presses going any time soon. Yes on 8 it is.