I'm mostly writing this to get all these things out of my head. Sorry if it sounds disjointed.
I don't expect many people to read this, if any do at all. My blog doesn't get hardly any traffic, and I don't think that I'll be sharing this post. I don't fancy diving headfirst into the mudslinging that's going on, but I feel like I need to do my piece to defend what I know and believe.
First things first: I hate this apparent battle that is going on. Every day, I get on facebook and see some blog post or newspaper article that talks about the Church and how it is handling the Ordain Women movement and how it is handling homosexuality. I hate it. I hate that it populates my news feed, something that should be filled with pictures of my friends, their adorable babies, and/or Pokémon. I hate that I see good people forming ranks and taking shots at one another. I hate seeing people write negative things about the Church that has been such a crucial contributor to my understanding of the universe and my own identity. I hate it! It's awful!
Why are we fighting this battle? Equality? Is that the label that we're putting on it? If I can be perfectly honest (and I can because it's my blog), that's a stupid label. Do we as humans really think that we understand equality and justice? How long ago was it that we said "All men are created equal?" Last I checked, that was 1776(ish) AD. That means that it took us 1776 years (give or take some if you want) since the time of Christ to come up with that idea. And that idea wasn't even perfect when we said it. "All men are created equal" is still evolving: it only included civil rights for African Americans in the 1960s, and it has only grown to include women even more recently.
Let's look at the justice side. Let's not forget that Hammurabi came up with "an eye for an eye," and that is certainly not how we view justice today. There is no way that a judge will issue that sentence. And speaking of judges, these are the people we employ to come up with justice. They are people, just like you and me, who are entitled to their own opinions and thoughts. Since they are normal people, they are not perfect. They make mistakes just like you and me.
Our concepts of justice and equality are constantly changing and evolving. Please don't misunderstand: I wholeheartedly believe that is a good thing. Our understanding of the world is supposed to grow; God sent us here for that very purpose. Fighting and bickering and accusing each other, though? Those aren't God's tools; they're Satan's. We all know how God works (and no, "in mysterious ways" is not the correct response). He works through goodness, peace, and love. Is there much love in war? Not often.
I think a big problem with this battle is people's attitudes. Are we being prideful, thinking that we've done our research and know our stuff? Are we so certain of ourselves that everyone else must be wrong? Or are we humble enough to accept that maybe we've been mislead along the way and need to come back? Are we still willing to learn? If we approach our questions about doctrine and the Gospel with humility instead of pride, we can discover the truth about anything.
From my own personal experience, I have found that bishops are more than willing to answer questions and address concerns when humility is expressed over pride. Certainly, God doesn't want blind-faith followers. He is training us to be Gods ourselves! He does not operate by blind faith; why should we? He wants us to ask questions and to understand: that's the whole point of revelation!! I can easily imagine him pacing back and forth, anxious to the point of bursting because He wants to help us. "Ask, and ye shall receive." He commanded us to ask Him for things. But in order to get those things, we have to be humble. We have to be willing to accept an answer that we might not agree with. And if that is the answer, then that is the answer.
Here's what I know: God lives. He loves us. He wants us to be happy. He is sad when we are sad, feels pain when we feel pain, and knows our hearts and minds. He wants us to return to Him. He has provided us with a Savior, with a Church, and with prophets to help us along the way because He knew that we would need all the help we could get.
Should women be ordained to the Priesthood? I don't know. Should gays be allowed to marry? I don't know. I have my own personal beliefs on each matter, but those beliefs are not necessarily important. God knows who should have the Priesthood and who should be allowed to marry. I believe that He has already made those points clear, but I understand if people are still confused (sorry if that sounded degrading; that wasn't my intent). I think that we should focus on the Savior's Atonement instead of on some of the details. It's important to remember that the Atonement is the great equalizer (there's that equality concept again). If we mere mortals miss things in this life that are important, the Atonement is going to make up for it.
How? I don't know. But I have faith in my perfect Heavenly Father and His ability to make it all happen.
So, can we cut the bickering? I miss my Pokémon memes...
