Really Good Article

So, I don't fully understand what all has been going on in California. I find myself constantly confused by what Proposition 8 actually is, whether I agree with it or not (not because I don't know what my beliefs are, but because I can't keep straight if Prop 8 agrees with my beliefs or not) and all of the legal-speak is just... confusing. Paul knows more about what's been going on than I do...

However. A friend of mine posted this article on facebook, and reading it made me a little weepy, it was so well-written and just laid out exactly the importance of the protection of the institution of the family.

I especially liked this paragraph:

"When a man and a woman marry with the intention of forming a new family, their success in that endeavor depends on their willingness to renounce the single-minded pursuit of self-fulfillment and to sacrifice their time and means to the nurturing and rearing of their children. Marriage is fundamentally an unselfish act: legally protected because only a male and female together can create new life, and because the rearing of children requires a life-long commitment, which marriage is intended to provide. Societal recognition of same-sex marriage cannot be justified simply on the grounds that it provides self-fulfillment to its partners, for it is not the purpose of government to provide legal protection to every possible way in which individuals may pursue fulfillment. By definition, all same-sex unions are infertile, and two individuals of the same gender, whatever their affections, can never form a marriage devoted to raising their own mutual offspring."

That paragraph, in conjunction to an earlier paragraph, just sums up my feelings on what marriage is, what it is for, and why it matters!

"Marriage is not primarily a contract between individuals to ratify their affections and provide for mutual obligations. Rather, marriage and family are vital instruments for rearing children and teaching them to become responsible adults. While governments did not invent marriage, throughout the ages governments of all types have recognized and affirmed marriage as an essential institution in preserving social stability and perpetuating life itself. Hence, regardless of whether marriages were performed as a religious rite or a civil ceremony, married couples in almost every culture have been granted special benefits aimed primarily at sustaining their relationship and promoting the environment in which children are reared. A husband and a wife do not receive these benefits to elevate them above any other two people who may share a residence or social tie, but rather in order to preserve, protect, and defend the all-important institutions of marriage and family."

And there were just so many other good points raised... lol rather than quoting random paragraphs all over the place, just read the entire thing here: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/the-divine-institution-of-marriage