Matthew 7:1

Here's the deal.

I'm a Mormon.
And I'm stating flat out, that this post you are about to read, has no affiliation with the Mormon Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
This is not church beliefs I am stating.
This is the belief of Katie Jo.
A simple-minded young Mormon, with a big heart, and a lot of words.

As a woman of Christian beliefs and values, I have certain beliefs when it comes to marriage.
I believe that marriage is a sacred ordinance ordained of God. 
I believe that Heavenly Father created marriage as a way for man and woman to join together to procreate - a commandment from the Lord. 

However, I believe man has turned marriage into a legal affair. 
And as a legal affair, I do not believe marriage should be limited to one type of couple. 
Making gay marriage legal is not a religious issue.
Making gay marriage legal is a social justice issue.
And denying the right to marry the one you love simply because of who it is that you love, the type of person you love, is, plain and simple, so incredibly unjust. 

How can we claim we live in a land of freedom, but deny freedom to citizens of this country?
How can we claim we live in a land of justice and equality for all, and treat so many with such injustice and inequality?
Gay marriage is about social justice. It is a legal issue.

Now, if you want to make it a moral issue, we can.
Isn't it against Christian morals to judge others?
Isn't it against Christian morals to not love one another no matter who they are?
Isn't Jesus Christ the biggest, most perfect example of loving people of all walks of life? Of treating everyone the same: as the daughters and sons of God they are?

As I said earlier, my morals, my beliefs, are that marriage is a sacred ordinance of God. I believe it was created by our Heavenly Father as a means for men and women to fulfill the commandment of procreation, and bring life to this earth. 
That being said, I don't think anyone who is gay and wants to marry their gay partner, is any less loved by God. 
I am not one, and neither are you, to dictate that someone must live their life according to my beliefs. 

If you are gay, I love you.
If you are gay and wanting to marry the love of your life, I still love you.
I get the wonderful opportunity to marry the love of my life - why shouldn't you? 
Because your type of love is different than mine?
Where is the sense in that?
Where is the freedom and equality and justice all of us Americans claim to stand for?

I am not one to judge. 
That's not my job. 
We'll all find out at the end of time how everything was meant to go.
Maybe you're lifestyle will be right and okay.
Maybe mine will.
Maybe they both will. 
Maybe they both won't matter.
I have my beliefs about it - you can believe something different.
I will not love you any less. 


God gave us this amazing gift called "agency."
The power of choice.
We are all free to make our own choices. 
I am not one to tell you what choices you should make. 
I am not one to tell you that your choices need to be the same as mine.
I am not one to tell you that your choices must conform to my beliefs.
If you want to sit down, and talk with me openly about my personal beliefs, I'd love to do that sometime. 
But I will never force my beliefs upon you.
That's not very Christlike. 
Teaching. Teaching is Christlike. 
I will teach you what I believe. 
And then you can teach me what you believe. 

Matthew 7:1 - "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

Mark 12:30-31 - "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."