Maybe offending people isn't always a bad thing.

Jessie always tells me to blog about issues I feel passionate about. (I think this is mostly so I don't talk to him about them non-stop.) However, I find it hard to write too many blogs on serious subjects. My sense of sarcasm is too prevalent, and I'm afraid anyone who reads these entries might understandably not take me seriously. I'm taking that risk with this opost, because this is something I've been thinking about for a while. The other day I was talking to Jessie about the gay marriage issue in California, and what it means for the nation at large. I have some very strong opinions on this matter, many of which would be offensive to the world at large. I don't think gay couples deserve any rights that two co-habitating, platonic same-sex friends wouldn't have. I don't think they should have the same rights as married couples, including adoption rights, health benefits, and the financial protections associated with marriage and divorce laws. This is because I think gay or lesbian activity is wrong. This would also cause your average American citizen to label me as a prejudiced, intolerant homophobe. There's not much I can do about that, but it doesn't change my opinion. You can talk all you like about religious ideas and subjective morals and perspectives on good and evil, but when you come down to it, some things are right and others are wrong. Period. If society condoned murder and made it legal, that wouldn't make it right. Don't get me wrong. I don't believe in persecuting gays and lesbians, and cutting off any personal legal rights that any other American has, or being rude to any gay or lesbians I may know and telling them they're going to hell or any such thing. That's bigoted and judgemental. But asking me to approve of changes in law that go against everything I believe in is wrong. I don't like to hear people criticize the LDS church for telling their members in California to get involved in this issue. Somewhere down the line, a lot of people have gotten the idea that the church is required to be nuetral in all political issues. I hope this ridiculous notion doesn't keep good people from getting involved in opposing gay marriage, out of fear of offending someone. In this day and age, with the morals and values society has, I think that if someone's not offended by our beliefs, we're probably not being brave enough in standing up for them.