VOTE YES!

There is an EXTREMELY important issue on the ballot this year. Don't panic if you don't already know what I am talking about because this issue is only in the ballot in Arizona, Florida and California. Those of you who live in other states will only have to hear about it, but I encourage you to educate yourselves in case it comes up on your ballots in the the future.

The issue or proposition I am talking about is Proposition 102. It is a simple proposition that states "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state."

The church has taken a SERIOUS interest in this issue counseling its members (who reside in the above mentioned states) to spend our time educating our friends and neighbors on the issue with the hope that they will vote YES this upcoming election.

A friend of mine sent out the following information explaining the magnitude of this issue and how it could affect us:

It is stated on the Church’s website that if this Proposition does not pass and same-sex marriage is legalized in our state, it could lead Arizona to have to declare same-sex marriages as a civil right. This would protect those in a same-sex marriage under the same discrimination laws as those defined by race, age, religious preference and so on. Here are some examples of what this could mean:
1. Churches, including OUR church, would be required to allow marriages of any kind to be performed in our chapels. If a same-sex couple wanted to be married in an LDS church, the Church would be unable to stop this due to discrimination laws.
2. Churches, including OUR church, could lose its tax exemptions and benefits if they do not embrace same sex unions.
3. Schools would be required to teach both heterosexual and homosexual relations as morally neutral and further erode our ability to teach our children traditional standards of marriage.
4. The LDS adoption agency would have to allow adoptions to both heterosexual and homosexual couples. This happened to the Catholic adoption agency in Boston and, as a result, rather than be forced to allow adoption to homosexual couples, Catholic Charities stopped offering adoption services in that city!
5. Married housing for same sex couples would be required at universities, including religious schools and universities.

Pretty serious, huh? My family and I have been spending our time educating our area about this information. Both Matt and I have been to a calling center where we called over 100 people in Arizona telling them about this proposition. On Monday, with our ward, we went to almost every house in our neighborhood (which spans about a 6 mile radius) knocking on doors and handing out flyers.

If you live in another state and are still reading this, there is something you can do. You can make sure you are registered to vote and vote. I am sure there are other important propositions in your areas and, most importantly, your vote for President is needed this year. We are so blessed to live in a free country where we can exercise our right to vote for whatever we want or feel is correct.

I am not blogging about this to offend anyone. I have many friends and even family members who have chosen to live their lifestyles in a way that does not coincide with this proposition. I love them and wish no harm for them, but do feel that I must stand up for what I believe in which is this proposition.

If you don't get anything else from this post, please get this: VOTE! You only have until October 6th to register, so take the minute and do it, you will be glad you did.