Tolerance is defined in the Webster dictionary as: sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own. (There are several listed under tolerance, but I chose the one that fits with the issue I am blogging about). First of all, I do not qualify myself with my own family, or husband. They either accept me as I am or that is their problem. I am who I am and I am learning to love me for me, faults and all. I strive to qualify (if you will) myself with my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ, their opinion of me is the one that counts the most. With that said, I am NOT going to qualify myself with my friends. We have commonalities in our beliefs and then we have our differences. The last I checked this is what makes America part of the great nation that she is, our differences and the right to celebrate them. While I do not agree with certain issues and would choose to vote the way that my conscience would have me, I do not expect them to walk my walk and I would expect them to respect my beliefs and choose to walk their own walk.
I have made it clear on here and my Facebook that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One friend who is also a member actually stated that she feels that we just follow the prophet like sheep, basically going with the flow and not thinking or asking for ourselves on such issues. In 1995 the church released the Family Proclamation to the World which outlines the divine providence that is marriage. It has been ordained of God since Adam and Eve and that will never change. I do not blindly follow the churches teachings. I prayerfully consider everything that the prophet and apostles tell us and receive my own confirmation on what we are being taught. I believe that they were truly inspired to issue the proclamation to define the institution of marriage. For her to say that she has not received that and she believes that our church leadership is wrong is terrifying to me. When we start picking and choosing the teachings that we will follow is a dangerous thing. I followed that path when I was younger and it led me down a road that almost cost me my life. While I agree with her that we must receive our own confirmation of revelation if we question it, I do not feel that just because we do not receive it when first asked that it is wrong, we must continue to seek out that to bring it to our own understanding. She said that it was mired in confusion, this is not the Holy Ghost, this is something else. The Holy Ghost gives us clear thought when we are on the right path of discovery.
I am posting here because I am not opening my Facebook up to a political debate, like I stated, that is not what I feel my Facebook is for. My blog is my blog. I respect my friends beliefs and would never tell them that they are a sinner, going to hell, that they are not true Christians in the name of faith because that is not what a true Christian would do. I strive to follow the commandment given to us in the John Chapter 13: 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
In this, I do my best to love everyone (yes it is hard, but I really do try). I want to mark myself as a follower of the Savior and this is how we must do that. I know that some might read this (I do not know how many people read my blog and that doesn't really bother me, I do not write it for others, but for myself) but in the name of true tolerance, we must find an equal ground and agree to disagree. We are not a country that was founded on agreeing with everything that everyone believed, if that was the case we would have never sought to separate from England. We believe everyone has freedom to choose and should not face intolerance because of our morals and beliefs.
