1) The defense of Traditional Marriage isn’t really about gays. It’s about the children that are affected by marriages.
The only reason government has any say in defining marriage is because of its interest in children. Redefine marriage, and children are made vulnerable to our number one social ill: fatherlessness. How can this be so? It’s a biological fact that every time a child is born, a mother is nearby. The real question is, will there be a father nearby, and if so, how long will he stick around? The principle purpose of marriage is to link fathers to the mother of his children, creating a bond of responsibility. Redefining marriage into much looser terms weakens the basic unit of society, creating a chasm where fathers are no longer linked to their children. When that father is no longer required to link himself to the mother of his children because marriage is so loosely defined, on what grounds will we hold any father’s responsible for their children and families? None. Instead, the government must step in to replace fathers. So I ask you, reader, do you think fathers are optional? Are governments and social programs decent replacements for the fathers of our nation?
2) Without Fathers, the Bible says the purpose of the Earth is utterly wasted.
The other day I was in my neighbor’s home, listening to her explain her family history line using pictures of her parents and grandparents and in-laws that were hung on a large, portrait-filled wall. I couldn’t help but wonder, “How would she feel if she did not know who her father was? Or her grandfather?” She went on to describe how the cultures of her parents’ family and of her husband’s family influenced their children’s lives. I could see its power on them, or, to put it better, I could see the power that this wall of history gave to her own family. Biblical verses ran through my mind as I realized that this woman defined who she and her children were by the fathers and mothers of the family.
“Greek.” She said. “They are all Greek on my husband’s side. Over the course of my father’s life, he had to re-marry because his first wife committed suicide. So he had two wives. My father is passed away now. And these women over here, they love to sew. I love to sew, and I wish they had taught me.”
This line of families, as imperfect as it was, filled with suicides, multiple marriages, and women who didn’t teach her how to sew, this wall of people helped her define who she was, and who her children should be. So the verse repeated in my mind,
“And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming” (D&C 2: 2-3).
If the hearts of the fathers are not turned toward their children (could this possibly be referring to the power of marriage linking fathers to children?) then the whole purpose of this Earth will be utterly wasted. There will have been no reason for you and me coming here to this Earth without being linked to our fathers. The portrait-filled family history wall that you have in your home, on your computer, or in your photo books, it’s everything. It’s why we’re here. Gay marriage removes all of that. It separates parents from children, fathers from mothers, and breaks links between generations. It guarantees the fatherlessness of children, which will utterly waste the reason we’re here.
So, the question is posed, “How can I possibly deny the LGBT community the benefits that I enjoy as a married woman?” And I respond, “Right now, all people are free to live and to love as they choose, no matter their sexual orientation.”
Studies repeatedly show that children do significantly better in all aspects of their lives when raised by both a father and a mother, and even better when the mother and father are their biological parents. Of marriage and the role it plays in raising the next generation, Ryan T. Anderson states,
“The conjugal view of marriage, we argued, has long informed the law — along with the literature, art, philosophy, religion, and social practice — of our civilization. So understood, marriage is a comprehensive union. It unites spouses at all levels of their being: hearts, minds, and bodies, where man and woman form a two-in-one-flesh union. It is based on the anthropological truth that men and women are distinct and complementary, on the biological fact that reproduction requires a man and a woman, and on the sociological reality that children benefit from having a mother and a father.
As the act that unites spouses can also create new life, marriage is especially apt for procreation and family life. Uniting spouses in these all-encompassing ways, marriage calls for all-encompassing commitment: permanent and exclusive…Marriage increases the odds that a man will be committed both to the children that he helps create and to the woman with whom he does so. Marriage, rightly understood, brings together the two halves of humanity (male and female) in a monogamous relationship. Husband and wife pledge to each other to be faithful by vows of permanence and exclusivity. Marriage provides children with a relationship with the man and the woman who made them.” (Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/378538/marriage-where-do-we-go-here-ryan-t-anderson).
I also conclude that if the LGBT community is concerned about fair housing, financial benefits, healthcare benefits, and tax benefits, that these are secondary issues. Please fight for equity concerning these tax laws because we all deserve fair treatment, gay or “straight,” we are all equal in God’s eyes.
But please, my dear nation, do not vote to redefine marriage such that its meaning is weakened, and the most innocent and the most vulnerable portion of society, our children, are not left, yet again, exposed to the weakening of the family; left as wards of the state, fatherless, and without defense in this world. Please think of the children, and stand up for them by standing up for what the true definition of marriage is: between one man and one woman.
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