The supreme court of the United States made history on June 26th, 2015. Same -sex partners from various states and their lawyers argued that the same-sex marriages should be recognized in all states and that they should reap the same benefits as married couples. They argued that under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, no State shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Justices Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas disagreed with redefining the definition of marriage but ultimately the majority felt otherwise and on June 26th 2015 the definition of marriage changed.
Justice Roberts (2015) had this to say regarding the court’s decision:
If you are among the many Americans—of whatever sexual orientation—who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today’s decision. Celebrate the achievement of a desired goal. Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression of commitment to a partner. Celebrate the availability of new benefits. But do not celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it. I respectfully dissent. (p. 68).
There was a major theme with all the dissenting justices, that theme was that marriage should be up to the states to decide, not the federal government. I agree with Justice Roberts that the constitution did in fact have nothing to do with their win. There should be order in all things, just as there is order in our church.
Justice Thomas (2015) had this to say:
Our Constitution—like the Declaration of Independence before it—was predicated on a simple truth: One’s liberty, not to mention one’s dignity, was something to be shielded from—not provided by—the State. Today’s decision casts that truth aside. In its haste to reach a desired result, the majority misapplies a clause focused on “due process” to afford substantive rights, disregards the most plausible 18 OBERGEFELL v. HODGES THOMAS, J., dissenting understanding of the “liberty” protected by that clause, and distorts the principles on which this Nation was founded. (p. 94).
I know there are same-sex couples that are great people, in fact I have a few family members who are. We can still love them and follow Christ’s example of pure love but not change our fundamental beliefs. Christ taught us to love our neighbors, comfort those in need of comfort, not to judge, and so much more. Reading about the couples I felt that they were good people, but that doesn’t change the fact that marriage should be changed. We know that the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that marriage is ordain of God between husband and wife. We learn about the importance the role of a family plays in the great plan of happiness.
I feel that God way is straight forward. What is wrong is wrong and what is right is right. There isn’t mixing the light with the darkness. If we stick to the teachings of Jesus Christ found in the scriptures and our latter-day prophet all will be well. Standing up for marriage in world that devalues the sacred unity can be hard but God is always there to lend a helping hand. A true disciple of Christ is not a part-time gig.
Strong Marriages Leads To Strong Families 