Do I hate homosexual people?
NO. Absolutely NOT. In no way shape or form have I ever hated someone for their choice to love or be in a relationship with someone their same sex. It does not bother me nor does it make me think any less of them. One of the best people in my life is a lesbian, and I love her with my whole heart. She is a wonderful person. Just because I personally believe in traditional marriage does not mean that I hate anyone that believes in things to the contrary of that. I also believe in not drinking alcohol or smoking ever, but that does not mean I think that people who smoke or drink are inherently and absolutely awful, they are people, it is their life and their belief.
As a Mormon, am I taught to hate Homosexuals?
NO. Never once have I ever heard an LDS church leader say anything negative or offensive towards homosexuals. We are taught that traditional marriage is what God intended for us, but that some people make different life decisions. I asked the question in a church meeting one day when a few of my friends came out, the leader I asked explained that just because people make decisions that we don't personally believe in, does not mean that we are better than or more important to Heavenly Father then them. It isn't up to me to judge anyone for any of their decisions, it is up to me to love those I meet for who THEY ARE and not who I AM. Often I am asked "do Mormons hate Gays?" and when I try to explain what I just explained to you, they often rebut my explanation by giving an example of an LDS person hating on Gay or Lesbian individuals. For this I am often very sad and embarrassed. As a Church we are encouraged to love one another and not bash other peoples beliefs just because they are contrary to our own, but, sadly, there are always people that do not take that message to heart, and so they make ethnocentric judgments of people that are different. This is not the LDS way, nor the Christian way. There is a GOOD and RIGHT way to believe what you believe and still love others for their own beliefs.
I know, I know, I'm ranting yet again, but I digress.
The point of this blog post is that I believe the world is so focused on pointing out other peoples close mindedness that they aren't looking at how close minded they are being. Just because the Cathy family (Chick-Fil-A's founding family) believes in the biblical definition of marriage and family does not mean that they hate Gay individuals nor does it mean that Chick-Fil-A is anti-gay as a company. Today I saw lots of wonderful people that support Chick-Fil-A despite the beliefs of one man, people surprised the car behind them in the drive-thru by buying their meal for them, and not one person said anything bad about homosexuals or the beliefs of others. I am sure we will see plenty of back lash on Friday as people come in to protest the beliefs of one man. But isn't disliking his beliefs the same as him disliking yours? Before you decide to bash on Chick-fil-a and the Cathy family, ask yourself if you would want people to treat you that way, to treat your beliefs that way. Is it really any different?
Want to know more about the LDS church?
http://mormon.org/
http://www.lds.org/?lang=eng
Want to know more about Chick-Fil-A and the Cathy family? Th
http://www.truettcathy.com/
http://www.cathyfamily.com/
That's all for now!
Love,
The Cat Lady!
