Marriage Was Created by God

“God is the Father of all men and women. They are His children. It was He who ordained marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Marriage was not created by human judges or legislators. It was not created by think tanks or by popular vote or by oft-quoted bloggers or by pundits. It was not created by lobbyists. Marriage was created by God!”

            -Elder Russell M. Nelson, Disciples of Jesus Christ-Defenders of Marriage, August 2014

Elder Russell M. Nelson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said this at a commencement speech given in April of 2014. I find it interesting and noteworthy that this was said a little over a year before the Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges. This was the case that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States of America. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe that marriage was created by God. In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, we are taught that, “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.” Since the beginning marriage has been intended to be between a man and a woman and for the intent of bringing children in this world and creating families. Obergefell v. Hodges changed marriage in the United States and not for the better. So now what? What can we do to make sure our constitutional rights of religious freedom aren’t taken away? In a Religious Freedom Annual Review Conference held on July 7, 2015 at Brigham Young University, Alexander Dushku gave advice on what we can do in the wake of Obergefell v. Hodges to make sure we follow a path that will continue to honor our religious freedoms. Some things he said we need to do are to: “defend our own beliefs, stand as witnesses, defend our right to decent, be examples, ask for toleration and basic rights as Americans, and explain our viewpoints with reason and kindness.” This is what I am trying to do with this post. I do not look upon same-sex couples with derision. I do not hate them. I am not angry with them. I do not condemn their choice to live a lifestyle that I do not agree with. But, I also don’t believe that marriage should be redefined because of someone’s feelings or personal lifestyle choices. The main reason God created marriage was to bring children into this world in the best possible setting there is. The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.” A same-sex couple cannot procreate. I recognize that same-sex couples want rights, they want a way to have their relationship recognized so that in legal cases they have rights. Marriage did not need to be redefined to make that happen. There could have been other laws created, laws that didn’t infringe on other’s rights.

I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is sacred and should be treated as such. I also believe in the warning that was given in The Family: A Proclamation to the World, “Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.” Same-sex marriage is one way that we will continue to see the disintegration of the family. We need to stand up for what we believe in and make protect our religious freedoms, which are actual freedoms given in the Constitution.