Tuesday February 9th 2010...

I have been thinking a lot today and it all had to do with my faith and beliefs. I actually watched a nice interview about our church but then you come across interviews/ reports about the Mormon church that aren't nice at all.
I have been wondering about this so many times but I just don't understand why people do that. I mean what do they get out of it by bashing a church they don't know enough about? I am trying to be a very tolerant person and I try to accept others the way they are, but I also expect them to do the same for me. Usually if someone wants to attack/ criticize or bash the Mormon church it doesn't take them long to find stuff they can use. I just think it is very interesting how they interview people who might not be active anymore and have had some kind of bad experience with other people within the church or they felt they were forced to do things, well I have news for you. Nobody is perfect. You will find people who do mistakes in our church or anywhere else in the world. We make mistakes and we learn from them. That's how it should go, right? So why does it matter so much when someone who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints does something wrong? We are humans just as people in a catholic church or any religion or non religion! Why can't we just accept the way we are and be nice to each other even though we might not believe the same things?
Why do people have to tell lies and spread dirty rumors about my church instead of just really asking how it is?
And why do people even care what's going on in a different church? I thought it was the funniest thing when I heard for the first time that people got actually offended about a cross infront of a church or on a hill or something like that. Why do they care? If you don't believe in it why bother making a big deal about it? Nobody forces them to look at it if they don't like it. It just doesn't make sense to me whatsoever.
Those questions bug me and I try to figure out why people do that. I do understand it to a point because it is easier to believe things that are negative then the positive things because for the positive things we want proof, right?
I have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints my whole life. I never felt forced in any way and I like the rules/ commandments we have. I know many people in the world think we have all those strict rules and can't really decide for ourselves. Well guess what, that's crap. I can still choose what I want to do. I still have my free agency. There might be consequences in one way or another but consequences are everywhere in life. And to be honest I feel free from a lot of things. Because of my beliefs I don't have to worry about getting addicted to cigarettes, coffee or alcohol. I don't see that as an restriction. I like it. I hate the smell of cigarettes, I don't like the coffee smell either and the same with alcohol. I see it as a blessing because I know I will never be drunk and that I won't remember what happened the night before and I can always drive. :)
I have had people ask me "how I could have fun at parties without drinking alcohol". Well I usually stay away from parties where alcohol is involved just because I don't like to be around people who change to a different person when drunk. I know not everyone is like that but I just don't feel comfortable in those suroundings. But that doesn't stop me from having fun. I've been to plenty of parties without alcohol and I have thrown plenty of parties myself. We have plenty of fun. I still have a dry sense of humor even though I am sober. ;) Besides if you can only have fun after getting wasted then there is something seriously wrong with this picture.
All this is just my own opinion. It is how I feel about those things for myself. If you enjoy alcohol that's fine with me. I am not trying to change others I am just trying to explain why some things are the way they are.
When it came to Prop 8 I was shocked about the outcome afterwards. I think it is very interesting that because people had chosen to vote with yes they were bashed and everything else. Again I try to tolerate others and their ideas and beliefs but that doesn't stop me from making my own decisions and chosing/ voting the way I think is right for me and my family. Our church got bashed and called racists and such, but why? We were just taking up our right as everyone else did. It is always the sour loser who gets mad, but why? It doesn't have to be like that.
If a church like ours gets bashed so much it only shows me I am doing the right thing. Why else would anybody feel the need to attack and bash?
I am grateful that I know that God lives and that I have a real purpose in life. I am grateful that I have so many friends even though they might not share my beliefs. We can still be friends and like each other even though we go to a different church. It all has to do with our attitude. We decide how we feel and what we choose and believe. It's always up to us. I choose to stand up for something I believe is right for me. But that might not be right for others so what?
I want a better world. I want people to be more willing to accept others the way they are. I also want people to understand that nobody is perfect. Members of our church make mistakes just as others do too. Why to judge a whole church by mistakes of individuals?
Life is so wonderful and I am grateful that I am here on earth for a reason. I know I have to learn many more things and I still have a lot of trials ahead of me too. But would we appreciate all the wonderful things in life if we didn't have opposition? So yeah thinking about it now makes me realize that I am grateful that people give me and my church a hard time. Because it reminds my why I belief and that everything has a reason.