Where I Stand: Refugees

Where to start with this. Is such a huge topic. Let's start with this:
I believe in giving all refugees refuge. I know if I faced life or death situations I'd like to know there is somewhere safe to run. Innocent people are fleeing their homes and their lives because of the tyranny of others.
That said, Syria is a breeding ground for those who want to destroy us. What they've done to their own country, they'd gladly do to all the countries of western society. But that doesn't mean there aren't genuine needs for innocent people fleeing.
I definitely believe in allowing refugees into this country, and others capable of helping. But there has to be a screening process. This process wouldn't be something genuine people seeking safety would fear, but the people who want to harm us...
Take for example the attacks in France. Is there no coincidence that this happened soon after the spike in refugees to their country? Look at the patterns of these terrorists. They are heartless and ruthless in their agendas. They don't care if they use innocent people to fulfill their goals. They obviously don't care about their own people since they are blowing them up within their own countries, so what's stopping them from taking advantage of the needy and slipping in hidden among them?
They know they can't face the military of the countries they hate, they know they'd stand no chance. Look at how easily Iraq was taken as an example. So they use small groups to kill hundreds, even thousands of civilians who are jut going about their lives. Less than twenty men brought down two towers, part of the pentagon, and crashed four planes in a matter of hours, killing thousands. That's how they fight. In the years since then, we've seen bombings and slaughter all around the globe. We're in a war, but we don't recognize it because it doesn't take on the usual this military vs that military. I remember growing up and going to major events and subconsciously always keeping an eye out and wondering, what if?
All it takes is one person bent on harming others. They want us to fear that, and they'll do anything to make sure we do, including sneaking in with innocent people whose lives they've already destroyed.
There has to be a screening process involved, otherwise it's like opening the door to a family being swarmed by bees and not closing the door behind them. We've helped them, we've had good intentions, but the bees came in and are now hurting our family as well.
May I also point out, what about all the homeless and misplaced that are already in our country? The children stuck in foster care? The mass slaughter of babies every day through abortion? If we can't adequately care for our own, how are we supposed to care for those in desperate need?
I also want to say thanks to the media. Because of you, we live divided. Because of you, we run the risk of imploding. I heard somewhere once, I can't remember who said it, that America wouldn't be destroyed from outside sources; the military is too strong for that. But America's demise would come about due to it's own internal conflict. The more the media slams those wanting to make a stand, calling them bigots, war mongers, and pushing it's over the top "politically correct" agenda, the more power we give the terrorists. There is great truth in the statement "United We Stand" because divided we fall. And right now, we are terribly divided, and those terrorists are loving it. They are slipping in like thieves in the night while we quarrel over petty things like the color of a cup. They are happy to take advantage of the bleeding hearts, and the second they have the chance, they will strike against those who showed compassion. Because that's what they do. We are "infidel."

So yes, please let the refugees in. Give them respite from those who have destroyed their lives, but let's make sure those who have destroyed their countries aren't allowed to destroy the safety of our own. Because they will, with great pleasure.

Where I Stand: Government

A government is a necessary evil. It's unfortunate that in today's society that "evil" part is true. You'd think after centuries of kings, dictators, and tyrants, the free world would know better. I guess old habits die hard.

In a true free society government has one purpose: to serve and protect the people. If this service is removed, we can no longer claim true freedom for the people.

There must be limits placed on the government to keep freedom for the masses. If limits and checks aren't in place, the people suffer, while the government grows fat and with brown noses.

To maintain a true free government, where those governing are servants, the government should have fund and maintain only a handful of things:
1. Education
2. Internal safety
3. Defense against external forces.

That is it. No joke. A true free government should do just those three things. So that means they should maintain and fund schools, teachers, emergency services, police, hospitals, borders, and the military. The taxes should never move into anything else. Once the government gets their fingers into other areas of society, freedom diminishes.

But how can everything else in society run without a government telling us what to do? Well, the point of freedom is to think and act on your own. To be industrious, inventive. If the government is funding schools and allowing teachers to think and educated the way they need for their students, people will get smarter, and their creativity will flourish. How often do you hear about genius' who were removed because they didn't "fit the mold?" How often were they failed because they couldn't sit regulated exams? Too often. That is evidence of politics getting too involved.

The government has set itself up as a glorified babysitter. It watches everything we do and tells us how it should be done. Instead of helping the poor learn how to break their poverty cycle, they give them hand outs until they become lazy and teach their children the same poor life skills, while on the flip side, the wealthy and entrepreneurial are taxed heavily, and the poor are taught to scorn them. This is all backward. If the government pulled their hands out of it, the well off can contribute more to charities and create jobs for those in need of work though investments and business building.
(Yeah, these are all generalizations, but generalizations are there because they're generally true.)

I also hear about separation of the government and church. Well, yeah, they should be separate, but the problem is, the government, again, is digging its grubby fingers into matters that are traditionally--and rightfully so--jurisdiction of the church, or religion in general. Religion is used as a moral compass, no matter which faith you belong to, and since most of the western world is founded on Christian values, those morals naturally fall along those lines. To say the government needs to intervene to stop religion from doing what it's supposed to do it wrong, because it's demanding the government overstep its bounds for maintaining true freedom.

Also, politicians should be paid last. Right now, they are being paid like kings, so they continue to brown nose, lie, manipulate, and get involve in matters they shouldn't to keep the whiny, loudest groups happy so they can keep their money and power. They are public servants. Maybe if they were paid like servants, and paid last, they might start beating a different drum.

Freedom is dying as the governments gain more and more control over smaller and smaller things. And honestly, from where I'm standing, no one is stopping it.

Where I Stand: Planed Parenthood

Planned Parenthood.  Such a hot topic. Now for my opinion on the matter.

Planned Parenthood does serve the community in more ways than just abortions. They provide free contraceptives, inexpensive check-ups, and plenty of other things. I went to Planned Parenthood for both my pregnancies to get a cheap official confirmation to apply for maternity health insurance. The program in itself is a good concept, but then we reach the problem where the debate rages.

Selling of human remains.

As I said, I went to Planned Parenthood to confirm my pregnancies. With my last one, they pulled me into a room, and forced me to leave my four-year-old outside so they could ask me how I would like to deal with the “issue” then handed me abortion information. I was like, “ahh, I’m keeping the baby, I just need that paperwork there saying I’m pregnant.” They looked at me like I was losing my mind. That should have concerned me, but I figured they get lots of druggies, teenagers, and other—for want of a better word—“losers” come in for that purpose, so they lumped me in with them.

Almost a year later, I have a beautiful little girl across the room from me, sleeping peacefully in her swing. I hold her in my arms, nurse her, watch her smile, and I wonder why they would have preferred for me to snuff out that life rather than keep it. Because a fetus is a life. A tiny life, a life completely dependent on one person; its mother. I’ve carried two beautiful girls inside me and the whole time, and every day since their births, I never dreamed of denying them their potential. Because that’s what abortion does, it denies a life its potential to be, to exist, to grow, to learn to SMILE. So what if it’s not convenient for some reason or another? You should have thought of that before you opened your legs without contraceptives. I hear people argue about rape and incest cases, but the truth is, most abortions are simply cowardly women unable to face the consequences of their actions, so they take it out on an innocent life that has no voice or way to fight back. Abortion is not feminism. I’m insulted that someone would dare claim that. As a woman, my feminine privilege of being called a mother is degraded and I’m offended that something as selfish as abortion would be considered a right of my gender. It’s a right of my gender to say no to sex, but if I choose not to do that, then I’m obligated to live with the consequences of my body’s natural response.

Abortion is like… someone throws you in a dark room, all alone, and locks you in. They then provide you food and means to survive so you are completely dependent on them, then, they grab swords and hack you to pieces. You’d feel that, right? Sucks, huh? But yet, we do it to BABIES. It literally makes me sick. I hear of it and look and my child and think, at least I can keep you safe. At least your life and any I bear won’t be faced with that kind of suffering.

Women who have never had children, never carried one full term and held that life in their arms, have no right to make comment on abortion. Men should never speak of women having the right to choose what they do with their bodies and abortion, but fathers deserve the right to keep their child even if the mother doesn’t want it. He should be allowed to say no to her abortion if he is willing to take it off her hands. It takes two to tango, so both those dancers should be allowed to have a say.

Being pregnant is something I cannot fully express. There is something divine, beautiful, and powerful about being pregnant. Mothers who have miscarried will tell you they grieved. Why? Because that tiny life that one moment grew within them, went away. It stopped living, no matter the size of it or how far along they were, and it broke their hearts. Women who seek abortions need to stop being such cowards and face their actions like real women should. There’s such thing as adoption, and plenty of infertile couples out there who fall to their knees and mourn when they hear someone threw away the chance they’d give anything for.

In India, baby girls are being killed in droves. That gendercide is scolded and fought against by humanitarians and our western society, but yet, within our own countries we allow the same kind of slaughter of children to occur. Hypocrisy, yes. So shut the freak up.

But the issue with these abortions performed by Planned Parenthood, aside from mass legalized murder, is that people within the program are selling body parts. You can’t deny it, it’s been caught on video and sent viral around the internet. It may not be part of the standard protocol, but the fact remains that someone is using it for the harvesting of these tiny body parts. I don’t know about defunding Planned Parenthood, because it does do some good, but there definitely needs to be an investigation and those people at fault need to be made accountable.

As you can tell, I am quite passionate about this. That is because to me, abortion is the lowest of lows, the ultimate proof of the depravity that mankind has reached.

Where I Stand... Generally

The world is a chaotic mess. I sit back and I wonder what horrors my children will face because of the selfishness of my generation, and how we are teaching our rising generations to be equally, or even more so, as selfish.
We live in an age of wonder. Technology keeps moving forward so quickly that things from my high school years a mere ten years ago look archaic. The world is connected in a way that is unprecedented. We don't have to fret about missing our favorite shows or waiting for dial up. We have internet on our phones, books in digital formats, video phone calls.All we need is self drying clothes and hover skate boards and Marty McFly would be pretty close to spot on.
But yet, despite all this, along with medical advances and so much more, we are worse off. People are more alone than ever. Ignorance is wide spread because misinformation is so easily accessed and shoved in our faces to scare us. But more than anything, we lack humility.
We are in an age of pride, and pride is bad in this sense, because there is good pride; for example being proud of a child's efforts, and there is bad pride. Since the beginning of time, pride has been the downfall of nations. The English fell to the Americans not because the Americans greatly out numbered them and used better strategies, but because the English underestimated them. They thought they were superior in every wit, giving them the ultimate Achilles heel. Hitler, Stalin, Napoleon, Julius Cesar all suffered from the same ailment; pride. How easily have we forgotten and taken up their flag?
I see all around me our society crumbling from the inside while our enemies sit in wait, biding their time for us to show enough weakness to strike. I think 9/11 was testing the waters, and they found there was too much strength then. But what would the find now?
Nations divided. Left vs. Right. Even within parties there is whispering and deceit. In Australia they are on their fifth prime minister in three years. It's like elections have become redundant. In the U.S. I see aggressive verbal attacks trying to force the opposing side into submission in the name of "political correctness," while I see morality and courage trampled into the dust like it's the filth of existence. Love is now perverted into lust, parenthood and marriage a joke, families crumbling and being torn apart by selfishness, greed, and unfair judgment. When the family falls, so will we.
But what is there to do when the nosiest voices fill the ears of not only those in power, but everyone? It's hard to think for yourself when so many people are screaming in your ears. But these screaming voices will be our downfall. I often fear war is coming, a war greater a more terrifying than has ever bee seen. But then again, maybe I shouldn't fear it. Our generation has never faced the true fear of suffering with our smart phones, easy access to food, elaborate houses, and no concern or threat whatsoever. War forces humility. Maybe then the noisy voices that are destroying us will be silenced.

Where I Stand: Immigration

I am an immigrant. I was born and raised in the beautiful land of Australia. It's free, modern, peaceful, and pretty awesome in many, many ways. The only reason I left was to marry an American who wasn't brave enough to leave his own homeland! Ha ha! Well, he's half Native American, so I'll cut him some slack.

But I came here Legally.

The process to migrate legally to the United States is long and expensive. First, the citizen has to petition for a fiance visa. He had to provide proof of a real relationship, evidence we'd actually met recently, and that he was really a citizen. On top of that, he had to pay several hundred dollars.

Then we had to wait, and wait, and wait...

Several months later I was contacted and given a questionnaire to make sure I wasn't a drug dealing terrorist associated with Nazis. Yup, Nazis. Because Nazis are a huge problem in Australia... (note sarcasm) But, if I had done drugs I could have been turned down. Note that for later.

Next, I had to make sure I was up to date with all the vaccines. I couldn't just go to a local doctor either, I had to go into the city to a specially designated doctor who drew blood to test for chicken pox immunity as well as to prove every other vaccine requirement. I did a T.B. test, and boosted my tetenis shots.

After I passed all those, which again, cost us a substantial fee, I waited again to be called into the U.S. consulate in the city for a interview to again prove Landon and I had a legitimate relationship, because Aussies are so desperate to be mail order brides (again, sarcasm)

They took my passport there, and I'd get it back if I was approved. A few weeks later, it returned to me in the mail with my temporary visa. Again, all this cost money, and I hadn't left Australia yet!

Once in the U.S. I had a limited time to marry, then apply for a temporary residency. This application cost about $1000 on it's own, plus the three other applications I had to send in also had their own fees. These applications are extremely frustrating too. If you don't dot your i's and cross your t's, they send them back for you to do again. Again, there was interviews and demands of proof of our relationship and I had to get fingerprinted and photographed.

Finally, after more than a year, I had my 2 year temporary residency. After that two years, I had to apply again, proving we were still married. Again, I had to be fingerprinted etc.

Now, after easily thousands of dollars, hours of sitting in sweltering waiting rooms, and several years of processing, I have a green card.

Yet, somehow, I'm not entitled to the same privileges as illegal immigrants. I get turned down for healthcare/coverage, or am put on a limited plan. When I had my first child, the second she was out of me, only she could get covered, not me. If I get in trouble with the law (which I don't intend to do) I'll be deported in a heartbeat.

But yet illegals get free healthcare. Illegals are given housing, while I have to work hard to pay for mine. I wasn't allowed to work for months, yet illegals can work the second they jump the border and no one really cares. They can murder citizens in places like California and get out of jail for free.

I'm wondering how exactly this is fair.

The government scraped our pockets dry to let me in here, someone from a country considered a peaceful ally, but yet, somehow these illegals get by free. I had to go through screening processes and vaccinations to make sure I didn't bring anything "bad" into the country from my developed country, yet people carry drugs and guns across the border while carrying who knows what diseases with them. Why am I treated like a pariah for doing it the right way?

Many countries out there shoot illegal immigrants on sight. While I'm not for that, I am for some kind of control. The people who come through illegally selfishly cut off real refugees from their chance to fill the limited refugee designated places. People who are too poor to pay a people smuggler are the ones most disadvantaged here. There are countries in Asia and Africa, even South America, in desperate need of those refugee places these illegals are stealing from them, yet people and the government are welcoming the law breakers with open arms, and pushing to give these illegals rights and privileges.

How is that fair?

It's not. It's like rewarding the bully who shoves the weaker kids out of the lunch line. It's giving the bully hand outs after he just took the class geek's money. It's the teacher giving the bully straight A's and praising them in front of the real A grade students even though their test results are all F's. The bully doesn't deserve it, the other, quiet, beaten down kids do, and it's the same for immigration.

Where I Stand: Marriage

I think I've rewritten this a hundred times, knowing how sensitive of an issue this is. I want to make what I say fair ad honest, without coming across hateful, as that's not my intention. So, *deep breath* here we go.

To start out, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not homophobic. I do not hate homosexuals, I'm not a nut who thinks they're all going to rot in hell. That's just downright awful. I know plenty of homosexual people and have respect for them as human beings and all they do. Just like every other minority, they contribute to society, and try to live their lives the best they can, and I respect that.

Now, onto the part I know will piss people off.

I disagree with same sex marriage.

Let's refer back to my post on Freedom. There I stated that disagreeing does not mean prejudice or hate, it's simply that: disagreeing. If anyone thinks I'm a hater for disagreeing, then shame on you for perpetuating the problem.

Now, marriage is based on two things which I am going to cover in detail. This is going to be a long rant, so bare with me. Two factors play into marriage: a biological response and an emotional response to the human existence.

Let's start with the biological response since that's built entirely on facts.
Living creatures are created with males and females. Yes? Okay, so plants have mixed, but they produce male and female reproductive substances, but we're not plants. We are mammals. All mammals have males and females, and we have evolved or been created--depending on your views--this way for a specific reason: to naturally reproduce and continue our species.
Males and females each contribute the same number of chromosomes in the creation of offspring. Twenty-three. All of these match up perfectly, and the twenty-third chromosome decides the gender so that the cycle can continue. That's how reproduction works, we learned it in high school.
With this biological need, the male naturally desires to pass on his genetic coding. We've all seen documentaries of male beasts battling it out for females and breeding rights, but thankfully humans, in general, are beyond that. But to pass on his coding, he needs that other twenty-three chromosomes that will match with his. Putting it bluntly, sperm and sperm don't match up, neither does an egg and an egg, but an egg and a sperm fit together. That's just how we are made.
So a male is drawn to a female to reproduce.
A female has the same desire, to pass on her genetic coding. And like the male, she needs that opposite to form the required chromosome bonding. So, she is drawn to a male to fulfill that. Ba da boom, we have a baby.
Marriage covers that natural need. A male desires a female to carry his offspring and care for them through life, while a female desires a male who can give her strong genetics, and security in bearing his children.
We all get that, right? Can't really argue science.

Now, onto the part people get touchy about, the emotional side.

As humans, we are emotional creatures. It sets us apart from the rest as we move past the basic instincts of eat and reproduce. Our emotions make us human.
Emotional responses are where attraction and love fall into place. I can't deny that I've looked at other females and gone, "Wow, she's gorgeous!" Usually it's followed by "That's not fair!" or some other jealousy ridden thoughts, but I can see the good physical qualities in the same gender as me. Ultimately I am drawn to men--in particular my husband, just to clarify!
Homosexuality is an emotional response. To be "born that way" goes against the biological structure of the human body. I know people are going to be pissed off about that, but seriously, biologically, it does not make sense. But, throw in an emotional need, now it makes sense.

This is why I don't have problems with homosexuals. If they chose to follow their emotional path and do what they think is best for them, go ahead. I do things I know people don't agree with, and that's fine. It's called individuality.

What I do have a problem with is denying the natural order of evolution/creation by "redefining" marriage. But you can't redefine how the body naturally works.

Marriage is also closely tied in with religion. Yes, I'm going there. Marriage, for centuries, even thousands of years, through all kinds of religions and faiths, is a union between man and woman. This union benefits the community not just through the production of more children, but for the stability and structure of societies. There is, in fact, studies popping up that have been done on adults raised by same sex partners in a stable relationship showing that they struggle socially and in other ways compared to those raised in a stable opposite gender relationship home. Children are being forgotten in this debate, and it makes me pretty sad.
 But in a religious sense, God created man and woman to be together, to care for one another, and to find the deepest form of happiness possible. In a religious sense, the creation of children is as close as humanly possible to godliness.

I've been married for a few years now, and have children myself. Before I married and started a family, I had glimpses of this deep happiness. But nothing compares to how I feel now. My husband brings me the deepest joy, not because we have sex and all the chemical responses that brings on, but because I can sit beside him and just know I'm safe. I know I can trust him and rely on him. Most of all, I find happiness in watching him grow because of our marriage and our children. His smile has grown warmer, his heart softer, his love deeper. His faith in his own abilities have grown, and he has truly grown from a boy to a man. That's what love is and what true marriage is about; watching each other become more as you build a family and life together. To see my husband and myself in our daughter is like watching magic come to life. It has redefined true love for me.

But, the problem is, the world has broken marriage. Where once it was treated like a diamond, now it's valued little more than common steal. I know of plenty of people who still care for and treat their marriages like a diamond, but in general...
Put it this way. We all have steal in our homes. Frying pans, pots, appliances, etc. It's all right there in our everyday life. Marriage often becomes like that, so when it breaks, like that frying pan, people toss it away. Divorce is the easy way out in most cases (abuse etc excluded.) Adultery gives one satisfaction, while it crushes the other's heart. Marriage has become a joke to society.
So then, why are we so up in arms about not giving it to homosexuals when the straight community doesn't care about it in the first place? It's like they're saying, "Sure, we don't want it. it's broken anyway, so go right ahead."
I'd be pretty insulted to be honest.

With the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling of all states must do gay marriages, I have grown even more concerned about this "redefining"for two reasons.

Number One: This is not true "equal marriage." People want equal marriage, okay, but now one door is open, many more will start popping open. We will see a push for polygamy, incest, bestiality, pedophilia, and whatever else is out there to also become legalized so that they can have their "sexual orientation" recognized and have "equal marriage." Some might think that's never going to happen, but ten years ago, gay marriage was never going to happen either.

Just ponder that one.

Number Two: This here is my biggest concern BY FAR in this issue. The voice of the few in high places have overruled all the votes of the people within the states that legally and fairly voted no. This is teetering on the edge of the collapse of freedom and democracy. If the court had taken it to the people as a vote, this wouldn't be a concern, but they have literally dictated this to happen. Yes, dictated, as in moving toward a dictatorship. This is terrifying!!! If they can do this for one thing, they can do it for more things, gradually taking bigger and bigger steps until suddenly, the people are silenced and expected to comply to all their wishes. Voting will lose it's power, and the "republic" will die.
Everything starts off small, slipping through the gaps of society's general approved acceptance, then slowly, piece by piece, oppression seeps in. Look at Hitler. No Joke. He was revered. He pulled the economies of Europe of out the gutter. He produced jobs, incomes, structured schools and hospitals. Most of the people had no idea he was committing mass homicide on the sly. He was charismatic, intelligent, and the people loved him. He said what they wanted to hear, so they followed him. While history labels him a villain, the people under his rule adored him, and followed his command to go to war because of this. These were normal people like you or me, intelligent, with families, friends, raised in rich culture and religions. They weren't mindless drones. By overruling legal votes made by states, the Supreme Court took a dangerous step down the same path and we more than let them, we celebrated it.

Just stop and ponder on that and where you truly want that to lead.

So, there you have it. We have broken marriage. I don't believe denying anyone anything is fair, but changing the rules is unfair. We are dancing on thin ice. Are we really ready to risk the fall?

Where I Stand: Persecution

I grew up in a religion where to be persecuted was second nature. I can't deny it was hard, and times it almost broke me, but at some point I asked myself Is it worth it? My answer was a resounding YES.

We live in a world full of strife. People cry out prejudice for someone looking sideways at them wrong, for turning down service for things they don't agree with, for holding a sign up in protest. Let me tell you how I learned about hate.

When I was in high school, things were pretty good for me for a while, until suddenly, I found my faith in my religion. It meant a few changes, and yes, I got pretty excited about the things I was learning and told my friends about it. They did not like that. Admittedly, the whole thing was handled poorly, but I ended up isolated and estranged. Soon, people started telling me what I apparently believed, and no matter how much I tried to say they were off or just blatantly wrong, they still kept at it and told me I was brainwashed.

Frustration set in, and I withdrew more. This only made things worse, and something happened that almost crushed me completely.

Over the last two years of school, I kept my head down and my mouth shut. But even then people tried to taunt things out of me, especially when I started to prepare to go to the U.S. as an exchange student. Apparently this was so I could become some old man's third wife. There was no point trying to explain how that was wrong because again, I was brainwashed.

As an exchange student, I learned what it feels like to be loved again, and I grew a backbone.

In my years since, I've seen far more brutal persecution of my faith. It's not directed right at me anymore, but I still taste it's bitterness. I remember two Sundays running showing up to church and our building had been viciously vandalized outside and in. The first time, my dad, who was bishop at the time, received a call at 2 or 3 in the morning telling him to get a team down to the building so it would be safe enough for our meetings. The second time, someone chased them away before they could get inside, so by the third Sunday, a paid security service was patrolling to avoid it happening again.
We didn't know who they were. We didn't go out protesting, or marching as a church group. In fact, we did community service on a regular basis. We believe the best way to share our message is through service and positive relations in the community.

Our church also holds semi-annual worldwide conferences. People flock in the thousands to our headquarters to listen to our church leaders. And once they get there, they have to make their way through protesters lining the entrances. Every. Six. Months. Without fail we are taunted and scorned for our religion. Families with children who are simply going to a church meeting are met with hate. I don't think there's ever been a physical altercation. I believe church members have been hit, and our leaders have to travel underground for their safety, but in general, people pass by ignoring them or missionaries stand nearby singing hymns.

We don't teach hate, But we learn it because people throw it at us. But it's okay because we are Christians. We are the dreaded Mormons.

I wonder why it's okay to treat us like that, but other groups can get people arrested for doing things just like it. Is it because it's ingrained into our history? I mean, Missouri barely lifted it's shoot Mormon's on sight law about twenty years ago. People were slaughtered and run out of their homes to the point where they were forced to exodus across a continent. Even then the military dropped by.

Now, people still tell me what I believe and who I supposedly hate. I just don't get it. I think I'm pretty nice to everyone, but I guess not.

Now, I'm seeing this spread to Christians in general. Yes, there are extremist Christians who do hate (Trust me, those groups that protest at our events are mostly Christian groups) but there are extremist everythings. Those few don't speak for the majority. Every other sub-community and minority gets that benefit of the doubt, so why can't we?

Sunday's Talk

I spoke in church yesterday, and so I decided since I put lots of time into working on it, I'd share it here as well for anyone curious about my religious beliefs.
Please, this shares some tender feelings, so if you feel inclined to mock it, just be mature and go somewhere else.

By the power of the Holy Ghost, we may know the truth of all things.

The Holy Ghost is one of the basic and essential parts to the restored Gospel. In the first article of faith, it states that he is the third member of the godhead, and in the fourth it tells us we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost by “the laying on of hands,” thus making it the first blessing after baptism to be given to us once we’ve joined the church. Knowing that, it shows how important the Holy Ghost is in our lives.

TRUE TO THE FAITH Read and discussed section about the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost covers a few pages of description here. It discusses how the Holy Ghost can show us the Lord’s kingdom and all we need to know for our lives if we are humble and listen.

Something significant that comes from this is the difference between feeling the Holy Ghost and the Gift of the Holy Ghost which we receive at baptism. From this, we must “receive” the gift, and be willing to live our life in a manner where we can receive His guidance.

Before we can receive revelation, we have to understand how to get it. In the GOSPEL PRINCIPLES manual, it says:

RECOGNIZING THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY GHOST

So, we’ve received the Holy Ghost, and we’re living our lives worthily, and the best we can to receive revelation. This is where the fun starts.

There are many ways we can learn truths. In the scriptures and through prophets, we know there are different gifts of the Holy Ghost.

D&C 46:11-26

I love that there’s a wide range here, and it says some get given this gift, others are given another. The best part is we aren’t limited to one and we can develop the gifts with our faith.

In Acts 2, the apostles of Christ are given the Holy Ghost for the first time. Here, we see an example of the gift of tongues: vs4-8. 

This chapter goes on to see Peter prophesy for the first time with the power of the Holy Ghost and is a great chapter to read, but these verses show the gift of tongues. The gift isn’t people talking in jibberish, but each spoke in a real language that someone understood. This gift is something foreign language missionaries are given, so we can see God’s wonders in our time too.

There are plenty of other gifts too which were mentioned in D&C, and it’s up to us individually to know which we are blessed with through prayer and faith.

These gifts work hand in hand with the gift of the Holy Ghost. He’s the one bestowing them on us after all. Through all of this, we can receive revelation we need in our lives to know the truth of all things.

Now, we live in a world where there’s so much information, so many sides and opinions and views to everything out there, that things can get very confusing. We are blessed to have prophets and apostles to guide us, but sometimes it can feel like our feelings or views contradict with what’s being taught. This is where our Gift of the Holy Ghost kicks in. Our leaders tell us to pray and ask in faith if we have doubts, which is encouraging us to use this incredible gift of the restored gospel to enlighten our minds.

When I was a teenager, I was all about girl power. I played sports hard and rough, and I didn’t let anyone say I couldn’t do anything. Which is fine, but I reached a point where I wondered, why can’t I have the priesthood? I looked at the goofy young men around me and wondered why they could have it and not me when I was all kinds of awesome.

I remember talking to my parents about it several times. I knew it was the way God worked, and I wasn’t going to fall away because of it, but I wanted to know WHY. So, with my parents to guide me, I studied and prayed and soon learned I had my own divine rights as a woman. They weren’t any less important, they were just different. I soon learned that I had roles to fulfill in sustaining the priesthood holders, and being a future queen in the Kingdom of God. I don’t need to hold the priesthood as long as I honor it and help the brethren around me honor theirs. God instilled womanly virtues upon me instead of the priesthood. Nowadays, I really don’t want the priesthood, because I know what I have is just as important.

Not only can the Holy Ghost teach us principles through our faith, but he can guide us down the best path in our lives.

I’d feel safe saying many here today can look back and see how the Holy Ghost guided our paths to where we are today, through the bad and the good. I know I literally wouldn’t be here, in this country, if the Spirit didn’t say, well, now we’re going this way instead.

Now I’m going to tell you a story, because that’s what I do.

When I was twenty, I determined to serve a mission come my twenty-first birthday. I had my papers and money and had done the doctor's checks, but a niggling doubt had me hesitating. I'd wanted to serve a mission for years, so I didn't know why I was doubting. So one day, while waiting on the temple grounds, I prayed about it to know for sure what I needed to do. To my surprise, I was told not to serve a mission and to go to university.

So, I obeyed and enrolled, and once I'd paid of my student fees, I had some money left over. Around that time, I received an email from my host mother (from my time as an exchange student) telling me a bunch of the guys I'd been friends with were coming home from their missions. So I arranged to come visit during my winter/US summer break. It was that visit when Landon and I got engaged.

Our engagement was made in faith. We'd known each other for a while, but things happened pretty quickly, so I really had to pray about if it was the right thing to do. I've never felt so strongly that to marry him would be the best decision of my life. I haven't regretted it, and during the rough times, I've looked back on that feeling and remembered why I married him to help me get through, and I know I'm blessed to have him in my life and I've seen my own blessing grow by following the path the Holy Ghost led me down.

The power of the Holy Ghost is real, I can never doubt that, and I will always feel blessed to have that gift in my life. 

Where I Stand: Racism

Last week, a terrible thing happened. People were murdered while attending their church. They welcomed someone in, and that person turned on them. There is absolutely no denying this was a terrible thing, and like most, my heart goes out to the victims and their families, and the survivors who had to witness such a horrific scene.
But something bothered me about some of the outcry that followed. It's something I've seen floating around for a while, but it flared up in the aftermath of this event. The hashtag: #blacklivesmatter.
Now, it's not that I don't feel that black lives don't matter, because they do. But what about Hispanic lives? Asian lives? Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Scandinavian, Polynesian and just about everyone else on the planet?
Another thing that bothered me was the blaming of "white males". Saying white males are all horrible, murdering bigots, that is racism. The hypocrisy really got under my skin.
Allow me to explain. I am far from racist. I wasn't raised that way. I'm married to a Native American, my sister married a Filipino. I grew up surrounded by Asians, Middle Easterners, and Polynesians in the melting pot of Western Sydney. I never understood racism because I learned at a young age that everyone is an individual. Their race simply dictated the color of their skin and often different delicious foods eaten at home. For me, cultural diversity was beautiful, fun, and something to learn from.
Sometime in high school, I heard a group of boys spouting off about "ignorant white idiots." It hurt my soul. I had friends from all walks of life that never saw me as one of the "white kids." I was just... me.
Now I wasn't ignorant to the problems in certain demographics and areas where different races lived in masses, but it seemed all the races had issues in some form or another, so I just looked to the heart of the people around me and ignored the stereotypes.
So, going back to the hashtag. By singling out one race, blacks, in a way we are sticking them up the back of the bus again. By using this hashtag, we are putting them in the corner and pointing while yelling "them, right there!" We are encouraging segregation in a more subtle form. We think we're helping, but really, we're not. We're placing signs around their necks and saying they need to be treated differently to everyone else. But isn't true equality looking beyond that? Looking to their hearts?
I know there are tons of talented, beautiful, kindhearted blacks out there. Blacks who work hard and don't let ignorant morons drag them down or single them out. Their lives matter not because of their skin, but because of who they are. This is the same for whites, greens, purple with pink polka dots, whoever else knuckles down and works their hearts out to make a difference. That was Martin Luther King's dream; that all mankind will be acknowledged for their merit, not the color of their skin. When we single out blacks, we spit on his martyrdom. We laugh at Rosa Park's bravery and conviction.
What we should be saying is: #everylifematters

Where I stand: Freedom

There are lots of opinions on everything nowadays. Sometimes I feel like one side dominates over the other, even to the point of silencing arguments. Fear runs rampant, and people are cared to voice their differing views in case they are ridiculed. Well, I say enough.
Right here, I'm going to voice what I have to say. I know people will disagree, but I hope those who agree but feel down trodden know they aren't alone.
To start with, I don't believe in being Liberal or Conservative. I don't believe in following one party or another. I believe by claiming one side or another, we cause division and contention. Both sides have good points and bad. All politicians are human, thus making them a combination of liars and honest. No one is perfect. Everyone does their best, some better than others, yes, but I believe in our society people are trying their best to follow what they believe to be right.
In the western world, we are blessed to have many freedoms. Freedoms often won through blood, sweat, and tears. How often do we pause to give thanks that we can voice our opinions freely because of the sacrifice of others? Or do we forget that we have this privilege due to wars and sacrifice? Shouldn't this then mean we should let others around us feel differently and also voice their views and feelings?
Freedom was not born in America, neither is it exclusive to America. Democracy was born in Ancient Greece, and developed throughout the centuries. In England, we see the rise of freedom through the Magna Carta, a charter which the Founding Fathers used to help the build the American Constitution. Thus, we see a trail showing freedom as we know it as a western society trait.
But what is freedom?
Freedom is the right, no, I should say, the privilege to choose our own path, our own destiny. I say it's a privilege rather than a right because rights are things that are essential for living. Things like clean food and water, shelter from the elements, and a safe place to rest. There are many countries out there where people do not have these rights, places like Burma, that are so often forgotten as we whine about our own lack of "rights". The point is, anything outside of these living conditions is a privilege bought and paid for in blood. This gives us the freedom to choose our careers, our social circles, our religions, our sexuality, who leads our nations, and just about everything in our day to day lives. Because of this freedom, we can say things in ignorance or through solid study and not be ridiculed for it... technically.
Let's remember freedom is for everyone, not just the people who agree with you. Freedom gives everyone the ability to say "I agree" or "I disagree" without it breeding fear, hate, and intolerance. Freedom is for everyone who will embrace it. Let's not stifle it by silencing our opposition.