Okay people, here's the deal. I have been more then liberal and more then patient with the comments that I've allowed to be posted on my blog.
I have endured outright attacks on my faith and religion. I've allowed way to personal insults. I have been compared to Muslim extremists. I have had people come right out and tell me how much they disrespect me and what a closed minded bigot I am. I've been called a sheep who blindly follows. I've been called ignorant and hateful.
I've been told my church is false, my prophet false and my opinions out and out wrong.
Wow, talk about showing real tolerance and acceptance for someone that you disagree with.
The irony of this situation is that if I was to go on some of the blogs of the people who are so quick to attack me an my opinion and spout the stuff they are saying about me, I would either be deleted or blocked. There is no way that anyone of these so called liberal and freethinkers would allow me the sort of space that I've allowed them. Over and over again. I wonder what would happen if I went to your blogs and started posting links to LDS Church websites and such? I'll tell you what would happen. The lack of respect would be overwhelming. I've provided my critics with more space for them to spread their distorted and blatantly anti-mormon opinions then they would ever afford me.
If I was to say even half of the things I've allowed here but against your point of view you would jump to the up and scream hate speech but some how its okay for you to mock my faith, my beliefs and my opinions. You think its okay to defend your point of view as the correct one, but if I have the nerve to claim the same privalage you say that I'm a tool of an evil and repressive organization. That's hypocrisy clear and simple.
I don't mind if you disagree with me, and yes if you want to post a thoughtful response cool, we may not come to a consensus but we can still agree to disagree. But if you are going to call me a tool or some other name. If you are going to mock me or tell me how little you think of me. Please go somewhere else until you can practice the tolerance that you preach.
That is going to stop. I don't mind someone disagreeing with me, but there is a need for people to be civil.
I'm sure that some people will jump to their guns and say "You are trying to take away my rights so I will say anything I want." Well okay. Turn that around. Now that you've done that don't ever accuse anyone of hate speech. If your going to mock my church and my values which is your opinion, don't get mad at me when I tell you that in my opinion you are living or promoting a wicked lifestyle. If you don't like the way I vote, let me remind you that you have just as much a right to vote also.
I refuse to apologize for my beliefs or my testimony. I also refuse to continue to be a platform for you to twist the truth and do exactly the type of things you are accusing me of. If you can't be civil or at least attempt to be polite I would rather not hear what you have to say and you won't find your comment posted here.
2 comments:
Crow…I love it that your there. Your view from above is inspiring and needed. As one of less experience it would be wise to consider your point of view. Don’t shut off the dialogue….our country is founded on this fundamental right of expression. It need not get personal and intolerant. That is exactly what the founding fathers fought against…..intolerance. This I also believe…you are the product of your time. That comes with some baggage. You don’t see it perhaps. We all are partly a product of our times. I see the prophet as a great man who represents the Lord here on earth. He is however a man also of his time. We listen carefully to those words, “thus saith the Lord”. I listened carefully during conference. There was not “thus saith the Lord” on Prop 8. There were pro-family statements and pro-compassion statements. There was no edict to stop our personal search for the truth. Sometimes there is this delicate balance in the church between the order, the structure, the authority, works, justice, tradition, the Pharisees, the narrow way versus Christ like love, compassion, tolerance, faith, grace and mercy. I found it interesting that President Hinckley seemed to ever so gently support the war. “There was no, however, “thus saith the Lord”. I see the war as absolutely immoral, anti-Christian, bullying, devastating to families of both countries, as far from American idealism as possible, and tragically has left a deep scar of poverty and hatred. We no long are the beacon of liberty and hope in a world turned asunder. Your generation will be harshly judged for greed, intolerance and assault on the middle class. Never before has this nation seen a deep divide emerge between the rich and the poor…the haves and the have-nots. Unparalleled political corruption both ethically and immorally. A party that once stood for self-determination has given way to self-indulgence at the expense of others. The Wall Street collapse was not the beginning. It was the end. The middle class had long been ravaged by credit poverty schemes and constitutional discretion in the name of supposed patriotism. So what does this all have to do with the church? We have seen leaders of the church use their position for political gain. The father down the street who eats first alone as the patriarch then his family is allowed to eat. A women’s organization that has been taken over by the Priesthood. An Apostle who tells historians not to tell the whole story as it isn’t in the churches best interest. Purges at BYU. Bishops who threaten instead of love. Stake Presidents who excommunicate readily instead of working with diversity. Now I’m talking in very general terms. I do not pretend to judge any one person or act. I have my own issues to ever judge another. I look to the Savior and his example. This is my measure of “thus saith the Lord” unless the prophet says, “Thus saith the Lord.” When President Kimball had the courage to go to the Lord with the Priesthood issue. That was a great moment for individual responsibility instead of collective culpability. When President Mackay told the other Apostles to leave Juanita Brooks alone that was a great moment for the sacredness of truth and individual responsibility to that truth. May the spirit of Huge B. Brown and LeGrande Richards and the revolutionary fathers live on. I trust that the lord will work with my generation with all our failings as he does with yours.
I think this is the 2nd or 3rd time that you have admonished commentators to your blog for the same reasons since I began reading about six months ago. I disagree with most everything you stand for, but I rarely comment at all. I think your detractors are mostly just curious why you would purport to have any sort of same sex attractions and hold the views that you do. Its that simple for me. I am curious about how people live with a very high level of cognitive dissonance. Ty Ray and others do the same thing. While you report on your religious convictions, there is clearly a disconnect with your emotional life. It makes me wonder if you really have any so-called SSA issues at all.
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