Yesterday a report was released by the Pew Research Center showing how people’s attitudes about gay marriage have changed over the past 10 years. The report states that “the rise in support for same-sex marriage is among the largest changes in opinion on any policy issue over this time period.”
I won’t burden you with the full report. If you want to study the details you can find them here . Nevertheless, I would like to share with you the answers to one of the survey questions:
Q: “What made you change your mind about same-sex marriage?”
A: I have friends/family/acquaintances who are gay/lesbian 32%
I’ve become more tolerant/older/studied more/am more aware 25%
The world has changed/it’s more prevalent/inevitable/doesn’t hurt 18%
People’s have freedom to choose/ love and happiness 18%
Equal rights 8%
Morals/religious beliefs/only God can judge 5%
Born that way 2%
Other 6%
Don’t know/refused 6%
(Total exceeds 100% because of multiple responses.)
The trend is obvious:
- Tolerance ranks supreme
- Let others live their lives as they wish.
- There is no absolute right or wrong.
I see no sign that the trend will be reversed. In fact, I foresee that Latter-day Saints will come under increasing pressure from the world—and the worldly—to “get our heads out of the sand,” “be more tolerant,” and to respect people’s freedom to choose.
While the results of the Pew survey are startling, to the observant “watchmen on the tower” they are not surprising. Anyone who’s been following societal trends—and who’s been listening to latter-day prophets—has surely seen this coming.
Here are some examples of their recent warnings:
1. President Thomas S. Monson: “The face of sin often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that façade is heartache, unhappiness, and pain. You know what is right and what is wrong, and no disguise, however appealing, can change that. The character of the transgression remains the same” (General Conference, April 2008).
2. President Boyd K. Packer: “Tolerance is often demanded, but seldom returned” (“Be Not Afraid,” address at Ogden Institute of Religion, Nov. 16, 2008).
3. Elder Bruce D. Porter: “Until recently in our national history, tolerance referred to racial and religious non-discrimination. It meant civility in the political arena; in other words, respecting the right of others to express their views, even if we do not agree with them. It meant treating all people with decency and respect. Such tolerance is an important and vital part of our American heritage.
“Today, however, the world is in danger of abandoning all sense of absolute right or wrong, all morality and virtue, replacing them with an all-encompassing ‘tolerance’ that no longer means what it once meant. An extreme definition of tolerance is now widespread that implicitly or explicitly endorses the right of every person to choose their own morality, even their own ‘truth,’ as though morality and truth were mere matters of personal preference. This extreme tolerance culminates in a refusal to recognize any fixed standards or draw moral distinctions of any kind. Few dare say no to the ‘almighty self’ or suggest that some so-called ‘lifestyles’ may be destructive, contrary to higher law, or simply wrong.
“When tolerance is so inflated out of all proportions, it means the death of virtue, for the essence of morality is to draw clear distinctions between right and wrong. All virtue requires saying no firmly and courageously to all that is morally bankrupt.
“Curiously enough, this new modern tolerance is often a one-way street. Those who practice it expect everyone to tolerate them in anything they say or do, but show no tolerance themselves toward those who express differing viewpoints or defend traditional morality. Indeed, their intolerance is often most barbed toward those of religious conviction. But let there be no misunderstanding or deception: the First Amendment right of free speech applies to religious speech as well as to other kinds of speech. Believers of all faiths have every right to participate in and share their convictions in the public arena.” (“Defending the Family in a Troubled World,” Ensign, June 2011).
4. Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “We live in a world where more and more persons of influence are teaching and acting out a belief that there is no absolute right and wrong, that all authority and all rules of behavior are man-made choices that can prevail over the commandments of God. Many even question whether there is a God . . . Persuaded by this philosophy, many of the rising generation—youth and young adults—are caught up in self-serving pleasures, pagan painting and piercing of body parts, foul language, revealing attire, pornography, dishonesty, and degrading sexual indulgence . . .
“There is an alarming contrast between the older and younger generations. According to survey data of two decades ago, 79 percent of American adults [believed] that ‘there are clear guidelines about what’s good and evil that apply to everyone regardless of the situation.’ In contrast, a more recent poll of college seniors suggests that ‘three-quarters of [them] believe that the difference between right and wrong is relative.’ [SK’s note: I cannot help worrying about how many of those college seniors will end up as teachers in classrooms attended by our grandchildren.]
“The kingdom of God is like a leaven. A leaven—yeast—is hidden away in the larger mass until the whole is . . . raised by its influence. Our Savior taught that His followers will have tribulation in the world, that their numbers and dominions will be small, and that they will be hated because they are not of the world. But that is our role. We are called to live with other children of God who do not share our faith or our values and who do not have the covenant obligations we have assumed . . . Since followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to be a leaven—not to be taken out of the world, but to remain in it—we must seek tolerance from those who hate us for not being of the world . . . We do not abandon the truth or our covenants” (“Truth and Tolerance,” CES Devotional for Young Adults, Sept. 11, 2011).
As I was watching the live broadcast the night Elder Oaks gave his talk, and I was struck by what I heard in his closing remarks:
“The Bible teaches that one of the functions of a prophet is to be a ‘watchman’ to warn Israel (see Ezekiel 3:17; 33:7). In revelation the Lord added this parable for modern Zion: ‘Set . . . a watchman upon the tower,’ who will ‘[see] the enemy while he [is] yet afar off’ and give warning to save the ‘vineyard from the hands of the destroyer’ (D&C 101:45, 54).
“I have spoken to you as one of those watchmen on the subject the Spirit has assigned me. I assure you that my message is true. If you have doubts about this, or if you have questions about how to apply these principles in your own life, I urge you to seek guidance from the same source.”
The popular call right now is for tolerance. As a Christian pastor has said, "Sadly, the debate about Christianity has shifted from 'Is it true?' to 'Was anyone offended?'" (Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, Seattle). If we ever find that the societal pressure is causing us to waver in our role as the Lord's designated "latter-day leaven"—if we find ourselves fondling the attitude of letting every man live according to whatever lifestyle makes him happy—then it may be time for a course correction, that is, to do precisely what Elder Oaks said we should do: “Seek guidance from the same source” that “assigned” him to make those statements. I am confident that if we do, we will know that he spoke the truth and that there really are standards of right and wrong that God expects us to embrace, even in this so-called “modern world.”
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