There are protect marriage amendments up for vote in at least two states that I'm aware of, California and Arizona. Opponents of these efforts often criticize the LDS church for supporting these measures. Unfortunately, in today's political and moral climate, standing up for one's beliefs is often mistaken for intolerance by those who do not share that belief. This post is not about whether or not the protect marriage amendments should pass, but rather addresses why a church (like the Mormon church) has a right to be involved in the process. The protect marriage amendments are not fundamentally about discriminating against people who are gay. Their primary purpose is to seek to recognize the institution of marriage as between one man and one woman in law such that a judiciary cannot arbitrarily redefine what marriage is. The amendments as they currently stand do not seek to restrict any of the civil rights already granted to gay couples (things such as hospital visitation rights and others). So why then even need a marriage amendment? Why not let gay individuals marry just as a man and a women can?

There was a new article that just came over the "LDS wire" from the Deseret News (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660203879,00.html) about the impact of domestic violence on families and children. The article talks about the impact of violence in the home and what happens to children who witness or are victims of such violence. The results are truly tragic and led me to reflect upon my own home atmosphere that my family is growing up in and how I can ensure a loving, nurturing environment for them.

My home is free of the type of domestic violence described in the news article above, but, I realize that it's not without areas of improvement. Dealing correctly with conflict (such as disagreements or discipline situations) is an important part of any marriage and family. There are perhaps the rare few marriages and/or families who experience few conflict situations, but, for the majority of us, learning to deal with conflict constructively is an important parenting and relationship skill that can have dramatic effects upon a family and marriage. This issue is all the more sobering as I realize that my children are learning to deal with conflict and resolve it from watching me! What example am I setting for them?