Reasons for negativity around homosexual marriages

This was prompted by a friend on Facebook asking why the negatively around homosexual marriages. I posted the numbered comments in the comments under her post. Earlier in the day I had posted the other three items as my status. This all after the Supreme Court said DOMA and California Prop 8 were unconstitutional today. 

Under my friend's status: First let me make it clear I am for the same and equal rights for homosexual couples as heterosexual couples have. This issue would best be solved by changing the word ‘marriage’ in all legal documents to ‘civil union’. Current marriages would be grandfathered in and all new ones would have to have a civil union and then have the religious marriage. The negativity around homosexual marriage is 

1. a belief that marriage is a sacred union ordained of our Heavenly Father to be between man and woman only. Marriage is a religious ceremony, a religious covenant between man, woman and our Heavenly Father.

2. sexual intimacy is only proper between married couples.

3. assumption made that homosexual couples that are married will be engaging in sexual intimate activity and that behavior is wrong.

4. with homosexual marriage legally sanctioned we are being forced to accept a behavior that is wrong to be ok. ie white is now black and black is now white.

5. concern of what some homosexual activists will do to a church that believes a homosexual marriage is wrong and refuses to perform said marriage. Do not doubt that it will happen. Making homosexual marriage legal is an infringement on religious freedom.

6. if this was an issue of only same and equal rights, then they should have been fighting for a change in language from ‘marriage’ to ‘civil unions’. Forcing acceptance of a wrong behavior is a part and a goodly part of the issue.

Please see The Family Proclamation   http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation

My status posts, first one:

So what happens when a gay activist couple decided to sue a church for not performing their marriage because the church believes it is a sin? And do not doubt for a minute that there is a couple out there right now that will do that. This is and will be an infringement on religious freedom.
It still seems to me that the best solution is to strike marriage from all laws and replace with civil unions that everyone has to get. Leave marriage to be a sacred religious union. That would give everyone the same legal right.
There is nothing wrong with being any sexual orientation. But our Heavenly Father has made it clear that marriage is a sacred union between man and woman and that sexual intimacy is only proper within the bounds of marriage. It is the behaviour not the being that is wrong.
I know there are those that will disagree with me. So be it.

Second one:

If the same sex marriage issue was about legal rights, then they should have been working to change the language to civil union in place of marriage. It is my recollection that at least one European country uses civil unions for legal definition and then the couple can get married in a religious ceremony. To me this issue or at least a goodly portion of it is about forcing those of us who believe homosexual behaviour to be wrong to accept it as right -- ie that white is black and black is white. I don't try to change other people's beliefs. I wish other people would not try to change mine.

Third one:

A couple of links about family and same sex attraction.

http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation
http://www.mormonsandgays.org/

Bella should be with Edward

Bella should be with Edward, no ifs ands or buts about it.

A recent exchange of emails with LJ Summers (links at end) got me thinking about just why do I have such a strong reaction to Bella being with a member of the wolf pack. I thought about this as I went about daily tasks and came to a couple of conclusions.

To me the pack is a bunch of male chauvinist shape shifters. They need to protect and take care of their people and especially their imprint if they have one. The other tribe members are mortal humans and need protection from supernatural beings that only they can provide. It is as if the other tribal members are victims or possible victims already and need protection and taking care of. Now, fortunately their legends apparently instill some sense of duty, burden, humility and ground them so they are not arrogant and acting all superior to rest of tribe. 

The imprinting compulsion seems to be tied to mates for making better wolves or at least continue the gene. They don’t like the fact that there is a female shape shifter able to take care of herself and others. However grounded they may be, it does seem to me that their mentality is ‘keep their mates pregnant and barefoot and in the kitchen’. To me that is part of the reason why Rebecca and Rachel Black left, with only Rebecca being totally successful.

The idea of thinking of others as possible victims is one thing that bothers me in regards to Bella staying human and a mate of a pack member. She is so much stronger than that, not physically but inside. Would a mere human go to a sadistic vampire to try to save her mother? No. But Bella does. She has the strength to face James, even terrified as she becomes she still faces him. If Bella stays human with Edward or a pack member, physically she would need to be protected. She would be stuck being a victim, needing to be rescued at times from her own clumsiness or supernatural beings. That is degrading her strength. If with a pack member, she would be limited by staying on the reservation or in Forks. She would not be able to become all that she is capable of. That is so wrong!

Bella with Jacob has some additional problems for me. He is two years younger than her, no matter that he looks older once starts shifting. He manipulates her. He physically attacked her. They really don’t have much in common. He really is a better friend than anything more.

Is my perception of the pack accurate or fair? Maybe yes, maybe no, but it is how I see them from just the original books. Am I giving fan fiction stories with Bella staying human and with a pack member a fair chance? Likely I am not, but I’ve not been able to get around my strong feelings for a strong Bella to read much more than a few one-shots like LJ Summers’ Do You Remember? There are enough other fan fiction stories to keep me busy reading.

She deserves to be a supernatural being herself. With her ‘silent mind’ she was meant for Edward. With her inner strength she was meant to be a vampire with the physical strength to match. No, she won’t grow and change, but she will learn and experience a lot more as a vampire. She will find a way to make use of that knowledge. I personally think she’ll have all of the Cullens out of school and working more often than not.

LJ Summers has written a number of fan fiction stories. She has a series under Imprinting: the Mating Imperative. She kindly responded to some questions I had about the series after telling her I won’t read them. I’ve read a number of her other stories. We already agree to disagree about this issue. Those exchange of emails is what got me started thinking about my strong aversion to Bella with a wolf shape shifter. She helped keep my mind busy the other day. Thanks for that and by extension worked up enough to post on my blog again. Here are the links for her fan fiction profile and the first story of the Imprinting series and the other story mentioned. A warning that bittersweet is her favorite flavor and some ironic twists and endings really fit bittersweet.

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1965916/LJ-Summers

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5208316/1/The-Hardest-Part

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5351456/1/Do-You-Remember