I don't want to be just another guy talking about Proposition 8 in California.  There is enough vitriol flying around the internet already.

I want to try to write a perspective of one who has, as some would say, unorthodox views.  Others might call them apostate.

Let me say that I sustain the leaders of the church as prophets, seers and revelators.  Were I a California resident, I would vote as commanded.  I have thrown my lot in with these people, I would obey.  My reasoning for this is a story for another time.

Here is the skinny: I am very disturbed at how the issue has been treated by university students, and maybe by church members in general...I feel like there are proposition 8 pep rallies all around me, simplifying a complicated issue into a buzzword or a slogan.

The "do as you're told, maintain the status quo" mentality is what kept us in the Garden of Eden. 

Like many people, I formed my opinions on gay marriage and its legal implications a long time before the church came out so heavily for Proposition 8.  Initially I was very opposed to it (shocking!).  I came to conclusions, I had personal experiences and friendships that shaped my worldview and put me into a position to see things from a different perspective.  It is not something I am detached from, nor am I in that comfortable naive state where how we decide to treat homosexuals is a problem that doesn't affect me or the people I love.  None of us are, though many would like to believe that homosexuals just don't exist.

My purpose is not to discuss homosexuality, or even the California elections.  I am talking about a fundamental flaw I see in how we approach our politics as a culture.  Any iota of reticence towards "Yes on 8" is met with disdain and name calling by many; the campus newspaper is sprinkled with terms like "apostate" and "disobedience."  Really?

I am sorry, but this is more than a fad for me.  This election will come and go and you will stop caring and trying to get me to man phone banks.  You will move onto the next hot button issue, or more likely whatever is hot fall fashion this year.

I would that before we start trying to control or subvert certain behaviors, we should take a long hard look at our behavior towards others.  That is the morality that I would vote for.  Even chastity, if it has not charity, is nothing.