A friend of mine sent this to me. It is meant to be a little snarky and maybe poke fun. However, I think it illustrates a point where we can sit and ponder about empathy.
How do we feel when our rights are being challenged?
In 1879, the beginnings of the unraveling of Mormon polygamy began. Many do not realize that polygamy in early Mormonism was actually a relatively small part of the population. Of my ancestors alive at that time, maybe half of the men were polygamists and the other half were not. Mostly the church leaders were mostly involved in higher levels of polygamy.
While it was not challenged and stopped until later, polygamy was a sore spot for many. It dealt with religious liberties, freedoms, and was very central to the teachings of the church at the time. Contrary to popular belief, we still do not know why polygamy happened as leaders have given various reasons. But it WAS central to doctrine similar to heterosexual families are to LDS doctrine now.
People can be very sensitive to issues which affect their core values. Things like their religion and self-identity (which includes things like gender, sexuality and racial identity...) When any of those core values are challenged, it is upsetting.
At the time, there were protests and people very upset about it... Later on, some pioneers went to Mexico and Canada to practice polygamy or carried it out in secret. Why? Because it was CENTRAL to their core values---their religious beliefs.
Now, homosexuals and their allies have issues with their core values---their sexual identity. Much like religious beliefs, these core values are very central to their belief structure. Now, we could criticize this and say "sexuality shouldn't be a basis
How do we feel when our rights are being challenged?
In 1879, the beginnings of the unraveling of Mormon polygamy began. Many do not realize that polygamy in early Mormonism was actually a relatively small part of the population. Of my ancestors alive at that time, maybe half of the men were polygamists and the other half were not. Mostly the church leaders were mostly involved in higher levels of polygamy.
While it was not challenged and stopped until later, polygamy was a sore spot for many. It dealt with religious liberties, freedoms, and was very central to the teachings of the church at the time. Contrary to popular belief, we still do not know why polygamy happened as leaders have given various reasons. But it WAS central to doctrine similar to heterosexual families are to LDS doctrine now.
People can be very sensitive to issues which affect their core values. Things like their religion and self-identity (which includes things like gender, sexuality and racial identity...) When any of those core values are challenged, it is upsetting.
At the time, there were protests and people very upset about it... Later on, some pioneers went to Mexico and Canada to practice polygamy or carried it out in secret. Why? Because it was CENTRAL to their core values---their religious beliefs.
Now, homosexuals and their allies have issues with their core values---their sexual identity. Much like religious beliefs, these core values are very central to their belief structure. Now, we could criticize this and say "sexuality shouldn't be a basis