Who's on the Lord's Side

So, I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I wanted to blog about some of the serious issues facing our world and our church today.  I have been stewing over and thinking a lot about these issues lately and have come to a firm conclusion.  I hope not to offend anyone who reads this but I feel it a necessity to be blunt in my opinions and I stress just that.  That these are strictly my opinions as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I won't get into any of the politics of the issues.  My opinions are strictly from a spiritual standpoint.  Also, my thoughts are going a million miles an hour right now so this may come out a jumbled mess but bear with me.

Ok.  Here goes.  I am going to focus on two topics that have been at the forefront of my mind lately; feminism and gay marriage.  In this post I am going to focus on gay marriage so be watching for Part 2.  I feel like lately there are a lot of members of the church who are siding with those who feel like gays should have the "right" to get married.  I'm not saying a huge proportion, but I know people myself who are active members of the church who will march right on down the streets with those who call themselves homosexual, to fight for their cause.  To me this is contradictory.  I don't understand how people can go to church each week and profess to be faithful followers of Christ, yet they blatantly oppose some of His teachings.  The first presidency of our church has issued statements regarding the church's position on gay marriage.  Here is a link to answer the question about where the church stands, for those who don't know: http://mormon.org/faq/stand-on-homosexuality.  I'm not trying to be judgmental towards these people.  It's more just something that is confusing to me.  On facebook awhile back I read a blog from a man who is a member of the church.  His thoughts mirrored mine completely.  He said nothing judgmental about homosexuals.  He basically discussed the fact that if we truly believe that our Prophet is a man of God and that he is leading this church with the help of our Savior, how can we be on the fence about the issue.  If we want to answer the temple recommend questions in complete honesty, we can't be undecided about where we stand on this issue.  Here are the topics discussed in the temple recommend interview:  (I pasted this right off of lds.org)

1. Your testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
2. Whether you sustain the President of the Church.
3. Whether you live the law of chastity, pay tithing, are honest with others, and keep the Word of Wisdom.
4. Whether you strive to attend church, keep the covenants you have made, and keep your life in harmony with the commandments of the gospel.

Another question that is asked, is whether we support anything that is contrary to the teachings of the church.  I can see where a person would have issues with most of these questions, if they were in support of gay marriage.  This is a crucial time for members of the church.  My  husband called it a weeding out process.  The Lord is sorting the wheat from the tares.

D&C 86: 1-7

 1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servants, concerning the ^aparable of the ^bwheat and of the tares:

 2 Behold, verily I say, the field was the world, and the apostles were the ^asowers of the seed;

 3 And after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the ^awhore, even ^bBabylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the ^ctares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the ^dchurch into the wilderness.

 4 But behold, in the ^alast days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender—

 5 Behold, verily I say unto you, the ^aangels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to ^breap down the fields;

 6 But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.

 7 Therefore, let the wheat and the ^atares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be ^bburned.

Satan is stronger than ever and so we need to be more vigilant than ever.  The world says and does one thing, but we must not be of the world.  We may think it's harmless to say that we don't really care about these issues when confronted by the world, friends, even some family members.  But it can be.  I'm not saying we have to go out and condemn or even shout it from the rooftops.  That's not what the Savior would want us to do.  But he is asking us who's side we are on.  If we aren't in agreement with ALL the teachings of the church in our hearts and mind, then who's side are we really on?  I just want to be clear that I am on the Lord's side, come persecution and mocking, and it will come to all of us eventually.  We will all have to face the world when we take a stand, but if we are on the Lord's side, we already know who wins this battle of good and evil and we have no need to fear.  

Lyrics

1. Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
   Now is the time to show.
   We ask it fearlessly:
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
   We wage no common war,
   Cope with no common foe.
   The enemy's awake;
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
2. (Chorus)
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
   Now is the time to show.
   We ask it fearlessly:
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
3. We serve the living God,
   And want his foes to know
   That, if but few, we're great;
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
   We're going on to win;
   No fear must blanch the brow.
   The Lord of Hosts is ours;
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
4. The stone cut without hands
   To fill the earth must grow.
   Who'll help to roll it on?
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
   Our ensign to the world
   Is floating proudly now.
   No coward bears our flag;
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
5. The pow'rs of earth and hell
   In rage direct the blow
   That's aimed to crush the work;
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
   Truth, life, and liberty,
   Freedom from death and woe,
   Are stakes we're fighting for;
   Who's on the Lord's side? Who?