They that be with us

And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man…and he saw…the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. 2 Kings 6:17

Recently my 10-year old son asked me why he and my daughter are the only Mormons in their school (or two-percent of the student body). After explaining that with 2% of the U.S. population being Latter-day Saints, they were accurately represented, I went on to say, There may be only two Mormons, but most of the kids in your school want to be good and do good, just like you do.

That there are many who want to do good here in Massachusetts was clearly evident this past week.

As you may recall, in 2003, the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts ruled that the state Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry. This ruling was historic, not just because it legalized same-sex marriage, but because it dealt a tremendous blow to religious freedom. While three judges dissented (their socially liberal views notwithstanding) on the grounds that such a momentous decision should be left to the proper legislative and judicial processes, not imposed by judicial fiat, four judges violated the spirit of their appointments by unilaterally reinterpreting the constitutional definition of marriage.

The constitutional end run didn’t stop there. In 2006, when the voters presented the state Legislature with a petition signed by more than 170,000 (3x more than necessary) to put a Protection of Marriage amendment on the ballot, they were constitutionally bound to at least a “yea” or “nay” vote”. Because of successful lobbying by the opposition, this simple yea or nay vote was postponed in May, July, and again in November.

I’ll confess, I didn’t believe the vote would take place on January 2, 2007 either. Had there not been a vote on the last day of this legislative session (or less than 50 “yea” votes), the amendment would have been quashed, taking its proponents back to square one – re-collecting petitions, with the attack on the freedom to say and teach what we believe continuing unabated.

But the vote did happen. And not only did rule of law prevail, the 50 votes needed to advance the measure were obtained: 61 lawmakers voted in favor, 132 against. Now just one more hurdle, a similar yea or nay vote will take place sometime in 2007-2008, before the amendment can appear on the ballot in 2008 for a statewide vote.

What does this have to do with Latter-day Saints – and the seeking out of common ground?

Earlier this year, the First Presidency urged members of the Church to contact our lawmakers in support of the traditional institution of marriage. But with only 25,000 members of the Church in Massachusetts, accounting for 4 out of every 1,000 people, Latter-day Saints alone could not tip the scales in this situation.

Thus, while I am grateful for the handful of Latter-day Saints who have done more than their fair share, and to Senate president Robert Travaglini who displayed considerable courage in calling for a vote, I am especially grateful for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference (the public policy office of the Catholic church in MA) and Massachusetts Family Institute (an organization with strong support from the Evangelical community). Without these religious leaders encouraging their congregants to urge their legislators to put the question to a vote, the vote would not have happened.

Paraphrasing Elder Orson F. Whitney -- God is indeed using more than one people to carry forward His great and marvelous work here on the earth, a work that is far too vast and arduous for one people.