For those of us affected at a distance, it’s a sobering reminder of how fragile this life is, and how quickly it can change.

For me, this news comes at a time when I have been deliberately separating myself from many of the activities and communities that have made demands on my time for well over a decade. It mostly revolves around Mormonism, whether it be the demands of various callings or the time spent writing for various blogs of the Bloggernacle, or even the time and energy spent working to help sustain various independent communities. I’ve given them up. I have neither the passion nor the energy to engage them any longer.

It almost sounds defeatist, but I am significantly happier now than I have been in a long, long time. Ideas, conversations, the wrestling with theology and religion – at one time these things animated my life. But my interest has completely dissipated. In their place I have found joy and happiness in just experiencing life with those I love. Even my time spent with the Monsters has changed – I tend to withdraw and listen when our discussions center around our religion and faith, while I find the time we spend just enjoying each others company – laughing, bantering, sharing – to be the moments I most cherish.

And my family. I’ve always spent a great deal of time with them, doing what I can to relate and to provide. But things have shifted recently – I am doing better at reflecting on and appreciating each moment. This past weekend, while Sunstone was in full swing, I disengaged from the community even more – turning off my phone, my email, my tethers, and escaping for a weekend focusing on my marriage and children. It was wonderful! From quiet moments with my wife over dinner to time playing with my children, it was a splendid weekend recalibrating and connecting.

There isn’t a clear point for this post. It’s simply reflective.

So tonight, as I explain to my son what happened to his friend, I’ll be thinking about the meaningful relationships in my life. I’ll be looking for ways to build even more memories and moments with my children. I’ll be appreciating the small things in life.

My heart is breaking for this family; even as my heart is filled with gratitude for the time I have to continue to make memories, enjoy experiences, and share this life with those I love.

In a 136 page ruling, Judge Walker ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.

The Church issued its own response. Essentially:

California voters have twice been given the opportunity to vote on the definition of marriage in their state and both times have determined that marriage should be recognized as only between a man and a woman. We agree.

As one Facebook commenter opined:

So here’s the church’s take. No discussion of equal protection or due process rights; instead it’s all about prior votes at the ballot box. Apparently it takes about a century for the trouble with popular majorities to fade from institutional memory.

Indeed.

It boils down to this, from Judge Walker’s ruling:

That the majority of California voters supported Proposition 8 is irrelevant, as “fundamental rights may not be submitted to [a] vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections.”¹

Amen, and amen.

I rejoice with my brothers and sisters tonight. Those of all orientations.

1. Walker cites West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette, 1943. The full paragraph is worth inclusion here: “The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. One’s right to life, liberty, and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections.”

Most of us like to believe that our opinions have been formed over time by careful, rational consideration of facts and ideas, and that the decisions based on those opinions, therefore, have the ring of soundness and intelligence. In reality, we often base our opinions on our beliefs, which can have an uneasy relationship with facts. And rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we chose to accept. They can cause us to twist facts so they fit better with our preconceived notions. Worst of all, they can lead us to uncritically accept bad information just because it reinforces our beliefs. This reinforcement makes us more confident we’re right, and even less likely to listen to any new information.

Since PostSecret rotates its images out each week, I’m including the card here:

"Faking It" - posted 2/21/10 @ postsecret.blogspot.com

The blog is at makebelievemormon.blogspot.com, though there isn’t a lot there yet. She’s only been blogging for a month, with 10 posts.

Sometimes these solo blogs are more for the individual, something akin to a personal journal for therapy. But it also seems very lonely, as there are so many stories like this. Many people who struggle with aspects of the Mormon faith seem to think they are unique in these struggles, and they feel completely isolated and alone.

I think we are fortunate to have our group, and I think it is especially valuable to work out faith struggles in a personal, rather than on-line, setting. It is too easy for people sitting behind a keyboard and, likely, a pseudonym to spout off without regard for the individual. The discussions that we have had together are, I think, rare, and difficult to find for many who would otherwise benefit from them.

It isn’t lost on me that I am pointing out the limits of on-line forums as we, ourselves, begin to share our discussions in just such a forum. My hope is that we can archive these and continue our discussions here, while others who lack the relationships to consider these things in a serious and supportive way might listen in and participate.

Removing part of the brain can induce inner peace… Their study provides the strongest evidence to date that spiritual thinking arises in, or is limited by, specific brain areas.

It goes on to detail that two specific locations in the back of the brain that, when damaged, can increase spirituality, whereas damage to frontal areas show no such affect.

Further, in one of the most interesting portions of the article, it draws a distinction between areas of the brain that show activity with religious beliefs and spirituality:

Previous studies have shown that a broad network of frontal and parietal brain regions underlies religious beliefs. But spirituality does not seem to involve exactly the same regions of the brain as religion.

Thoughts?