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Facts Regarding the LDS Church and Proposition 8
I am disgusted by the attacks against my religion regarding the passage of proposition 8 in California. I woke up to this news report this morning and decided that I could no longer stand silent on the issue.
Fact: Barack Obama - who was overwhelmingly supported by homosexuals - does not support gay marriage.
Fact: The LDS Church only has 800,000 members in California. More then 52% of people voted “yes on 8″. The LDS Church members alone could not have passed proposition 8.
Fact: Catholics and other Christian groups were just as involved in the effort to pass prop 8 as the LDS Church. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento released this statement:
“Catholics stand in solidarity with our Mormon brothers and sisters in support of traditional marriage — the union of one man and one woman — that has been the major building block of Western Civilization for millennia.
The ProtectMarriage coalition, which led the successful campaign to pass Proposition 8, was an historic alliance of people from every faith and ethnicity. LDS were included — but so were Catholics and Jews, Evangelicals and Orthodox, African-Americans and Latinos, Asians and Anglos.
Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8.”
Fact: The fact that other Churches and organizations that participated in the “yes on 8″ movement are not being targeted by protesters proves that this is a bigoted assault on the LDS Church and not a protest against the passage of prop 8.
Fact: Opposition against prop 8 in California was centered mainly in the bay area. The rest of the state leaned toward passage of the proposition. Many civic leaders - including the mayor of San Diego - supported the passage of prop 8.
Fact: The LDS Church supports some rights for homosexuals. The Church stated:
Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong. The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches.
Fact: Californians have now voted against gay marriage twice in the last eight years.
Fact: Without the support of the Black and Latino community, prop 8 would not have passed. Obviously many minority group do not view homosexual rights as a civil right (I would like to see the gay groups protesting outside the LDS Temple in L.A. take their protest to the minority neighborhoods of south central L.A. I wonder how that would go over?).
Fact: Not all members of the LDS Church supported Prop 8 and some declined to participate in the “yes on 8″ effort.
Fact: The LDS Church has a constitutional right to participate in the political process. There is absolutely no violation of the separation of church and state and those who believe there is are uneducated regarding the issue of the separation of church and state. Again, the LDS Church has stated:
“Some, however, have mistakenly asserted that churches should not ever be involved in politics when moral issues are involved. In fact, churches and religious organizations are well within their constitutional rights to speak out and be engaged in the many moral and ethical problems facing society. While the Church does not endorse candidates or platforms, it does reserve the right to speak out on important issues.”
Fact: The “no on 8″ movement raised more money than the “yes on 8″ movement yet the proposition still passed. This proves that donations in support of the proposition alone could not have been an overriding factor in passing the proposition.
Fact: Mormon’s are being unfairly targeted by the hate of the homosexual left. This group is now advocating taking away the rights of a Church that is protected by the Constitution of the United States. Attacks directed exclusively at Latter Day Saints over Prop 8 constitute a form of bigotry perpetuated by a group that makes the loudest arguments against bigotry. Vandalism and some forms of protest directed at the LDS Church constitute a form of violence against a religious minority. The LDS Church issued this important statement:
It is disturbing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election.
Members of the Church in California and millions of others from every faith, ethnicity and political affiliation who voted for Proposition 8 exercised the most sacrosanct and individual rights in the United States — that of free expression and voting.
While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.
Once again, we call on those involved in the debate over same-sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information.
I won’t allow a debate or anti-mormon hate on my blog. COMMENTS CLOSED.