06/24/2008
Mormon Church Asks LDS Members to Fight Same-Sex Marriage
A letter from the First Presidency of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City to be read in Sunday services by California church leaders urging their congregations to do what they can to support the state's ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage was leaked early, and has pissed off the gay and lesbian Mormon support group "Affirmation".
Says the letter: "The Church's teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the Creator's plan for His children. We ask that you do all you can to support the constitutional amendment...to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman."
Affirmation's executive director released a statement in response: "Like all Mormons, the members of Affirmation believe strongly in the worth and sanctity of families - all families."
Posted 12:37 PM EST by Andy Towle in California, Gay Marriage, Mormon, News, Religion | Permalink
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I"m so glad my devout Mormon friend (who I am very close to) is tolerant and wouldn't try to fight same sex marriage.
And while her religion doesn't allow non-Mormons to attend her wedding, I sure as hell would invite her to mine, seeing that I can now legally marry.
Posted by: MateoM | Jun 24, 2008 12:45:21 PM
I"m so glad my devout Mormon friend (who I am very close to) is tolerant and wouldn't try to fight same sex marriage.
And while her religion doesn't allow non-Mormons to attend her wedding, I sure as hell would invite her to mine, seeing that I can now legally marry.
Posted by: MateoM | Jun 24, 2008 12:45:56 PM
How can devout LDSers even pretend to be all-loving when they are so so hatefully intolerant?
The church's stand on moral issues also goes with political sentiment. Its prophet has these epiphanies when social mores demand it.
Abolishing polygamy and allowing African-Americans into the church only came AFTER U.S. laws and the civil rights movement, respectively, forced the issue.
Methinks the prophet will have an about-face - and, lo, suddenly the LDS community will be all about the gays - when same-sex marriage gets federal equality.
Posted by: sad | Jun 24, 2008 12:48:43 PM
Time to pull their tax exempt status,pronto!
Posted by: Nathan B | Jun 24, 2008 12:51:54 PM
attention pedophile/polygamist mormons: intolerance and ignorance cuts both ways.
Posted by: Ulrich | Jun 24, 2008 12:58:44 PM
Seriously, I'm writing the IRS about this. It is an attempt to influence legislation. I believe that is a violation.
http://www.irs.gov/
The Mormons badly want Romney in a cabinet position in a McCain presidency.
Posted by: DwH | Jun 24, 2008 1:08:02 PM
PLEASE....these people make me so angry lol ...they should be the last to throw rocks...we might not be perfect but we are by far a hateful community.
So what happened to all those 400 children, the under age girls??? why the media stopped talkign about it? its juicy media ...I wonder why...maybe cuz they are women? or perhaps this cult is too rich?
*** FLDS court order
Ending one of the largest custody cases in U.S. history, a Texas district judge on June 2 ordered the return of more than 400 children taken from their parents at the FLDS ranch. The judge also ordered that the parents:
— Are not allowed to leave Texas without court permission.
— Must participate in parenting classes.
— Must not interfere with any child abuse investigation.
— Must allow children to undergo psychiatric or medical exams.
— Must allow child welfare workers to make unannounced visits.
— Must notify Child Protective Services if planning to travel more than 100 miles from homes.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24931622/
Let's not forget this...let's grab them by the balls and make them face their on shit and decay.
yah, I knwo I can be blunt and vulgar, btu who cares these people don't need nice words..they need to be smacked on the back of their head.
Posted by: Bosie | Jun 24, 2008 1:08:06 PM
Time to pull their tax exempt status? That time is long past for all organized religions that've attempted to influence the outcome of elections or the passage of legislation.
Posted by: Robert | Jun 24, 2008 1:35:01 PM
P.S. The picture at the top of the story, how much does it look like it belongs in Moscow or Beijing?
Posted by: Robert | Jun 24, 2008 1:37:39 PM
no offense... but who are the Mormans to be ones giving the whole "ONE man ONE woman" argument ....?
They need to keep out.
Posted by: IndyTown | Jun 24, 2008 1:37:42 PM
I don't understand how it is legal, but somehow these churches are allowed to do this crap and keep their tax exempt status... Whatever, the tide is turning and these news stories give them much more importance than they should have. I think Romney is toast now, btw.. which is a good thing...
Posted by: Mike | Jun 24, 2008 1:49:02 PM
Fight same sex marriage, but, allow teenaged 'brides,' and multiple wives that flourish in SLC with members in good standing and can get into the celestial heaven with many wives, and contiune to say being gay is seond worst thing to murder OK.... Yet another reason these so called Christian terrorists and cultist need to stay out of government and in thier glass houses of worship.
And, is anyone forcing them to marry anyone, other than the child 'brides' and multiple wives???
Posted by: Sebastian | Jun 24, 2008 2:07:41 PM
Okay, gay ex-Mormon stepping in here.
Just to clarify, the YFZ Ranch polygamists (and most known "Mormon" polygamists) are FLDS - fundamentalists not recognized (or excommunicated) by the LDS Church.
Anyhow, as a former member, I'm saddened and hurt that the church continues to try and influence laws where their populations are strong. I find it hypocritical, especially considering the 12th Article of Faith (that every LDS child has to memorize at some point...):
"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."
Hmmm... obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. I don't see anything about influencing the law.
Disappointing, especially that I know my father will probably be one of the church leaders reading this to his congregation on Sunday. Awesome!
Posted by: Ben | Jun 24, 2008 2:20:53 PM
Guys, don't confuse Mormons with those fundamentalist sects.
Yes, the LDS church is archaic and creepily out-of-touch, but it does not sanction polygamy.
The average LDS is the sunny Stepford living next door.
Posted by: um no | Jun 24, 2008 2:21:33 PM
That picture is a reminder to me that Andy Towle used to live in my neighborhood. Westwood misses you, Andy!
Posted by: GM | Jun 24, 2008 2:41:09 PM
I can't take any of these people seriously (and neither should anyone else) until they first stand up to outlaw divorce and then once they have accomplished that, do everything they can to stop heterosexual fornication. Then maybe put adulterers to death or something along those lines. Then I will know they are serious about protecting marriage and will consider their arguments against gay marriage.
Btw, I was Mormon too, and the FLDS has as much to do with actual Mormons as the Branch Davidians or The People's Temple do with your local Episcopal/Presbyterian/Methodist church.
Posted by: paul | Jun 24, 2008 3:06:09 PM
Time for an amendment banning Mormon temple marriages because those are just weird and creepy and tear families apart because not everyone is allowed into the temple for the weddings.
Posted by: Stenar | Jun 24, 2008 3:08:39 PM
Another gay exmo here as well. Here's just a fun filled fact that most don't know about The Cult of Joseph Smith of Latter Day Sheep. Until 1989 when members went through the temple they were required to a vow of secrecy that if broken they would slit their throats from ear to ear and disembowel themselves using hand gestures.
So, besides mind control, they were a suicide cult as well.
Another line of bullshit the cult likes to use is that they quit practicing polygamy in 1890. Completely false, they continued to practice it well in the early 1900s.
Last, but not least, the Mormons were responsible for the largest act of terrorism on U.S. soil (till Timothy McVeigh and Oklahoma City bombing). They killed 120 innocent people in a wagon train
crossing through Mountain Meadows on September 11, 1847.
Posted by: Jason | Jun 24, 2008 4:17:42 PM
Now if only they would put a ban on those secret undergarments they wear that are just plain tacky and weird, and, the end of polygamy, since as any google search will show, they still tolerate it from the big money Mormon's. And, all these cultists of any so called church needs to be on the IRS's list to watch, keep their faith out of the courts.
McVeigh was a Mormon, wow, didn't know that.
Posted by: jeff | Jun 24, 2008 4:37:56 PM
McVeigh wasn't a Mormon as far as I know, he just snatched their record, but one of Matthew Shepard's killers was.
The Mormon church also performs posthumous baptisms by proxy. One of the people they chose to baptize into their death cult was none other than Adolph Hitler.
Posted by: Jason | Jun 24, 2008 6:26:24 PM
This is clearly political activity by a church which should disqualify it's tax-exempt status. Let the IRS know here:
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=106778,00.html
Posted by: Sam | Jun 24, 2008 7:23:46 PM
Surely there are some gay journalists who can take this story and run with it. This is insane and TRULY should threaten their tax-exempt status. Anybody got connections?
Posted by: Chris | Jun 25, 2008 1:15:05 AM
Do all you folks reporting this to the IRS also report Obama, Clinton, Gore and the rest using churches, especially black churches, to campaign? Or are you just a bunch of flipping hypocrites?
I have no problem with LDS affirming its religious view on the matter of marriage. I AM concerned about the specific call to action directed at the Nov election crossing the line just as I'm concerned about the Democrat's campaign tour of pulpits surely coming as it does for every Nov election cycle.
Are LDS "archaic and creepily out-of-touch" or just of a different belief system than yourself? Calling them "stepford neighbors" is not exactly tolerant.
What happened to "embracing diversity" or is that only for those who subscribe to "anything goes" progressive anarchy?
There's a lot of concern among religious folk that they will be compelled to officiate homosexual marriages or be banned from officiating any legal weddings. I would not support such a move but since I see so much vitriol and demand from progressives that a given religion "must change" to embrace their viewpoint rather than accept variations in revelation and interpretation and Faith, I believe those religious folks are RIGHT to express such concerns.
Posted by: queendru | Jun 25, 2008 9:30:54 AM
Folks,
I can't presume to know exactly what Queendru's beliefs are in a forum such as a blog's comment area, but it does present some common arguments used against advocates of same-sex marriage to which I want to respond.
It seems as if some people are upset when a church is belittled as "archaic and creepily out-of-touch", or when "progressive" persons themselves are intolerant of "variations in revelation and interpretation and Faith." While I appreciate any effort to encourage tolerance and identify hypocrisy, there could be some logical flaws in these perceptions.
For instance, while it may be virtuous to "embrace diversity" in the sense of "live and let live" with one's neighbors, there's a very big difference when those neighbors are specifically targeting you with criminalization or denial of Constitutionally gauranteed civil rights. Churches like the Mormons are actively working to deny me and my gay and lesbian friends access to equal protection under the law, equal access to the financial benefits of marriage, equal rights concerning medical decisions of life and death. If some say that California civil unions provide that equality, then I just shrug and say that this country long ago exposed the ridiculous fallacy of "separate but equal."
And while members of religious faiths may justify their support of prejudice as "freedom of religion," I have yet to see anyone actually propose that the government regulate any church's acceptance of gay marriage. The laws affect government institutions alone. What I do see is active lobbying by churches like the Mormons to attack same-sex marriage. It seems that its the churches that forget to keep faith and government separate, an idea originally conceived in order to protect both types of institutions! No one is telling a church what to believe or do. But churches are telling their members how to act in their roles as citizens within their resident national and state governments. Are you a citizen of a faith or a nation first? The U.S. Constitution says you shouldn't have to answer that question.
No one should ever be expected not to protect him- or herself against attacks on their person or liberties. If a church tells it's members to vote towards the criminalization of a type of citizen, or vote for the denial of equal access to protection, then that church should expect far more than simple name calling like "archaic" or "creepy." It should expect to be held accountable to it's own stated beliefs, if they supposedly include loving one's neighbor and charity. It should be expected to be respectfully co-exist with the prevailing cultural standards of it's resident nation, if it enjoys that nation's support and freedom from taxation or interference. And it should expect the fervent and justified push-back from the people it's trying to roll-over, not their participation in their own denigration.
Never expect me to "tolerate" my own destruction. Never expect me to "tolerate" anything that prevents me from nurturing my own relationship with a spouse, the right to choose how I raise my family, and the protection of mine and my family's liberties. The opposite of tolerance is not anarchy. The opposite of tolerance is intolerance and, right now, no church is the target of intolerance. Furthermore, the opposite of anarchy is not tolerance. It is order. And by protecting our civil rights, our families, and our persons, homosexual men and women encourage order through the support of our federal and state constitutions.
Gays and lesbians are the target of a concerted and mean-spirited intolerance. We can show support of our country as Americans by doing what Americans do: practicing our obligations as citizens to participate in and support the ideals of our Constitution. And, best of all, we can do so while remaining members of our various faiths, but remembering the proper jurisdiction of each role.
Posted by: Jano Rubio | Jun 25, 2008 11:20:02 AM
Go get em. I love the crazy misinformed rants we have going here, and the clarifications from the ex cult members like me. It takes me back to the rage I had when the LDS church spent $7million to fight gay marriage in Hawaii. They are bizarre, but they keep Utah a deliciously weird place to live. Imagine Stepford Wives, except peoples kinky sex involves dressing up like the amish and praying while you screw with your eyes tightly closed.
Posted by: Rikard | Jun 25, 2008 11:30:03 AM