Does the Mormon Church Speak for You on Marriage?

Mormons Emerge as Dominant Force in California Marriage Discrimination Fight

While fire-brand evangelicals routinely make headlines for their support or opposition to various political issues, the Mormon church has largely remained on the sidelines.

Not this year. Mormon's believe they know what's best when it comes to the issue of marriage and are at the forefront of the effort to pass California's Proposition 8- the first ballot measure that would rescind an existing constitutional right to marry.

Campaign finance reports have disclosed that Mormons are substantially funding the marriage discrimination ballot initiative in California, Proposition 8.

As of October 21st, out of the $25 million-plus raised by the supporters of the gay marriage ban in California around $10 million or 44% of total funding has come from Mormons. According to the website, mormonsfor8.com, over $9.7 million in Mormon funding has come from those making contributions of $1,000 or more.

By comparison, the Connecticut based Catholic Church group, the Knights of Columbus, has dumped $1.25 million into California and Focus on the Family, based in Colorado and run by right-wing activist James Dobson, has weighed in with $400,000.

Mormons are also being told to support the marriage discrimination measure in Arizona. In 2006 Arizona became the first state in the nation to reject a ban on same sex marriage. This year's constitutional amendment, referred to the ballot by forty nine Republican state legislators, would change the Arizona constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Proposition 102 would needlessly tamper with the state constitution in order to discriminate against the LGBT community. Arizona voters made their views known on the issue of marriage just two ago. Forty nine Republican politicians should not be able to overturn the voters on this issue.

In Attacking Gays, Mormons Join Forces with Peddlers of Anti-Mormon Propaganda

According to Hans Johnson, President of Progressive Victory, "the most politically volatile fact about the overwhelming LDS (Mormon) contributions is that it opens up vulnerability in the anti-equality coalition."

Several producers of antigay propaganda also market anti-Mormon propaganda, materials labeled by Mormon Church leaders as slanderous and hateful. These include titles by California-based video company Jeremiah Films such as "The God Makers," which calls Mormonism a cult bent on global domination.

That several far-right organizations, including California-based Traditional Values Coalition, who are lead proponents of antigay measures such as Prop 8, promote Jeremiah Films' materials is a potentially damaging revelation to California's Yes-on-8 campaign.

The antigay-anti-Mormon linkage proved particularly explosive in Idaho in a 1994 ballot measure fight. There the sponsors of the state antigay ballot measure (Prop 1) actually used an antigay video made by Jeremiah Films as an organizing and fund-raising tool in their campaign. The revelation that their campaign resources helped bankroll the leading manufacturer of anti-Mormon propaganda detonated following the No-on-1 campaign's release of a carefully researched white paper on the subject. The report generated news coverage in the 10 days prior to the election and denunciations from the leaders of Mormon stakes in five heavily Mormon counties in Idaho. Mormon voters tipped against the measure and defeated Proposition 1 by about 3,000 votes statewide.

Will the Mormon Church Re-Write the California Constitution?

Proposition 8 seeks to embed wording in the Constitution that would eliminate the fundamental right to marriage, since the only way to deny marriage to gay and lesbian couples is by rewriting the state constitution.

With the Mormon Church leading the charge to re-write California's constitution the choice is clear for voters.

Do you believe the Mormon Church shares your values on marriage or do you believe the constitution should treat everyone equally?

Comments

[AllanF]

Clutter the lawns of their temples with "NO ON 8" signs...!

Let them get back in their covered wagons and head back east to Utah...

[craigary]

As a Californian, I seriously resent huge religious groups from outside the state coming in to push an initiative that doesn't even affect them directly. Add to that the amount of misinformation they're spreading about this issue. and some of the disturbing revelations pointed out by Ms. Wilfore above, and there are plenty of reasons to vote NO ON 8.

[quadman]

There are over 700,000 LDS in California. Most of the LDS work in CA is done by them.

[BobbyJoe]

The Mormon church has a long history of being on the wrong side of civil rights. In 1974, for example, the Mormons were nearly taken to federal court by the NAACP over their refusal to allow African-Americans into leadership positions in groups like the Boy Scouts (A convenient "revelation" at the time allowed the church to reverse its racist policy before it became a national public relations disaster). That's the mid-1970s, mind you, not the mid-1950s, but at the time the church was still openly advocating blatantly racist policies.

The church's history on these matters should be better known to all voters-- and it would behoove folks like the "No on Prop 8" supporters to help educate the public about this-- so that voters can see that the Mormon church has a distinct and specific history of openly oppressing minorities, and that everyone should be vigilant when this particular church starts interfering in civil rights issues.

[64belvedere]

As a pacticing memeber of the LDS church I am disturbed by Church political involvement with Prop8. In the same way I am free to practice the religion of my choice others are entitled to live a life of fullfillment, happiness; their own value system with the same perks & privileges I have. regardless of race, sex, oreientation. Keeping in mind we are servants of God & not his spokeperson. I just wanted to say not all mormons march lock-step.

[craigary]

Well said, thanks. My g/f's family is also of the LDS church (she herself is not practicing) and feels the same way as you expressed. It's good to remember. I've also heard stories that people in the Mormon church are basically being forced to give money to this cause, with threats to their eternal damnation if they don't. It's really sad.

[mitchoz]

A very close friend of mine is LDS and takes the same position as you. She says she has a better understanding of discrimination because she is LDS and has been discriminated against because of her beliefs.

[Novae]

My best friend - a Mormon - has informed me, quite angrily, that this is not how the Mormon church says it should behave. She tells me that the Mormon church preaches that people should reach their own decisions on most of the truths and freedoms of the world, because the word of man is fallible and cannot dictate what God thinks.

Myself, I think her church here locally is probably just more open-minded than the one in Utah. Not that I'm qualified to have an opinion here.