I did like the sentiment of the essay, but there were a few points that were off base for me, to be honest. The concept of marriage being a right rather than a privilege, whether marriage is something the overall homosexual community even truly wants, what homosexual leaders' intentions are, and the entire idea that the church is somehow against homosexuals are all debatable. For one, church doctrine and the way individuals interpret that doctrine and form it into a culture are completely different things. If people shut out homosexuals, it is because they do not understand the true doctrine the church teaches- to love people unconditionally. Homosexual members of the church, I would hope, would understand the reality of their struggles in a doctrinal light- that all people have their own thorn, as it were, that they deal with. For someone outside the church, it is difficult to understand unless you actually study, which frankly, most people are too lazy to attempt. Even members don't understand. Quick judgments that Mormons are all bigots are easy to make. I think the whole point of the church's involvement in Prop 8 was focused on taking a moral stand that actually has social impact. For something as important as the family, the center of society, both religious and nonreligious, making a decision towards morality was paramount. That is why church members were urged to contribute. The church had "urged" in 1995 the same thing. The church simply pushed harder than before. Separation of the issues is most important. On one hand is loving of individuals: homosexuals as people. The other issue is marriage- something considered sacred. (If you want to address polygamy, really study it out as it was something sacred-- I recommend "Rough Stone Rolling"- a biography of Joseph Smith.) Church leadership knew the PR nightmare that would inevitably come, yet they felt it important to make their point clear: that society supports marriage because it helps families with balance of the sexes to be stronger. That is why civil marriage exists- to publicly support sound institutions. PR nightmare, sure- there are hundreds of ways to misunderstand. But that is nothing new to LDS people. Misunderstanding is what has been a part of the church's history since the onset- even until now.
On Prop 8: Mormon Persecution, Marriage and the Refuge of Patriotism
I did like the sentiment of the essay, but there were a few points that were off base for me, to be honest. The concept of marriage being a right rather than a privilege, whether marriage is something the overall homosexual community even truly wants, what homosexual leaders' intentions are, and the entire idea that the church is somehow against homosexuals are all debatable. For one, church doctrine and the way individuals interpret that doctrine and form it into a culture are completely different things. If people shut out homosexuals, it is because they do not understand the true doctrine the church teaches- to love people unconditionally. Homosexual members of the church, I would hope, would understand the reality of their struggles in a doctrinal light- that all people have their own thorn, as it were, that they deal with. For someone outside the church, it is difficult to understand unless you actually study, which frankly, most people are too lazy to attempt. Even members don't understand. Quick judgments that Mormons are all bigots are easy to make. I think the whole point of the church's involvement in Prop 8 was focused on taking a moral stand that actually has social impact. For something as important as the family, the center of society, both religious and nonreligious, making a decision towards morality was paramount. That is why church members were urged to contribute. The church had "urged" in 1995 the same thing. The church simply pushed harder than before. Separation of the issues is most important. On one hand is loving of individuals: homosexuals as people. The other issue is marriage- something considered sacred. (If you want to address polygamy, really study it out as it was something sacred-- I recommend "Rough Stone Rolling"- a biography of Joseph Smith.) Church leadership knew the PR nightmare that would inevitably come, yet they felt it important to make their point clear: that society supports marriage because it helps families with balance of the sexes to be stronger. That is why civil marriage exists- to publicly support sound institutions. PR nightmare, sure- there are hundreds of ways to misunderstand. But that is nothing new to LDS people. Misunderstanding is what has been a part of the church's history since the onset- even until now.