The Mormon fight against marriage
What I don't get is why the Mormons are so adamant about defeating marriage equality in California. Nearly all the funding and volunteering for the "Yes on 8" campaign has come from the Mormon Church. Why? What's the deal with Mormons and California?
I know the Mormon Church is right up there with the Southern Baptists as far as right wing crazy goes, but what are they trying to prove in California? Why go to so much trouble?
The Mormon Church itself is involved in the campaign. It's not just Mormon voters in California who are involved, it's the leadership of the organization itself.
I don't get it. Why is this issue so important to the Mormon Church? What am I missing? The Mormon Church has never been civil to gay people, but why, all of a sudden, has it practically declared war on us?
One theory that I've seen is that the Mormon Church is trying to gain favor with the rest of the theocon movement, such as the Evangelical Movement and the Southern Baptist Convention. By defeating marriage equality in the largest state in the Union, the Mormons would finally have to be taken seriously by the other socially conservative religious groups, or so the theory goes. The Mormons and the Southern Baptists have long been rivals and I don't see this helping much in that regard. No matter what the Mormons do, the Southern Baptists are still going to think they are going to hell right along with the rest of us who don't believe in Christ. (Whether or not the Southern Baptists are correct about the Mormon Church not being Christian is irrelevant. We're talking about religious beliefs here. Facts don't matter.)
And what, besides work our asses off in response to keep marriage legal, are we going to do about it? What actions after November 4th should gay and lesbian people take regarding the Mormon Church? One idea that comes to mind is to boycott Mormon-owned businesses, and while I'm ready to do battle against the Cult of Salt Lake, I'm not thrilled with that idea. Up until this election, I never really thought of the Mormon Church as anything other than a small, insular group that had grown large enough over the years to be considered a religion. I have nothing against Mormon followers, but the religious organization they support financially is now actively fighting against my rights. How does one respond to that?
I know the Mormon Church is right up there with the Southern Baptists as far as right wing crazy goes, but what are they trying to prove in California? Why go to so much trouble?
The Mormon Church itself is involved in the campaign. It's not just Mormon voters in California who are involved, it's the leadership of the organization itself.
I don't get it. Why is this issue so important to the Mormon Church? What am I missing? The Mormon Church has never been civil to gay people, but why, all of a sudden, has it practically declared war on us?
One theory that I've seen is that the Mormon Church is trying to gain favor with the rest of the theocon movement, such as the Evangelical Movement and the Southern Baptist Convention. By defeating marriage equality in the largest state in the Union, the Mormons would finally have to be taken seriously by the other socially conservative religious groups, or so the theory goes. The Mormons and the Southern Baptists have long been rivals and I don't see this helping much in that regard. No matter what the Mormons do, the Southern Baptists are still going to think they are going to hell right along with the rest of us who don't believe in Christ. (Whether or not the Southern Baptists are correct about the Mormon Church not being Christian is irrelevant. We're talking about religious beliefs here. Facts don't matter.)
And what, besides work our asses off in response to keep marriage legal, are we going to do about it? What actions after November 4th should gay and lesbian people take regarding the Mormon Church? One idea that comes to mind is to boycott Mormon-owned businesses, and while I'm ready to do battle against the Cult of Salt Lake, I'm not thrilled with that idea. Up until this election, I never really thought of the Mormon Church as anything other than a small, insular group that had grown large enough over the years to be considered a religion. I have nothing against Mormon followers, but the religious organization they support financially is now actively fighting against my rights. How does one respond to that?