**I publish this with hesitancy because I do not want to offend anyone. Please know that in publishing this I am simply trying to put the recent election into focus for myself and others. I welcome any comments or insights either on this blog or via email. **
I hadn't heard anything about Proposition 8 while I was at home taking care of Evelynne, but upon returning to work it has been THE topic around the office. I have heard lots of stories and read lots of news reports, and I have to say that while I support what Proposition 8 is about, I am saddened by the hate and anger that have erupted from it. I myself have many friends who live alternate life styles. Do I support their lifestyle? No. Do I hate them and vilify them? Absolutely not! I love them and support them as I do all my friends and family. I am sad that instead of tolerance and love, we are being asked to accept and condone alternate versions of marriage and the family. And worse yet, because we refuse to accept it and espouse it as morally right and appropriate, we are being called bigots, liars, homophobes, and many other hateful and untrue things. (And please note: by 'We' I mean Christians). LDS Church members have been specifically targeted in California and my heart goes out to them. In light of that, I received a copy of a letter which I feel makes some excellent points. My disclaimer is that I did not check all the numbers or do any research on it's claims. From my previous readings, it looks accurate to me.
Dear Friends,
In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the
defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our
young people have been especially subject to mean spirited comments by high
school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong.
In fact, we did everything that a civic minded American can and should do.
I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better.
For example:
1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims – all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the
population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility,respect and love,"despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the
Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the
political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do – we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
These are my personal opinions and thoughts; any errors are mine and in no way reflect official Church policy or doctrine.
Thanks,
Kevin Hamilton
I hope that anyone finding themselves at odds with friends and family over this issue will treat others in a manner in which they would want to be treated. Differing opinions do not allow for ill treatment and the golden rule still applies! And to all my friends and family, regardless of your stance on this issue, I love you and am so grateful to have you in my life.
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6 comments:
I agree with you Kristin. People are being ridiculous. Even the Catholic church has made an official statement in support of the LDS Church. Crazy!
Out of opposition the church has always grown and we are proud to be "mormons" and that our church once again stood up for what is right....We are not suprised that we get the brunt of the attacks: Satan always knows who his enemy is!
One of the statistics that you neglected to mention (which coincidentally is the primary reason why the LDS church has been singled out) is that by some accounts up to 70% (over $20 million) of the funding for misleading advertisements was donated by LDS members at the the prompting of the prophet. You can't deny that LDS have had a disproportionate influence on this issue, and thats what is driving people crazy.
I don't know about a disproportionate influence, Ben. It's the votes that matter, and I think that for me that's the point - The majority of the voters chose to support it. Why single out LDS church members? I would like to know more about the misleading advertisements, too, when you get a chance.
To answer your question on misleading advertising:
One of the primary arguments made in the commercials funded by LDS donors was that if gay marriage is allowed to continue in CA, it must be taught to the children in school. This is simply not true, and was decried by many people on both sides of the debate. Gay people are angry and rightfully so - a huge amount of money was spent that misled the voters on the real issue at hand. True, LDS are only 2% of voters in CA, but how many voters were swayed by these millions of dollars of misleading advertising? If it was even 5% of the population, then you could argue that the LDS church is responsible for swinging the election since the spread was so narrow.
I don't think it is right to persecute any church or group for their support of the proposition, but you have to at least agree that their frustration is in some measure understandable.
(I also, by the way, was opposed to Proposition 8 if you didn't gather that already - and no, I am not an evil person, the church publicly stated that members could make up their own minds on this issue. Ironically, proposition 8 will probably do more for the gay rights movement than it will hurt it. I guess we will see what the CA Supreme Court has to say about it in March - eventually this will land at the feet of the U.S. Supreme Court and will be resolved as a legal issue rather than an issue open to public referendum.)
The commercials were funded by LDS donors - that's not the LDS Church. And what about the mock LDS Missionary commercials? Those were entirely misleading, false, and inappropriate - and paid for by opponents to Prop 8.
Gay marriage and gay tendencies are already a part of the school curiculum in Massachusettes, where gay marriage is legal, I believe. So maybe there's more to it than we think.
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