We’ll Kick You Out if You Disagree

Mormon Church: “We encourage all members to vote. We are neutral. p.s. We are lying, particularly the part about staying neutral.”

Member: “I disagree with that political stance. I’m going to say so on my website and encourage other Mormons to write letters about their own disagreement.”

Mormon Church: “You disagree? See you in church court (see also). P.S., we have our own pro-Proposition 8 website. P.P.S., our ad claims that acceptance of gay marriage is “mandatory. P.P.S. our site is run by these guys (via). ”

fini

To my Mormon friends: I feel for you. This can’t be easy. Still, you have a voice. I encourage you to use it to stop your church from abusing it’s tax exempt status as well as to stop lying about how it handles politics.

Other voices:

Mormons for Proposition 8, particularly this post.
Mormons for Marriage
lds4gaymarriage

It’s not all bad news. Also.

If you live in California, are you opposing Prop 8 or for it? If your church asked you to support something you disagreed with, what would you do?

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  • Le Fiffre

    Nah, the Church only boots you if you undertake active, public opposition to its mission and then don’t take the hint the first three times you’re invited to hike up your trousers and quit mooning the chapel as Sunday services let out. Name me a self-respecting organization that won’t do as much? Let’s just say it’s much easier to be disinvited from the Hell’s Angels…permanently. The Church secretly digs its rebels because, face it, they make things more interesting (wouldn’t you?), but there comes a point. Common sense.

    Tax exempt status: Seriously, do you suppose the Church doesn’t have a bevy of tax attorneys from DC to SLC and back vetting every press release? These people have many qualities, but dumb ain’t one of ‘em.

    Members of the Church who I know are generally people of independent thought and good conscience — quite free of bigotry. For saying as much, I’m curious to see if my login works here tomorrow ;-)

  • wumples

    But come on, guys. Obviously if we let the gays marry, the next thing they’ll want is the right to marry their pets! AND ISN’T THAT WRONG!? :p

    Thanks for bringing up such a great point. It’s kind of ridiculous they’ve received such a large amount of money from a multiple organizations geared towards defending Prop. 8, yet claim neutrality. Isn’t that indicative of something? At least for those of us paying attention. Reading through the links you attached, it’s sick just how ass-backwards they make their argument.

    “We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to ensure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman.“
    http://​www​.nationformarriage​.org/​s​i​t​e​/​a​p​p​s​/​n​l​n​e​t​/​c​o​n​t​e​n​t​2​.​a​s​p​x​?​c​=​o​m​L​2​K​e​N​0​L​z​H​&​a​m​p​;​b​=​3​8​3​7​6​5​9​&​a​m​p​;​c​o​n​t​ent_id={ECF1005A-5A36-4E4D-856E-C953F7F4D8D6}&notoc=1

    Except it’s not their place — that sentence alone should lose them the tax-exempt status.

    Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. It never ceases to amaze me how hypocritical faith can make people.

  • http://www.alladither.com All Adither

    That’s ONE reason of many (Including that I don’t believe in God) why I would never join a church.

    But then, I do believe churches should allow you to pick and choose what facets of their belief systems you subscribe to.

    It just doesn’t seem to me that most religions work that way.

  • jayfid

    I’m a non-mormon married to an ex-mormon living in CA and voting NO on prop 8. Are there degrees of no? Can I vote absolutely, without a doubt, no? Will it count for more if I do? Anyhoo…

    If I belonged to a church and they told me to support something I didn’t agree with I hope I would use my critical thinking skills to come to my own conclusion. But I believe that’s why I don’t belong to a church. If my past experience is normal, churches by definition are trying to get you to support some idea that you at least start out as feeling skeptical about (that is, if you weren’t born into it). They only count themselves as really successful when you push away your doubts and follow them blindly. Right?

  • http://www.eleventwentyseven.com christine1127
  • kwolin
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