For as much as I hate politics, I find it a good time to comment on what is going on right now with this whole proposition 8 issue. I find it quite ironic and funny that when the "democratic process" doesn't work for some then there has to be a retaliation on someone. In this case its the Mormons. The part i find amusing is that, yes, the church did get involved, but i didn't think that there was that big of a Mormon population in California. But it's the Mormons who passed the vote. Hmmmmmm. First let’s clarify: as of 2006 there were 761,716 Mormons in California (5.5 million total in the US) and over 54 million people voted yes on this. Secondly, No against prop 8 raised more money by the end than did Yes on prop 8 according to the San Jose Mercury News, including six figure donations from several celebrities and the co-founders of Google. Yup...sure sounds like we Mormons swayed the vote.
And now temples are being sent envelopes with white powder, people entering the temple grounds in L.A. are being flipped-off and having profanities yelled at them, and all for what, again? Now I'm starting to forget because this is turning into hate crimes against a religion.
Today the First Presidency released yet another statement calling for civility. "Places of worship have been targeted by opponents of Proposition 8 with demonstrations and, in some cases, vandalism. People of faith have been intimidated for simply exercising their democratic rights."
The statement also says, "The Church is keenly aware of the differences of opinion on this difficult and sensitive matter" and urges people to respect opposing opinions and calls for civility for from those on both sides of the issues. "Attacks on churches and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues. People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal. Efforts to force citizens out of public discussion should be deplored by people of goodwill everywhere."
Is this a sign of the times, or what?
And now temples are being sent envelopes with white powder, people entering the temple grounds in L.A. are being flipped-off and having profanities yelled at them, and all for what, again? Now I'm starting to forget because this is turning into hate crimes against a religion.
Today the First Presidency released yet another statement calling for civility. "Places of worship have been targeted by opponents of Proposition 8 with demonstrations and, in some cases, vandalism. People of faith have been intimidated for simply exercising their democratic rights."
The statement also says, "The Church is keenly aware of the differences of opinion on this difficult and sensitive matter" and urges people to respect opposing opinions and calls for civility for from those on both sides of the issues. "Attacks on churches and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues. People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal. Efforts to force citizens out of public discussion should be deplored by people of goodwill everywhere."
Is this a sign of the times, or what?
3 comments:
Yeah it's definitely stupid. And some of the coverage of it on national news stations makes it sound like the mormons deserve it. That's really scary and I'm sure it definitely puts some people's faith to the test.
It's been interesting at work. Even though 1-800 CONTACTS didn't take any sort of public stance either for or against proposition 8, we've had customers call in to close their accounts because they feel that since our business is in Utah, we must be a Mormon run business. It's really been crazy to get emails telling associates how to handle proposition 8 calls, when all we do as a company is sale contact lenses.
Something I found that makes a clear point.
"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 has 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.
"Hold your heads up high – you did a great job on this most important cause. We will have more opportunities in the future to participate in our democratic process. Let's remember the lessons learned and do an even better job next time."
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