I have to admit that I find the Mormon Church’s extreme opposition to marriage equality a bit baffling. Of course I understand that the Mormons are a conservative group but they are also a group who have experienced firsthand what it is like to be persecuted and discriminated against. Have they forgotten their own history? The fact that they have now come full circle, so to speak, and are actively trying to discriminate against another group – all the while claiming that the reason for their campaign against gay marriage is to protect their own beliefs and way of life – well, it just doesn’t make sense to me. Even so, it is clear that gay marriage is an issue that gets many Mormons riled up – in fact, I experienced this firsthand when a discussion about Prop. 8 led to my Mormon cousin de-friending both me and my husband on Facebook. At any rate, I was pleased to learn last week that not all of my Mormon neighbors are passionately against marriage equality. Apparently, a group called Mormons for Marriage was formed back in 2008 to oppose Prop. 8 because, as they explain on their site,
Just as progressive LDS Church members in the 1960s and 1970s had an opportunity to speak out on the denial of priesthood to blacks — this is our chance, in our day, to express our thoughts and feelings (respectfully) in support of gays within the LDS Church, and of gay marriage within the U.S. (and abroad).
I wasn’t aware of the group until last week, when someone forwarded me the Mormons for Marriage response to recent comments by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. Their concise and well-reasoned response reads, in part:
Support of policies that seek to force the morality of our belief system on others who believe differently and strip existing rights from individuals and religions is contrary to core doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as outlined in the Articles of Faith: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all [people] the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may,” and the Doctrine and Covenants: “We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government …” (Doctrine and Covenants 134:9). Our prophets, scriptures, and the history of our own people warn us of the destructive force caused by such actions. We are dismayed at the dilemma of choosing between our allegiance to leaders of the LDS Church such as yourself and the doctrine of the LDS church on this matter. We are also dismayed at the necessity of defending our friends in other faiths from attacks supported by our own church with money we thought had been consecrated for the work of God.
I was sorely tempted to forward the site to my ultra-conservative Mormon cousin, especially the heartbreaking excerpts from letters written by Stuart Matis, a gay Mormon man who took his life on the steps of a Mormon church. I don’t know if any of it would convince my cousin but at least I can take comfort in the fact that there are Mormons willing to challenge the Church on this important issue.
