The Nauvoo email
It seems like just about everyone is stepping forward to speak for the Mormon church.First, we have Sen. Chris Buttars explaining to a documentary filmmaker how LDS church courts will excommunicate gay members ("the meanest buggers I've ever seen"). And Eagle Forum's Gayle Ruzicka never hesitates to channel The Truth to Utah lawmakers.
Now, the LDS HQ in Salt Lake City finds itself explaining that an Illinois bishop was acting alone when he called on members to lobby their state representatives to vote down a civil unions proposal:
The Church has not taken a position on any legislation currently being considered by the Illinois State Legislature. The Church did not send an e-mail to its members in regards to House Bill 2234, although a false report to the contrary has been circulated.
Bishop Chris Church of a Nauvoo ward sent out an email to members arguing that civil unions would “empower the public schools to begin teaching this lifestyle to our young children regardless of parental requests otherwise” and “it will also create grounds for rewriting all social mores.” Read the full text here.
Church's email brought a quick reply from Utahn Bruce Bastion of the Human Rights Campaign:
It is irrefutably clear that the LDS Church is fighting an anti-gay crusade throughout the nation, targeting any form of equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Church leaders want nothing more than to do their hateful work in secrecy, but the time has come to shine a light on their insidious efforts. If the LDS Church won’t tell the truth, we will.
9 Comments:
Whats the problem? Everyone should have the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest which includes the right to lobby government. I mean the Gay and lesbian community have been expressing their rights for years. So why shouldn't the Mormon church ?
Tony is right. It is such a double standard.
Not a double standard. The church is an organization, not an individual. Organizations that lobby do not receive tax exempt status. The church does. Therefore, the church should be allowed to lobby should it give up tax exempt status and no longer be a religious organization. Or, choose to maintain tax exempt status, be a religious organization, and remain out of politics. The church cannot have it both ways. That's the problem.
Lot's of non-profit organizations speak their mind and have the constitutional right to do so. There are liberal churches that have spoken out in favor of civil unions. Should they lose their tax-exempt status? Churches were at the forefront of the civil rights movement 50 years ago. Should they have lost their tax-exempt status?
Planned Parenthood is a tax-exempt organization. They are always speaking out. Maybe they should be shut up, too.
Freedom of speech means just that. Everyone has the right to free speech - individuals and organizations.
Anonymous 9:24 is wrong. The prohibition is not against churches lobbying, but against churches endorsing specific candidates. The facts are what they are, not what you want them to be.
The next time the gay rights lobby and their kool-aid drinkers actually tell the truth during this protracted battle will be the FIRST.
The Church lobbies? Um, no. I work with lobbyists, and I have NEVER seen a registered lobbyist identify themselves as wokring on behalf of the Church. So, try again Anonymous at 9:24 AM.
Members of a non-profit organization who speak out on social and poltical issues? Um, ever heard of a union?
Yeah, this argument has been debunked. NEXT!
Craig Bastian is a coward! To what end men will go to cover up a lack of self control. Go find your gay heaven, live in your self indulgent, self absorbed lifestyle, until you are bereft of anything worthwhile in this life. It's coming! All because you lacked self control and then wanted to defend your immmoral actions
I live in Chicago. There has been no effort from the church to pressure our representatives on any issues. We are always encouraged to vote our conscience-and that is it.
By the way, if a bishop in Nauvoo sent an e-mail to his members, most of them would not be able to exert much pressure on their representatives because most of the members in Nauvoo are not Illinois residents. They are missionaries and tourists.
Ultimately this points to the problem with a lay clergy. One lay clergyman shoots off an email and it taints the church at large. It's hard to swallow the church's denunciations however because the church put him in authority. Similar to Respondeat superior.
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