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October 22, 2008

Mormons Bankroll Anti–Gay Marriage Amendments in California, Arizona

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has mobilized followers to give an estimated 77% of donations to support California's proposed marriage ban.

Californians Against Hate released figures Tuesday showing that $17.67 million was contributed by 59,000 Mormon families since August to groups like Yes on 8. Contributions in support of Prop. 8 total $22.88 million. Additionally, the group reports that Mormons have contributed $6.9 million to pass a a similar law, Proposition 102, in Arizona.

"It is a staggering amount of money and an even more staggering percentage of the overall campaign receipts," Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate said in a press release. "The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has hijacked the campaigns in both California and Arizona, where voters face constitutional amendments to end same-sex marriage."

Karger said Californians Against Hate came up with the figures by cross-referencing donor information from the California secretary of state with Brigham Young University alumni lists, church memberships, and other personal documentation that could identify Mormon Church members. He said the surge in support has been an attempt to boost the church's social standing among the greater religious community.

"For whatever reason, they're trying to get some respect from other religions," he told The Advocate Tuesday. "They've always been looked down upon by the Christians, the Catholics, and evangelicals."

Success with the marriage amendment would give the church credibility, Karger said.

The Latter-day Saints Church says it has approximately 770,000 members in California, accounting for about 2% of the state's population. Senior church elders broadcast a call to Mormons October 8 for increased volunteer efforts and donations for the marriage fight. The hour-long message went out to churches in Utah, Hawaii, and Idaho as well as California.

Members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, the second-highest church governing body, explained their plan to pass the ballot initiative. They asked each California congregation to commit 30 volunteers to donate four hours a week to Proposition 8. They also urged young people to use technology -- such as social networks, text messaging, and blogging -- to spread the word. (Michelle Garcia, The Advocate)

Keywords: California marriage Prop 8

Related stories from Advocate.com

2009-07-02: The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
2009-06-20: The Great Undoing?
2009-06-03: The Upside of Prop. 8
2009-05-29: Pastors: No Marriage for Straight People
2009-05-28: Aftermath: Day of Decision

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: Daioni
Date posted: 2008-12-01 11:52 PM
Hometown: Gloucester

Comment:

As an added comment, how about we define seperation of church and state? This relates to the first amendment and is devided into two clauses from which the term originates. There is the establishment clause and the free execise clause, which go together to read "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". This clearly shows that a law cannot be passed that favors an establishment of religion over another, nor can it prohibit the exercise of religion. No where does it say anything about the religious exercising their right to vote or donate to what they believe in. If the prop said, "Marriage is defined as between a christian man and woman" you would have an arguement, but that is not the case. Right now your grasping at excuses to blame someone for your loses.

Name: Daioni
Date posted: 2008-12-01 11:36 PM
Hometown: Gloucester

Comment:

Sure if someone disagrees with you, they must be lieing, if you harass them their in the wrong. Hows this little tidbit that was not included in the story, True, the amount raised in total to support Prop 8 was $36,122,538, including out of state and instate donations, but have you asked how much was raised to oppose the ban? $38, 432,873. In both out of state and in state donations, No raised more money to support their campaign, but guess what, more people still voted YES. If your blaming the LDS church for your lose, it's unfounded, you still raised more, and still people voted against you. Why, because thats what people believed, it's called democracy, and whining and protesting does nothing to change that.

Name: PRO CIVIL RIGHTS, not discrimination
Date posted: 2008-11-16 10:28 PM
Hometown: modesto CALIFORNIA

Comment:

Has anyone REALLY done their homework on what the history of marriage is???? Real simple, marriage started out as a common law, not confirmed by the government. Now we want the government to control who can marry? From what I recall, our country was based on separation of the church and the law, right? So why are the churches so intrigued and stubborn to have the LAW fulfill their personal wishes? And if you are soooo into what the bible and Jesus has said, then does anyone recall, thou shall not judge thy neighbor? We are not Jesus, and we are NOT God, so we should not be the ones to judge what anyone wishes to practice, and incorporating the Constitution is immoral and an act of discrimination. Maybe the families of America should be focusing their energy toward preaching respect and dignity rather than blaming the LGBT group for the broken and unproductive families of today's world.

Name: Shelly
Date posted: 2008-11-16 8:25 PM
Hometown: Las Vegas

Comment:

I can't believe the hate coming out of California! Several Church's and individuals property have been vandilized were I live during the "march" across America. Your march was apparently an excuse to attack those different than you in and outside of your own state. This is pathetic, our own military didn't raid a mosque with known terrorist in it because they didn't want to defile a sacred building. Its pretty said that our own military gives more respect to buildings with terrorist in them than the gay community gives others. These ralleys are nothing more than hate marches. Your movement seems to have a no tolerance of heterosexuals, the actions are no better than the KKK towards African Americans.

Name: Deborah
Date posted: 2008-11-16 4:00 PM
Hometown: Watsonville

Comment:

While the LDS Church may not have contributed to the Yes on 8 campaign from its own coffers, I understand that churchgoers were told that they were obliged to contribute to the campaign. As my father used to say of such things, it's a "distinction without a difference." It seems clear that money and volunteers from the LDS Church made the difference in the campaign for Prop 8. This does not justify illegal acts but I think it provides a strong rationale for boycotting corporations and organizations connected with the LDS church. For example, I will not attend any business or professional conferences held in Utah. I remind those who are offended by such activities that they were widely adopted in the movement to establish Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday, legislation that some states in the southwest, such as Arizona, opposed.

Name: Rina
Date posted: 2008-11-15 7:32 AM
Hometown: Napier

Comment:

Before anyone should make a comment, the should first understand that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is not against people - they are against anything the stops the family unit. Its that simple. We don't hate people who choose this life style - as someone has already pointed out ... thats who they feel they are. The gospel is about families - and same sex relationships don't have the option of extending the family through procreation. You might say there are other options but the Lord has given us power to procreate. Its obvious this power cannot be utilized in a same sex relationship - thus a family unit cannot be created. Supporting proposition 8 is about protecting the family unit - its not a hate crime against people who choose that life. If there are members of the gospel out there doing that, they shouldn't be. The church shouldn't be judged on imperfect human actions. Im sure Mormons aren't the only ones who are imperfect.

Name: Nikki
Date posted: 2008-11-11 5:13 PM
Hometown: Mesa, AZ

Comment:

Re: Mormons paying taxes: Should all churches pay taxes? Why target 1 religion? The mormon church IS non-profit. They don't require anyone to pay anything. The donated money helps run the church's universities so tuition isn't outrageous. More of the money is used to help people in times of disaster (Katrina, Ike, etc). Mormons donate tons of money to help people get back on their feet after such disasters. Re: boycotting Utah: Was it not 52% of CALIFORNIA that voted yes on Prop 8? Utah has nothing to do with it. Mormons make up 2% of California's population. 52% of the pop. voted for Prop 8. While mormons dedicated their time and money, it wasn't them alone who made the proposition pass. I agree with Heather. No on 8 promotes equality and love for all but is spending all their energy vandalizing, criticizing, and showing intense hate for a religion which did nothing but stand up for its beliefs. How is that acceptable?

Name: Shane
Date posted: 2008-11-10 12:19 PM
Hometown: Utah

Comment:

The name "Californians Against Hate" is inflammatory. It suggests that any cause that they are against, is one based in Hate. That name gives them the ability to make any group they oppose appear to be a hateful one, regardless of their true motives, or true nature. Of course the group knew this when they took this name. They wanted a name that would create a natural bias in their favor, similar to the "Pro-choice" movement. Nobody wants to be known as "Anti-Choice", just as they wouldn't want to be seen as a "Californian For Hate". Instead, "Pro-Choice" is answered with "Pro-Life", and "Californians Against Hate" is answered with something like "Protect Marriage". cont...

Name: Scott Dearden
Date posted: 2008-11-08 5:20 AM
Hometown: Wasilla AK

Comment:

Gays and Mormons are similar in that you may be born that way and also you may choose to become "that way" or stay "that way". Both are protected against discrimination. It ends there. Religions know marriage is ordained of God for a man and woman to beget a family as defined in the Bible, but some want to tweak the definition which has survived thousands of years so they don't feel left out. Obviously mormons are not the only ones in favor of prop 8 if they are only 2% of the CA population but 52% of CA voted for prop 8. Equal rights for gays are only fair, but instead of calling a gay union a marriage why not continue to use the term domestic partnership? That is a perfectly accpetable lifetime arrangement (legally and socially) for couples in society today. Gays are not being left out of something that was never defined for them in the first place.

Name: Mike
Date posted: 2008-11-08 2:02 AM
Hometown: Seattle

Comment:

I read tonight that some people are advocating a boycott of Utah... i.e., boycotting tourism in that state, boycotting Sundance... sounds like a good idea. The Sundance fest can move to another state. To those who have been posting claims that it "wasn't the church that attacked proposition 8, it was members of the church donating money out of their own pockets," and other such fluff, this is a silly argument. The church organized its members and is responsible in this case for their actions. It has taken it on itself to attack and destroy Gay marriages and families, and impose its homophobic values on the country. It deserves the invective being aimed in its direction. Frankly, it deserves worse. I'd love to see the movement to tax the church gain momentum. Fun stuff!

Name: Brittany Stiles
Date posted: 2008-10-25 11:36 PM
Hometown: Cost Mesa, CA

Comment:

I find it hilarious that this Karger person has the audacity to say that the Yes on 8 campaign is full of lies. A little hypocritical when he's throwing out statments about the church such as, "For whatever reason, they're trying to get some respect from other religions," he told The Advocate Tuesday. "They've always been looked down upon by the Christians, the Catholics, and evangelicals." As a faithful Mormon my whole life I know one thing is true...we don't give a crap about what other religions think of us. If we did, I can name about a million things we would do differently. The reason Mormons have given so much money is because it's a cause we believe in. If you want to hate us for it...go right ahead, but don't you dare try to act like we're doing this to boost some illeged approval rating with other religions. And as far as Mormons against the world? What else is new? It's going to come down to that in the end anyway so why not start now with Yes on 8?

Name: JD
Date posted: 2008-10-23 6:25 PM
Hometown: Santa Barbara

Comment:

The LDS church is asking its members to support a campaign that has repeatedly resorted to lies and scare tactics. So much for an honest church. Churches could lose tax exemption? Lie. Children would be forced to learn about same-sex marriage in kindergarten? Lie. Prop 8 doesn't take away rights from gays? Are you kidding me! It's interesting that church members say that marriage isn't necessary since California has domestic partnership. The church has opposed every effort in the nation to offer same-sex couples any recognition. The church has never demonstrated any actionable empathy for gay couples. How's that for following the teachings of Christ? You will never hear church officials say, "Let's at least make sure gay couples have simple legal protections across the nation." No, they are only interested in demeaning the existence of gays. This is just the latest incarnation of the LDS church's pervasive atmosphere of animosity and hostility towards gays.

Name: LH
Date posted: 2008-10-23 2:17 PM
Hometown: San Diego

Comment:

Marriage is defined as a union between a man and woman. Same sex couples are demanding that society elevate homosexuality. Same sex marriages already have he benefits of traditional marriage. Get the civil unions code redefined. Homosexuality is the conduct of engaging in sodomy (homosexual relations) with members of the same sex. This is a clear definition. Civil rights, on the other hand, are also known as “natural rights,” because they are based on things that cannot be changed or chosen. Conduct is not a civil right. The whole idea of civil rights is that our civil government will respect, approve and award protected status to persons who are born with certain unchangeable qualities. This is why civil rights law prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity and nationality, sex and age — all immutable characteristics. There are thousands of former homosexuals, but no former blacks or Hispanics.

Name: Jeff C
Date posted: 2008-10-23 5:50 AM
Hometown: Texas

Comment:

Why are people saying that the Mormon church is supporting Proposition 8 in an attempt to gain some respect from other religions? This is ludicrous, and is about as silly as saying that people who don't support Prop 8 are ALL GAY. Maybe the reason the LDS church is supporting Proposition 8 is because they realize that same sex marriages go directly against what the bible teaches. I can see that there is the usual hate rhetoric about how the Mormon church is a cult, blah blah blah...I find it interesting that the very people who are opposed to proposition 8 because they say it advocates hate are spewing hate and discrimination against the Mormon church in this very comment board...Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me..

Name: Angela
Date posted: 2008-10-23 3:26 AM
Hometown: Chicago

Comment:

Let me clear up some inaccuracies here. Mormonism is not a cult, it is a religion. Members are never forced to do anything they don't want to do, such as get married--it is their choice who and when they marry. They are also free to leave the church at any time they choose. Mormons have no delusions that they run the country. Mormons DO believe in standing up for what they believe to be correct and true, as did ancient prophets of old, who were also scorned by the populace. That is what is wonderful about this country, that everyone is allowed to have an opinion, whether or not it is popular, and this is the point of voting on issues, isn't it? To allow everyone to have a voice. Please don't censor or insult something you don't understand. Instead, seek to understand by doing your research before spreading inaccuracies born from ignorance.

Name: Roger Burr
Date posted: 2008-10-22 2:50 PM
Hometown: Marble Hill, MO

Comment:

Michael from Boston is right! While I don't begrudge anyone their religous beliefs, or absence thereof, 'religion' has been used innumerable times over the centuries to subjugate one group or another. We had the Crusades; the Holy Inquisition and now the Mormons. What we need to do is have them submit to an IRS audit, as they have CLEARLY crossed the line between church and state by espousing a specific political view. If they are going to advocate for a political issue; they need to lose their tax-exempt status. Notwithstanding, every LGBT person should support the NO on 8 effort, as I have even from here in Missouri. It only takes a few minutes to write a check. We must all become politically involved. ALL our rights are at stake.

Name: Nat g
Date posted: 2008-10-22 3:38 AM
Hometown: los angeles

Comment:

And it's clearly going to pass because the no on 8 "leaders" are rank amateurs. We're being throttled in advertising by the most standard attack adds and the best they can do is respond with milk toast it ain't fair complaint ads. How can these fools let the whack job far right fundamentalists put them on defense?! There's miles of video tape of psycho prop 8 supporters saying the most offensive garbage that would completely alienate them from most voters and make the Gavin Newsom loop sound like child's play. Prop 8 has got to be glued to it's scary far right backers, who, by the way, can also be used to alienate the black community from the measure. If we don't get down and dirty we lose, period. The only feasible strategy now is to attack the messenger;The Mormon Church and other out of state extremists pouring in tens of millions to rewrite Ca's constitution to reflect their extreme views? It's politics 101 for god's sake but WE'RE LOSING!

Name: Henry Tabatha
Date posted: 2008-10-22 3:35 AM
Hometown: La Jolla

Comment:

Why work to prohibit same-sex marriage, when there’s so much divorce, single-parenthood, and celebrity “marriages” that last only hours? If marriage is so sacred, why not campaign against those practices? Simple. If laws were being proposed, or judges ruled, that the state should recognize and endorse these practices as equal to traditional marriage, and proponents were seeking for legal protection that considers denouncing these practices, as hate-speech, the backlash would be far more intense than anything seen by the Yes on 8 campaign. In fact, Yes on 8 IS a campaign against the divorce, poverty, and child abuse that results from the cheapening of marriage that occurs by offering it to everyone who claims to love each other. And allowing same-sex marriages is NOT equality for all. Yes on 8! whatisprop8.com

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