Mormon church reversal on gay rights?
Much ado was made last year about the Mormon church’s support of Proposition 8 in California, which basically took away the right of homosexuals to marry. The vicious backlash from homosexual advocates was something the Mormon church simply had to endure, as they were not about to change their position on the topic. Some reports are now saying the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has reversed it’s position on gay rights.
According to The Associated Press, the Mormon church has publicly declared it’s support for city ordinances in Salt Lake City, Utah that would prohibit discrimination against homosexuals in housing and employment. This is the first time the church has supported any kind of gay rights and the ordinances passed. So is this a reversal or what? I would contend that it is not.
The Mormon church – which continues to suffer a backlash over its support last year of Proposition 8, the measure banning gay marriage in California – emphasized that its latest position in no way contradicts its teachings on homosexuality.
But the action is one of the strongest signs yet that even conservative religious groups that oppose same-sex marriage might be willing to support legal protections for gays that fall short of that.
Presently, it appears the strongest opposition to the Mormon church’s stance on the city ordinances is coming from other conservative groups.
At the same time, the church’s position has angered some of its conservative allies on social issues, prompted questions about whether public relations is its real motivation, and put the church on the spot over how far it will go on similar legislation on the state and federal level.
Widely misunderstood, their support of Proposition 8 had nothing to do with discriminating against homosexuals and everything to do with protecting the sanctity of what should be a union between a man and a woman. By supporting the ordinances in Salt Lake City, I believe they are showing they want nothing to do with discrimination and that they can be supportive of non-discriminatory legislation that does not include marriage rights.
As I have stated on this blog before, I do not believe homosexuals should have the right to marry. If they want to have a civil union that has the same legal rights as married couples, then so be it. I may not agree with their kind of relationship,but it is their right. Encroaching upon marriage itself is an entirely different. Preventing discrimination against homosexuals and giving them full marriage rights are two unrelated issues and they are not mutually exclusive. Although I am not a Mormon and do not pretend to speak for them, I have to wonder if that is their line of thinking as well.
Great comments about the LDS stance on defending gay rights. I am LDS and came across your article while trying to do my own blog on the arguments that are occuring due to the church’s stance on Gay marriage and other related topics. I’ll probably be reading some more of your stuff soon. Thanks for the favorable outlook.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment on Political Realities, Charles. Do you have a link to your blog?
I just felt like the Mormon church was getting a bad rap on this one and I have a sense of fair play that I can not ignore.
I think that I hold the same basic position as you on gay marriage, I oppose it because I feel that marriage is first and foremost a religious institution. But I understand that marriage comes with certain legal benefits and I think that by granting gay couples civil unions it provides them with the same legal benefits as marriage, so that is more acceptable to me.
You wrote the following paragraph:
Widely misunderstood, their support of Proposition 8 had nothing to do with discriminating against homosexuals and everything to do with protecting the sanctity of what should be a union between a man and a woman. By supporting the ordinances in Salt Lake City, I believe they are showing they want nothing to do with discrimination and that they can be supportive of non-discriminatory legislation that does not include marriage rights.
I think that sums it up perfectly and I agree. The Mormon church is against discrimination even against people with whom they disagree. They can support anti-discrimination legislation and be opposed to gay marriage at the same time.
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