Prop. 8 Thank You Petition

Posted by Tom McFeely

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:41 PM

Anti-Prop. 8 protest in Los Angeles. (Reuters)

An online petition has been posted here where individuals can express solidarity and thanks to the Mormon Church for strongly supporting California’s Proposition 8.

The ballot initiative was approved by California voters Nov. 4, thereby amending the state constitution to define marriage as a one-man, one-woman institution.

Since the initiative was passed this month, homosexual activists have conducted hostile demonstrations outside Mormon churches and some homosexual leaders have called for retribution against Mormons who supported Proposition 8.

The thank-you petition states, “Anyone who participated in this process has come to admire the competence, diligence and moral courage that so many members of your faith community displayed as part of this coalition effort — as Catholics, Evangelicals, Mormons, and people of other faith communities all came together to fight this great battle for marriage.”

The petition continues, “But we write for an even more important purpose: to express our outrage at the vile and indecent attacks directed specifically and uniquely at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members because of your courage in standing up for marriage.

“It is deeply unfair, and contrary to the best American traditions, that any faith community, much less a minority one, should be singled out and attacked in this way by powerful, well-funded political forces determined to ‘make them pay’ for participating in the normal political processes of democracy.”

The petition was organized by the New Jersey-based Organization for Marriage, and the first person to sign it was Catholic commentator Maggie Gallagher, who is the organization’s president.

Organization for Marriage executive director Brian Brown told the Salt Lake Tribune, “We wanted to do something to show we are united in our condemnation of religious bigotry of any form.”

The U.S. bishops have also expressed their support and gratitude to the Mormon Church.

In a Nov. 25 letter to Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints president Thomas Monson, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville said the U.S. bishops “offer you our profound gratitude for your role in the broad alliance of faith communities and other people of good will who joined together to protect marriage, while at the same time, witnessing to the honor and respect due to every human person created in the image and likeness of God.”

Said Archbishop Kurtz, “We have watched with great distress in recent weeks as some members of society have reacted intemperately, and sometimes even violently, to the decision of the voters in support of Proposition 8 in California. We have been especially troubled by the reports of explicit and direct targeting of your church personnel and facilities as the objects of hostility and abuse. We pray that prudence and healing may prevail.”

— Tom McFeely

Filed under marriage, mormon church, proposition 8