This article makes me sick to my stomach. Why are we the ones being attacked when we weren't even the majority of the yes votes. I thought you guys would want to read this. They made a whole website called www.mormonsstoleourrights.com. They're trying to start a petition so we lose our tax-exempt status! Does anybody know what we should do to fight this?
"Mormons Stole Our Rights"
On May 16, 2008, the California Supreme Court affirmed that the state constitution, AS IT WAS WRITTEN BY THE FOUNDERS OF THIS STATE MORE THAN 150 YEARS PRIOR, provided official government recognition of all marriages between all couples, regardless of gender.
On November 4, 2008, Proposition 8 amended this constitution to explicitly deny this right to same-sex couples. Nowhere else in either California's constitution or the Federal Constitution are a specific class of rights restricted, to any minority group, for any reason.
Why did this proposition pass? Was it because Californians genuinely believed that granting rights to a minority group undermine the fabric of society? No.
Was it because Californians failed to recognize the similarity of Proposition 8 with the bans on interracial marriage last century, once considered "controversial" but now universally recognized as wrong? No.
Was it because Californians no longer saw their constitution as a foundational document that is amended carefully, but a document as pliable as putty and subject to the whims of a narrow majority? No.
How, then, did Proposition 8 become law?
THE MORMON CHURCH.
For the past six months, Mormon volunteers, directed by the Mormon Church, misled Californians about the effects of the Supreme Court ruling.
They told us we would lose the right to participate in our children's education. Lies.
They told us the California state public school curriculum would be modified to teach sex education to kindergartners. Lies.
They told us churches would lose the right to free speech. Lies.
If this is the way Mormons treat gays and lesbians of California, let us ask:
The Mormon church began in 1830 in New York. The first Mormons were persecuted by the American majority, and were compelled to emigrate to Utah where they could live unmolested, much like gays and lesbians who lived in the urban ghettos last century. Mormons had alternative views of what family meant, and were excluded and marginalized from the political process. In their arguments against the majority, Mormon Prophet Brigham Young wrote:
Marriage is a civil contract. You might as well make a law to say how many children a man shall have, as to make a law to say how many wives he shall have. (Journal of Discourses, 11:268-9)Much has improved for the Mormon people since then. Today, Mormons have powerful representation in the Senate, and ran a nationally viable candidate for the United States Presidency in 2008.
The Mormon story is possible because our country is a tolerant and forgiving place. America believes in the rights of its citizens to determine their own fates, and grants rights to individual communities to determine their own norms and values. The Mormon people have been able to flourish because of this country's generous spirit.
But now, history has reversed, and it is the Mormons who have become the oppressor.
The Mormons began with the Boy Scouts of America, originally a children's club meant to introduce boys and girls to the natural beauty of America. Mormons took financial control of the Boy Scouts by sponsoring 28% of national scout troops. Gays and lesbians are barred from participating in this group not just in Mormon troops, but nationwide, thereby turning our children into a political football.
Some Mormons send their own gay teenage children to "conversion camps," where these children are forced to endure shock therapy and given psychotropic drugs. The emotional stress of such experience drives many to contemplate suicide. The Mormon Church has yet to repudiate these activities.
Now the Mormon Church has set its target on gay and lesbian adults of California. They have started by amending our constitution to deny equal protection to gays and lesbians.
Ask the Jews about how freedoms are lost. The concentration camps were not built in a national referendum. They were the product of a systemic reduction of freedoms, year after year, one at a time.
We as citizens of California, Americans, and persons of various beliefs and faiths will not allow this to happen.
Absolutely not. So far, 300 Mormons and 1 Mormon celebrity have stood up against their church to support gay rights. We respect the challenge of standing up to a majority, especially when those 301 stand in the face of more than 13.1M Mormons worldwide. You can see stories of these courageous Mormons at Mormons for Marriage.
To the rest of those silent Mormon protesters, one can offer the words of Elie Wiesel:
"I swore to never be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides, Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim, silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."
To restore the right stolen from us, we must correct the amendment to California's constitution. To do this requires another statewide proposition. Yet how will we avoid another election season of deception, when the Mormon Church can use vast tax-free money into advancing their platform?
Strip the Mormon church of its status as a religious organization.
According to IRS law,
Section 501(c)(3) describes corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literacy, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in section (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.
From IRS Publication 1828 Page 5,
Substantial Lobbying Activity
In general, no organization, including a church, may qualify for IRC section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying). An IRC section 501(c)(3) organization may engage in some lobbying, but too much lobbying activity risks loss of tax-exempt status.
We have spoken with experts on this matter, and the answer is unclear. The Mormon Church is not only a 501(c)(3), it is also a church, which grants them special rights. They are still prohibited from direct involvement in campaigns for a specific political office as well direct lobbying of legislators.
Yes, absolutely.
Read this email from a mormon church coordinator:
...As mentioned in the broadcast, the coalition approached the Church about getting involved. With a mere difference of 400,000 votes, I am certain had the Church not been involved this proposition would not have passed...
Because it is already illegal for churches to support candidates or lobby, we must close this loophole and make it illegal for churches to support propositions, which are for all intents and purposes identical to legislation.
We must clarify our tax law to prohibit this behavior.
The United Kingdom has taken preliminary steps to strip the church of its tax-exempt status.
Through Prop 8, the Mormon Church has shown its true colors as a political group with specific social ends. Political speech is fair and legal here; such speech under the guise of religion is not. The playing field must be leveled. Though many religious groups were involved in Prop 8, the Mormon Church made this a far more substantial part of its activities than any other.
Californians will vote on future propositions to correct this flawed amendment next year, and every year, until we achieve our rights under the state constitution. We must be assured that our advocacy organizations are on an equal legal and financial playing field as those of our opponents.
Ultimately all religious groups are subject to the same laws - Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc. The Mormon church, however, has shown itself to be most egregious in pressing a political agenda while registered as a church. We are starting with the biggest to effect the most change.
http://www.mormonsstoleourrights.com/For more information go to www.whatisprop8.com
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4 comments:
Ridiculous!
Just remember, all - it's been prophesied that there would come a time when there would be a preoccupation with persecuting the Saints. I think we're seeing just the beginning of what's to come, and it will not get better.
If there has ever been a time to anchor yourself in faith, IT IS NOW. Get your life in order so that when the maelstrom of madness swirls all about us, you will be able to withstand the storm because you are with the Savior. And as we each do this, we'll be able to stand together and strengthen each other.
We can and will endure this - and come off stronger for it. They that are with us be more than those against us.
You know this was written by someone who's bitter and blowing off steam. Unfortunately they're getting their facts a bit mixed up. For example, the six month involvement thing? The supreme court hadn't even ruled on this 6 months before the election. It was June when they issued the letter and I think it was mid-August before we actually started doing anything.
The tax exempt thing is an asinine argument and counterproductive to their cause for two reasons:
1) The money for this comes from members, not the Church, so the church paying taxes would not have meant one penny less for Prop 8
2) Do the people screaming for this not realize that without the threat of lost tax exemptions the church has zero motivation to not become way more engaged in the political process? As a tax paying institution it seems to me that the Church could endorse and support any campaign, institution, or initiative it wanted to. The Church actually could donate to things like this. I'm not saying the church would become more political but they lost all motivation not to without tax exemptions. Seems pretty counterproductive to me.
As a final thought, as I've watched this hatred against the Church rage over the last few days I've reminded myself that these people don't represent the entire gay community, and I've thought about what they will think about the church when "the big one" hits someday, CA is in ruin and somebody shows up at their doorstep (or pile of rubble as the case may be) wearing a "Mormon Helping Hands" shirt and hands them a box of food and water. I just hope we can afford enough food, water, and medicine to go around after we start paying the taxes they are demanding.
this the email:
info@mormonsstoleourrights.com
i just sent them a letter explaining some of the inaccuracies.
1. Non-profit organizations get the same tax exempt status. The No side had lots of such participation, including an interfaith network.
2. Churches do not get their tax exemption by grant of the Government. It is a constitutional freedom. The Government merely regulates aspects of it.
3. Even within the established rules, a non-profit or a church may spend up to 20% of its budget on an issues campaign. The Mormon church is well within that high cieling.
4. The letter is not a violation. Churches can press on issues campaigns both within and outside of the context of the congregation sitting in the pews. Nothing illegal about it whatsoever.
5. The No side makes claims and arguments that, if applied to their own organizations would destroy the public square. The Government does not own civil society, it does not own the public square, it does not own the Churches, it does not own the social institution of marriage.
But to hear the No on 8ers, the Government is everything and the people are mere subjects, not citizens.
The No on 8 side's actions and tone on this issue highlights, yet again, that the Yes side was right.
Give the SSMers more rope. They will hang their own argumentation, each and every time.
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