The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Since Election Day in the US, the Mormon church has been the target of demonstrations protesting the passage of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage in California. Mormon leaders should have anticipated blowback after they directed all of their California congregations to get involved in the ÒYes on 8Ó campaign. Mormons made up the lionÕs share of volunteers and gave millions to the cause. As a result, Mormons are taking the biggest hit from the opposition. But as protests targeting Mormons proliferate, itÕs worth pausing to think about where this collision is headed. Are there limits to the punch and counter-punch? Leaders on both sides are making the obligatory noises about Òfighting fair,Ó but each accuses the other of hitting below the belt. Prop 8 supporters point to a television ad before Election Day that depicts Mormon missionaries barging into the home of a lesbian couple. The missionaries ransack the house, find a marriage certificate and tear it in half. Other religious groups in the ÒYes on 8Ó coalition have expressed outrage over the Òhome invasionÓ ad, calling such tactics a form of religious bigotry and hate. Courage Campaign, the anti-Prop 8 group that made the offending ad, defends such attacks as fair game because of the churchÕs prominent role in what they see as discriminatory efforts to ban gay marriage. Gay-rights groups also charge that pro-Prop 8 ads showing elementary school children learning about homosexuality and warning that churches could be forced to perform gay weddings were full of exaggerations and outright lies. Both sides, of course, have a right to make these arguments. Mormons or members of any other religious group are free to enter the political fray and argue for what they believe. And supporters of gay rights are just as free to fight back. What shouldnÕt get lost in the melee, however, is that fighting hate with hate can be destructive and counter-productive. Although the protests at Mormon churches have been mostly peaceful thus far, there are scattered reports of vandals defacing church buildings and protesters hurling insults at Mormons. At the same time, Mormon church leaders stir up anger when they support campaigns that use scare tactics about homosexuality in elementary schools and misrepresent the religious-liberty threat to churches. Before this clash escalates further, both sides should exercise caution and reconsider their battle plans going forward. Just who is on the side of history in the marriage debate remains to be seen. But hereÕs a prediction: The side that wins minds and hearts with robust but civil discourse is far more likely to prevail.
