defriendings

[fpb]

I have defriended asakiyume and sartorias over their repulsive reaction to the defeat of their party on Proposition 8 in California. Their reaction was to blame it all on the supposed interference of a particular religious group. The truth, in fact, is that all major religious groups in the state campaigned aggressively for the proposition, and that voters against it included a large majority of black voters. However, to blame Catholics is unfashionable, to blame Jews un-PC, and to blame Muslims unhealthy. So these ladies, in common it seems with a lot of their kind of persons, managed to find the perfect novel religious scapegoats: the Mormons. Now I have no sympathy for Mormonism as a religion, but I can tell scapegoating when it offends my nostrils, and I was utterly revolted to find people whom I really believed decent human beings indulge in this kind of talk. Any other person on my f-list subscribing to Mormon conspiracy theories, please defriend yourselves and save yourselves some grief.

Comments

[8bitbard.livejournal.com]

Calls for legislation against the Mormons have already begun: http://lds501c3.wordpress.com/

I expect many churches to be bankrupted or at least seriously damaged in the coming decades over such matters. All hail Progress. None shall defy.

[stigandnasty919.livejournal.com]

Fabio, apologies if you have been through this before, but I would be interested in knowing if you object to the use of the word Marriage or the recognition of gay partnerships in social terms.

To my mind marriage is a religious sacrament which has secular advantages and responsibilites attached to it by the state. It is therefore for the churches to make their own decisions on who can and who cannot get married.

Should the state wish to provide the same, or a sub-set, of the secular advantages and responsibilities to unmarried couples then that is a matter for the state. That is why I would support Civil Partnerships allowing the same tax, insurance and inheritance rights to gay couples or hetrosexual couples who do not want to go through the sacrament of marriage. I personally feel that there should be additional tax advantages given to those couples who bring up children, married or not, simply because in the end we will all depend on those children to pay for our pensions and health services once we retire.

Marriage I would leave up to Churches.

To be fair to the ladies you mention here, it appears than the Morman Church did spend an enormous amount of money campaigning on proposition 8. The question that arises from this is over their tax free status. I've read quite a lot suggesting that this is involvement in politics and therefore should cost churches involved in this type of campaign their tax exemption. I would not agree with that position. Campaigning on single-issue votes like this s not politics, and I would have thought that Churches, which espouse moral positions, are almost required to make comment on moral issues of this type.

Where they move into politics is where they personalise those positions and make comment on who their followers should vote for. A subtle distinction to be sure but an important one. Thus in my view it is acceptable for a tax exempt body to say - Gay marriage is wrong, you should vote against proposition 8. It would not be acceptable for a tax exempt body to say you should vote for Mr So and So as he agrees with all of our positions. A line has been crossed.

But then again, if a body that feels that a political statement is a moral imperative, then that should be more important to them than their tax exempt status.......

[ani-bester.livejournal.com]

*head desk*

Funny thing no one realizes is this:
If Obama won the popular vote on California and Prop 8 was passed by popular vote, it means GASP some people who voted for Obama ALSO voted for Prop 8

It drives me crazy how everyone wants to blame the prop 8 passing only on Republicans and Conservatives when CLEARLY people from their own party voted for it, or it would not have passed -_-

[wade-scott.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I have been amazed at the lack of sportsmanship over this entire election. I always thought that in a democracy, majority rules and the question is then settled. I understand the need to perhaps question the constitutionality of a measure, but the personal attacks and scapegoating are just childish.

[cheyinka]

That's fascinating that it's being blamed on the Mormons, honestly, because I've seen that in a couple places, but both times it was someone who was raised Mormon saying it, and I thought it was a matter of, I dunno, "the grass is always less green on the side of the fence I came from"?

But, then again, the Mormons are the ones with the commercials in the US about "family is forever"...

Anyway, yes, like ani_bester said, the only way the various anti-same-sex-marriage propositions and initiatives could have passed is if at least some of those who voted for Obama also voted for those ballot measures. And that's actually part of what filled me with such unhappiness to realize - people who voted for Obama also voted the way I would have on such a proposition, but generally did not vote the way I would have on any "life issue" propositions, and the latter (to me) are more important than the former.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Wow, I apologize for so misstating myself--though I don't recall using the word blame. I certainly don't consider the Mormons wrong or bad for their views! I was acknowledging my Mormon friends' own claim of success in helping to pass the Proposition. (I will double check this tomorrow at a family party at which will be an LDS relative who dedicated many hours recently at Church sites campaigning for the Proposition. I plan to ask her how she looks at the success of the issue.)

[goreism.livejournal.com]

I must say this No on Prop. 8 ad is pretty revolting.