My Temple: Desecrated

I'd like to talk about some things that are very important to me: Democracy, Freedom of Speech and Religion. One of the most important things to me is protecting the sancitity of Marriage.

This is a Book of Mormon Hero, Captain Moroni. Normally, in the painting he waves the "Title of Liberty" where he and his warriors fought for religious freedom. In this rendition, he's waving the Proposition 8 banner.

I've been really saddened by some recent events having to do with the Freedom of Speech and Religion and this is why:

Let me set you up to understand this photo. Eight years ago, Damian and I worked on passing Proposition 22, when we lived in California. When it passed with a 62% majority, it declared only marriage between a man and a woman legal.

Last spring, a majority of under 5 California Supreme Court Justices declared that law unconstitutional.

In June, Proposition 8 was placed on the California ballot. This Proposition, if passed, would amend the California Constitution to state that marriage would only be recognized between a man and a woman. Voters in Arizona and Florida took the same course to amend their constitutions with similar Propositions this year. They all passed, CA 51%, AZ 56% and FL 62%.

There are now 30 states that have amended their constitution to allow marriage only between a man and woman and 14 states that have protected marriage by statute. Only 2 states allow same-sex marriages (Connecticut and Massachusetts). We are a nation that has spoken that we want to keep marriage the traditional way, between One Man and One Woman.

Eight years ago, my church asked it's members to dedicate their time, talents and means to helping Prop 22 pass. This year, they stepped up the campaign and asked even more of their members. Members were asked to talk to people outside grocery stores and participate in roadside rallies. This is a photo that brought me to tears. It's of my good friend in So. Cal and her friends and family. She spent hours at peacefull roadside rallys standing up for what she believes is most sacred and dear. She willingly gave her weekends and most likely, her money, to follow our Prophet and protect marriage and the family.

My friend had signs stolen from her yard. She was yelled and cursed at. I heard of others at rallys that had cars swerving to hit their children. Members of my church had their names and contribution amounts published in newspapers, along with their addresses. Some had their homes and cars vandalized, others recieved hate mail.

I used to attend the LDS Temple in Oakland, when I lived near San Francisco. You take a tight freeway exit to get there. It had to be shut down days before the vote because protesters were packed so tight, yelling obsenities at cars trying to get to the temple to worship. Protesters screamed at temple patrons as they entered the temple grounds.

Since Proposition 8 passed, people of my faith have continued to be been targeted with bigotry and hatred. Persecution is nothing new for LDS people, but I've never experienced persecution to this extent, tolerated by the media and the world. I am saddened by this. I am brought to tears by these photos taken outside the Los Angeles LDS Temple.

Yesterday, 8 weddings were scheduled to take place at the LA Temple. Can you imagine, on the happiest day of your life, looking down the temple lawn to see this? As you take your wedding photos you hear people shout, "Shame on YOU!" Can you even imagine a wedding day like that?

Most of you know that Temples are very sacred to me. I would say that second only to my home, the Temple is the place that I can feel closest to my Heavenly Father. It is a special place I go to worship and put off the outside influences of the world. I can't imagine driving through the gates of the Los Angeles Temple and seeing these "notes:"

I used to go to the beautiful Los Angeles Temple, when we lived in Ventura . . . can you see it up on the hill? I've seen those clean, white gates and never been bothered by protests. I was so sad to hear that demonstrators are lining up outside temples in NYC, LA, Oakland and Salt Lake City.

I'm not sad because they're protesting. That is their right under the constitution. I'm sad because they are yelling and screaming at religious people as they go to worship. Their signs are bigoted and hateful. They have the right to wave them, but I feel sad for them, for their lack of integrity disguised as "Freedom of Speech." I am sad when someone is persecuted for their faith, especially when it's people I know and love. We have an important right in the US, the Freedom of Religion and I'm sad when others don't recognize that.

Have you seen or heard about the commercial aired last week?

Supposedly produced by an independent group not affiliated with the official "No On 8" campaign, the thirty second commercial spot shows two scruffy male white actors portraying Mormon missionaries who force their way into the well-kept home of a married lesbian couple.

"Hi, we're from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," one says. "We're here to take away your rights," says his companion. The missionaries then rip the wedding rings from the women's fingers and ransack the house until they find the women's marriage license, which they destroy.

"Hey, we have rights," one of the women says.

"Not if we can help it," answers a missionary. Moving outside the residence, one of the missionaries smugly says, "That was easy." Flexing his muscles, his companion asks, "What do we want to ban next?"

As you know, I have a brother serving a mission in Panama. He and the other 60,000 missionaries all over the world would NEVER do something like that. Our faith teaches tolerance and love. While I was appalled by the commercial, I was even more appalled both MSNBC and The Comedy Channel happily took money to broadcast this overtly hate filled vignette. I cannot imagine a similar commercial, targeted at any other religious or racial group, not being considered a hate crime with a civic outcry for prosecution.

My church has issued a statement that I find profound and reassuring:

"We hope that now and in the future all parties involved in this issue will be well informed and act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility toward those with a different position. No one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information."
"It is important to understand that this issue for the Church has always been about the sacred and divine institution of marriage — a union between a man and a woman."

"Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong. The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches." (Quoted from HERE.)

I read an interesting article written by a gay man who condemed those of his sexual orientation for their style of activism. The whole article is found HERE. This is what he said about the protestors lined up outside the NYC Manhattan temple:

"I'm a little scared of the anti-Mormon fervor that I'm seeing in the gay community. All over Facebook today the statues look like we're planning a Night of the Long Knives at the Mormon Temple in NYC at 6:30. Seriously guys, cut it out. I know you're angry. I know you need some way to express that anger, but the Mormon Temple in NYC makes no more sense than your grandparents' retirement community in Sacramento or The Apollo Theater in Harlem. Can't we be better than this?"

"While thousands and thousands of protesters gather outside the Mormon Temple, invoking scenes of Fred Phelps, we'll still be left with a simple fact: We were out-organized and out-fundraised in California. That's why we lost."

"This protest will just confirm the Mormons' fears about us and will certainly be portrayed negatively in the media . . .I'm ready for the fight, as long as I don't have to become a crazy fundamentalist monster to be part of it."

I find it interesting that this writer thinks the gay community lost because they were out-organized and out-fundraised. I think they lost because the people of California wanted to keep marriage the way they voted to keep it 8 years ago. This is the SECOND TIME this has been put to a vote. What some gays didn't learn from BOTH votes is that the general public in California doesn't want to recognize their marriages. Probably some did learn this and are packing their bags to move to Connecticut and Massachusets, where their union is recognized.

I also don't agree with his statement that the protests will "confirm the Mormon's fears" about gays. I have no fears about gays. I have gay friends and family members. I love them. I don't agree with their lifestyle choices, but I love the people. I'm not afraid of them. I don't want their sexual orientation to re-define my idea of marriage and family or re-define what is taught to my children in school, but I care about the people.

The writer's fear that the media would portray gays negatively is unfounded. The reverse is true though, as the LDS people are being portrayed negatively. It's really very unfair. In California, almost ALL Latinos voted for Prop 8, 7 out of 10 blacks voted yes, and the Catholic Church donated money and asked it's members to help Prop 8 pass! No one else is being targeted except the LDS people and church itself.

This temple is less than a mile from my house. When we woke up Saturday morning, the temple had been hit by at least 8 large paintballs on the back side (not pictured). Each panel in between the windows was hit. The paint was quickly powerwashed off, but if you look closely, you can see the residual outline marks.

I don't know if this act of vandalism was directly related to all the demonstrations targeted at other LDS Temples. It may be that some local hoodlums found a nice place to practice their aim. Either way, I feel like someone has taken a shot at me personally and it hurts.