L.A. Mormon temple closed after suspicious envelope arrives in mail

[Lincoln Republican]

In fairness to the Mormon church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, some pertinent facts have to be made clear.

The Church itself considers itself to be apolitical.  They will always encourage members of the church to vote in an election, as part of their democratic responsibilities, but never take a stand on who to vote for and will never endorse any candidates.

On moral issues, such as proposition 8, the church encourages members to support an initiative such as this, as the church opposes same sex marriage.  It is my understanding that the church itself did not directly fund any of the campaign supporting proposition 8,  but only asked members of the church to support the initiative with their time and money.

The difference between political elections and moral issues must be clearly understood.

It must also be clearly understood that the Mormon church was by no means the only church supporting this initiative.  Proposition 8 was as well supported by a coalition of Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants, orthodox Jews, among others.     

[Lincoln Republican]

The Mormon Church should lose its tax exempt status.

Why, because members of the church put their own time and money behind propositiion 8, along with Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc.?

Because the Mormon church took a stand on a moral issue along with Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc?

Because the Mormon church encouraged its' members to get involved in an issue that fundamentally changes the sacred institution of marriage, along with Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc?

You cannot change tax exempt status of religious institutions because those religious institutions take a stand on a moral issue.

If you support the notion that the Mormon church should lose it's tax exempt status because it took a stand on a moral issue, than you have to support as well that Catholics, evangelicals , black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc, must as well lose their tax exempt status.

How can I make this clear......

The Mormon church did not put up any of their own funds in backing this initiative.  They encouraged their members to support  this initiative with their own time and with their own money.  

Wow, how sinister can they get, those bad, bad Mormons.  Imagine the audacity of the Mormon church encouraging their members to get involved in a moral issue. 

Lose it's tax exempt status, oh please.

[Lincoln Republican]

And I might add to my previous comments, that Muslims in California backed proposition 8, on the advice of their mosques and because of their traditional values.

Therefore, it would appear that Muslims took the same approach as the Mormons, in other words, their church, or in the case of the Muslims, their mosques, encouraged Muslims to back proposition 8.

Therefore, by extension, you would have to support Muslims losing their tax exempt status as well, because of their participation in opposing proposition 8.

[Lincoln Republican]

Those sickos. I am glad I voted for prop 8.

You are completely worthless as a human being.

And maybe I'll start shedding a tear of sympathy for the Mormons when their church stops involving itself financially in the political targeting of a minority group that is actually oppressed.  That goes for all the other joke religious organizations that supported this garbage as well.

Just where do you get off telling anyone else they are worthless as a human being?

You ought to be ashamed of yourself and issue a retraction and apologize to RobST.

And before you go running off at the mouth, you had best check your facts.

The Mormon church, as an organization in and of itself, did not put any of its own money in the campaign on proposition 8.  The Church encouraged its members to become involved in this initiative and encouraged its members to donate their own time and their own money in supporting this initiative.

Not only the Mormons, but Catholics, black Protestants, evangelicals, othodox Jews, Muslims, all donated time and money in support of proposition 8.

If you don't like the result of this free and democratic vote, that's up to you.  You are free not to agree with the result.

No group, including gays, Mormons, or anyone else, should ever be oppressed in the United States of America, but supporting proposition 8 is not oppression.  It is supporting the traditional definition of marriage, viewed by many people and by many faiths as a moral issue.

You obviously disagree with proposition 8, that is your right, but you are completely out of line in calling others worthless as a human being because they supported proposition 8.  Is this a tactic the radical gay movement now employs to denigrate anyone who does not support gay marriage?

And what you call joke religious organizations are many people's manifestations of faith.  You would not like it at all if anyone ridiculed or insulted beliefs that you held as important to you.

You may think proposition 8 was garbage, but it passed by a majority of those voting in California, so deal with it.

[Lincoln Republican]

Those sickos. I am glad I voted for prop 8. I used to live within walking distance of that Temple.

Oh yes, what we need now is these kind of blanketing statements to demonize an entire group. How about this: let's stop referring to Mormon's and Gay's as some kind of monolithic entities, O.K.?

Obviously, RobST was not blanketing any entire group.  By referring to those sickos, clearly he meant whoever it was who sent the envelope containing white powder to the Mormon temple.  He made no reference to gays at all as a monolithic group, and he made no reference at all to gays, as a group, being responsible for sending the envelope.

[Lincoln Republican]

Daniel Z, please see my reply below to your tax exempt status statement.

Muslim mosques as well, by the way, encouraged their members to support proposition 8, so, by your reasoning, Muslims would have to be included along with the Mormons, Catholics, black Protestants, evangelicals, orthodox Jews in losing their tax exempt status.

The Mormon Church should lose its tax exempt status.

Why, because members of the church put their own time and money behind propositiion 8, along with Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc.?

Because the Mormon church took a stand on a moral issue along with Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc?

Because the Mormon church encouraged its' members to get involved in an issue that fundamentally changes the sacred institution of marriage, along with Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc?

You cannot change tax exempt status of religious institutions because those religious institutions take a stand on a moral issue.

If you support the notion that the Mormon church should lose it's tax exempt status because it took a stand on a moral issue, than you have to support as well that Catholics, evangelicals , black Protestants, orthodox Jews, etc, must as well lose their tax exempt status.

How can I make this clear......

The Mormon church did not put up any of their own funds in backing this initiative.  They encouraged their members to support  this initiative with their own time and with their own money.  

Wow, how sinister can they get, those bad, bad Mormons.  Imagine the audacity of the Mormon church encouraging their members to get involved in a moral issue. 

Lose it's tax exempt status, oh please.

[Lincoln Republican]

As should any church who activly opposed prop 8.

First of all, get your facts straight.  Opposing prop 8 meant you favor gay marriage.  Supporting prop 8 meant you oppose gay marriage.

Second of all, your statement says that because a church opposes gay marriage they should lose their tax exempt status.  That's insane.  If a church opposes pedophelia should they lose their tax exempt status? 

Third of all, you evidently did not read my quote, or if you did, you did not understand it.  The Mormon Church itself did not participate in prop 8.  They encouraged their members to use their time and their money to support prop 8.