# Churches and Prop 8 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 13, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726 "2008-10-13T16:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/1 "2008-10-13T16:05:20Z")
Just curious if you church-going Dopers have noticed your pastor or congregation trying to sway you one way or the other re: Prop 8 in California (same gender marriage). I read the online version of news from Salt Lake City and I ran across this article. > **[LDS leaders urge Calif. Mormons to spread word on Prop. 8](https://www.ksl.com/article/4479655)** > > Three church leaders spoke in a satellite broadcast last night about the need for California Mormons to get involved. My local newspaper had a blog from an Orange County pastor who said that her “No on 8” sign had been stolen from her office. I’m just surprised that churches would be allowed to register a yay or nay, and encourage people to vote a certain way, on any Proposition. Not judging anyone, just curious what you have heard at church when it comes to politics. (not terribly surprised by the article from the link, actually, having lived in SLC in the past). Can you tell that it’s been awhile since I attended church? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/2 "2008-10-13T16:35:16Z")
This is the whole reason I stopped attending church…the church’s political motivations and messages frequently clashed with what _I_ thought was right. It often felt like politics were a bigger focus than any area of spirituality. For some odd reason, I’m still on their mailing list; their newsletter has changed drastically over the last year or so, focusing on political activities (protests, etc.) rather than the fellowship gatherings and community events they used to feature. I guess you’re looking for something a bit more recent though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/3 "2008-10-13T23:56:01Z")
I attended church with my parents in orange county a few weeks ago, and while the pastor did not say anything about Prop8 from the pulpit, their Sunday school class was as livid as I’ve seen them get on any issue other than abortion. Apparently after Prop8 passes there will be a mandatory Gay Day holiday their children in public schools will be forced to participate in. No, really. Nobody’s said anything about Prop8 that I know of at my home church, but my branch of Episcopals have been pretty good on the issue. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/4 "2008-10-14T00:21:52Z")
I’m in Arizona and I’ve been attending an Episcopal church here for the past few weeks. I haven’t heard a single word about the Arizona same sex marriage amendment. The previous United Church of Christ church I attended simply got too political. I’m liberal, but the liberal politics just got to be too much. It was like being hit on the head with a sledgehammer every Sunday morning. I wasn’t sure if I was in church or watching C-span. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/5 "2008-10-14T00:56:51Z")
My pastor had better not say anything at all- the letter of the law and all that. However, if she were to say something, it would most like;y be “No on 8.” “The United Methodist Church. Open hearts, open minds, open doors (as long as you don’t want to get married).” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/6 "2008-10-23T17:48:49Z")
I would appear the [Church of LDS](http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64163.asp) is bankrolling the lion’s share of “Yes on 8” campaign funds: > [@](#): > > The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has mobilized followers to give an estimated 77% of donations to support California’s proposed marriage ban. > > Californians Against Hate released figures Tuesday showing that $17.67 million was contributed by 59,000 Mormon families since August to groups like Yes on 8. Contributions in support of Prop. 8 total $22.88 million. Additionally, the group reports that Mormons have contributed $6.9 million to pass a a similar law, Proposition 102, in Arizona. > > “It is a staggering amount of money and an even more staggering percentage of the overall campaign receipts,” Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate said in a press release. “The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has hijacked the campaigns in both California and Arizona, where voters face constitutional amendments to end same-sex marriage.” > > … > > The Latter-day Saints Church says it has approximately 770,000 members in California, accounting for about 2% of the state’s population. Senior church elders broadcast a call to Mormons October 8 for increased volunteer efforts and donations for the marriage fight. The hour-long message went out to churches in Utah, Hawaii, and Idaho as well as California. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/7 "2008-10-23T22:04:40Z")
At least one of the local churches, a Baptist one, has Yes on 8 signs on its lawns. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/8 "2008-10-23T22:27:51Z")
I attend Catholic Mass every week…nothing more than “Vote for something that promotes the greatest good and if you’re not sure, then don’t vote for that particular prop or person…but nonetheless, do go out and vote.” In my mind, that means the equality of people trumps traditional values that are exclusionary. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/9 "2008-10-24T03:30:13Z")
My church is definitely “No on 8”. We usually don’t mention it in services, but there’s probably discussion during weekly putlock, there is a “marriage equality team”, and its all over the newsletter. Unitarians tend to get political, even when its very unpopular around here. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/10 "2008-10-24T05:51:37Z")
All I have to say is those “Yes on 8” people are pretty nasty–perhaps some pastors ought to consider giving sermons on the [inadvisability of blackmail](http://www.cbs8.com/stories/story.144185.html). Is there a bible verse about that? ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-and-prop-8/467726/11 "2008-10-24T18:18:49Z")
I got up and walked out of a church service when they had a “presentation” by the church women’s group on why the congregation should vote yes to a law that would have banned Irish women from having abortions if their health (including mental health) was at stake. No way was I going to sit and listen to why some lady thought God would rather women died, suffered severe disability or went batshit insane than have safe, legal terminations. I never went back and they got a letter from me explaining why. If you think your church is asking you to vote in a way you don’t agree with, the least you can do is tell them you don’t agree with them and don’t appreciate hearing a biased political message when you attend a religious service.