When the subject of religion comes up in relation to American politics, one group is usually noticeably absent: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as The Mormon Church. Mitt Romney briefly put Mormonism in the spotlight during the 2008 Republican primaries, but it has since largely retreated from the public eye. However, Mormons are currently emerging as crucial opposition to a very controversial, hotly contested issue: same-sex marriage. In an article for the Wall Street Journal titled “Mormons Boost Antigay Marriage Effort,” Mark Schoofs explores Mormon involvement in pushing the passage of Proposition 8 of the California ballot. If passed, this ballot initiative “would reverse the current right of same-sex couples to marry.” Schoofs aptly notes that the decision is significant not just for California, but for the entire country because it would likely set a precedent for other states. Therefore, Mormon support for the initiative would have national repercussions. Not only would it affect future policies in other states, but it could also lead to a new coalition between evangelical Christians and Mormons.
A significant number of Mormons have become active in the movement very recently, at the urging of prominent church leaders. In June, “the top leadership of the Mormon Church, known as the First Presidency, issued a letter...calling on Mormons to ‘do all you can’ to support Proposition 8.” I would imagine that this sense of urgency is a key factor behind the sudden support for the initiative. So far, it is estimated that Mormons have contributed “more than a third of the approximately $15.4 million raised since June 1 to support Proposition 8.” The Knights of Columbus (a Catholic group) and Focus on the Family (comprised mainly of evangelical Protestants) have also donated to the fund, though on a much smaller scale than the Latter-day Saints Church. So why are Mormons so overwhelmingly opposed to homosexuality? According to Professor Terry Givens from the University of Richmond, the reason for such vehement opposition to same-sex marriage lies “at the heart of Mormon theology.” Mormons believe that couples are married for eternity, can give birth to children during the afterlife, and retain their gender after death. Above all, “Mormons must be married to achieve ‘exaltation,’ the ultimate state in the afterlife.” Consequently, homosexuality logically does not really have a place in Mormon theology.
With the exception of its opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment during the 1970s, the Mormon Church has historically had minimal involvement in political issues. But same-sex marriage is apparently creating an outcry that challenges this trend. Clearly, it is an issue that is important enough to a significant number of Mormons to warrant unprecedented political action. Schoofs sheds light on an intriguing new phenomenon: the involvement of Mormons in Proposition 8 has resulted in alliances with some Christian religions, including evangelical Protestant groups, even though “deep theological differences” exist between the two. However, though he does mention these fundamental differences, Schoofs fails to discuss the prejudice that some evangelicals display towards Mormons. For example, a significant number of evangelicals refused to vote for Mitt Romney because of his faith. If a Mormon-Evangelical alliance does emerge, is it sincere or merely for the sake of convenience? Are we really seeing the beginnings of a new coalition against same-sex marriage, similar to the one that arose between Roman Catholics and evangelical Protestants over abortion? Will Mormons unite with evangelical Christians and successfully preserve traditional marriage between a man and woman? Or will the emerging bonds ultimately fail to withstand “unbridgeable” theological differences?
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Somehow I doubt it. Evangelicals are often happy to accept Mormon money and Mormon votes. But that doesn't mean they are doing anything more than holding their noses.
Evangelical "anti-Mormon" literature and ministries are just as popular as they ever were. I don't see that changing just because of a common cause in California.
What an interesting blog post/article. The stance CA Evangelical leaders pushing prop 8 seem to be taking towards their Mormon counterparts--that they "'would not, in all candor, have been meeting them or talking with them had it not been for'" the marriage campaign--reminds me very much of Jerry Falwell's treatment of members from other religions during the rise of the Religious Right and the heights of his pro-family campaign. In With God On Our Side, author William Martin emphasizes that Falwell embraced the concept of idea of “cobelligerency…breaking down separatist impulses” to “improve your country, improve your society” (204). Falwell's efforts to reach across the Church aisle to Roman Catholics, Jews, or "'God forbid, a Mormon,'" in order to thwart moral decay in the form of abortion or the ERA were incredibly pragmatic. Thus I don't think that those efforts, as successful or politically unifying as they may have been, were unifying in a spiritual, relational sense. I think animosity perpetuates today between certain evangelical camps and catholic camps, and even greater animosity between evangelicals and Mormons. I actually recall being told, a few years back at a Bible Study at my Church--which is evangelical but not too fundamental--that Mormonism was a cult. So, while Mormons and evangelicals may be binding together today to fight same-sex marriage, I think that tomorrow they could just as easily be warring over polygamy. Like the bonds formed a few decades ago, I think the cooperation between Mormons and evangelicals over prop 8 have more to do with political expediency than a kinsman-ship over personal values.
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