Moroni didn’t like gays

Moroni didn't like gays

During a videotaped press conference on Wednesday, Mormon church leaders asked their young members to use modern tools to help pass Prop 8 and defeat marriage equality in California.

Young Mormons in California and Californian Mormons studying on Brigham Young University campuses should use texting, blogging, videos, podcasts, Twitter and Facebook to "go viral" in support of a California ballot initiative that would ban gay marriage, said an LDS apostle on Wednesday.

"I must admit I don't know how all this works, but you do," M. Russell Ballard said during a videotaped conference....

[snip]

"Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God," Ballard said. "It has the natural biological power to create life. Its misuse undermines the fabric of society."

Because of such beliefs, Ballard said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was willing to join the Protect Marriage Coalition, an umbrella organization of several religious bodies including Catholics and Evangelicals.

One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church, Quentin L. Cook, explained to the young people:

Cook, who lived in California for decades before being named one of the church's top 12 leaders, assured the Mormon faithful that the church's involvement is perfectly legal.

"We have the privilege and obligation to let our voices be heard," Cook said.

Then Clayton, who has been the church's liaison with the coalition, laid out a three-phase plan of action to drum up more support for Proposition 8 during the final weeks before votes are cast on Nov. 4: canvassing to identify voters; advocacy and persuasion; and get out the vote.

"We are looking for 30 people in every ward in California to commit 4 hours each until the election," Clayton said. "On the last weekend, November 1 through 4, we have an additional 100-hour program that we will describe later."

Don't you find it interesting that Cook made a point of telling his young co-religionists that what they are doing is legal? Mormons claim to have donated an estimated 43% of the Yes On 8 money -- much of it from outside California.

The Mormon Church wants to rollback marriage equality in California -- and they are winning among younger voters, who drove Prop 8's recent gains in public opinion polls.

The poll shows a sharp uptick in support for Proposition 8, with 47% for Yes, 42% for No, and 10% undecided. The new poll shows some of the strongest support among young voters, those aged 18 to 34, a group that previous polls had shown to favor same-sex marriage. The subsample of voters between 18 and 34 support Prop. 8 by a considerably larger margin of 53% to 39%.

Please help defeat Prop 8.

You can contribute to No On 8 right here.