8: TMP, The So-Called Mormon Proposition...

By now you’ve heard of or seen the trailer for the new, soon-to-be-released, defamatory documentary film singling out Mormons from other coalitions and denominational groups for their members’ concerted effort to pass Prop 8, The film has been dubbed, 8:TMP or The Mormon Proposition; its title dupes, its graphic is sacreligious, and conforms with misinformation and gross generalizations, as well as a number of unfounded allegations regarding the desires,  motivations of  both the organization and adherents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons, often inadvertently called “The Mormon Church.”).

• The 8:TMP movie trailer portrays Mormons as Greenstreet falsely and grossly decries them–as full of hate towards gays.  I, like thousands of others, feel no hatred towards those I know who are gay,  while I was an advocate for Prop 8, and yet have read hate statements on blogs and elsewhere about those who opposed Prop 8.  You can’t take 10-20 members out of a 13-million member base and say that they are representative of Mormons or Mormonism, any more than I should take the biased, ignorant, hate-filled remarks and threats from gays sent to those who sat in the legislature last session or the acrimonous digs that appear as comments on sites pertaining to these issues as an indication that all gays hate those who differ from them on issues of same-sex marriage.

• “The Mormon Proposition” trailer also gives coverage of the casualties of same-sex-struggling individuals, and implies that there is ‘one’ cause for those suicides. As members, we mourn and grieve deeply over the loss of Stuart, Clay, DJ and others whose lives were torn up as they wrestled with issues relating to their faith and their gender.  We do not pass those by unnoticed, and we wish they, like so many others who are not gay who have committed the same desperate act, might have been helped–but neither can we lay blame on God or those honoring His definition of marriage for actions taken by those struggling with those issues. We do not judge them, nor do we judge others who have chosen to order their lives differently or who have sought to understand themselves in light of unwanted affections for others of the same sex.  And yet, we have to realize that there is a difference between compassion for the individual and an overwhelming desire to help those wanting to reform, and the need for politically preserving an eternal union that will save the most souls, and endure in eternity.

• Other claims are addressed in other posts.  We hope that those seeking to understand the real underpinnings of members’ stance, their actions, and the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on same-sex marriage, religious freedom, faith and morality, the role of women, and eternal identity, will do so directly, by asking one of us as members, or by contacting representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ to respond to your questions. As far as the actual position of the Church on these issues for those new to this debate, see below:

Marriage: One Man...One Woman

The Position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Inadvertently referred to as “The Mormon Church” by some unknowing) on marriage.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints has chosen to become involved, along with many other churches, organizations, and individuals, in defending the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman because it is a compelling moral issue of profound importance to our religion and to the future of society (Apostle, Elder Oaks).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes the deeply held feelings on both sides, but strongly affirms its belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” the church said in a statement released from Salt Lake City. “The bedrock institution of marriage between a man and a woman has profound implications for our society. These implications range from what our children are taught in schools to individual and collective freedom of religious expression and practice…. Accordingly, the Church stands firmly for what it believes is right for the health and well-being of society as a whole (Church statement).

The position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex marriage compromises the traditional concept of marriage, with harmful consequences for society. Aside from the very serious consequence of undermining and diluting the sacred nature of marriage between a man and a woman, there are many practical implications in the sphere of public policy that will will be of deep concern to parents and society as a whole. These are critical to understanding the seriousness of the overall issue of same-sex marriage.

When a man and a woman marry with the intention of forming a new family, their success in that endeavor depends on their willingness to renounce the single-minded pursuit of self-fulfillment and to sacrifice their time and means to the nurturing and rearing of their children. Marriage is fundamentally an unselfish act: legally protected because only a male and female together can create new life, and because the rearing of children requires a life-long commitment, which marriage is intended to provide. Societal recognition of same-sex marriage cannot be justified simply on the grounds that it provides self-fulfillment to its partners, for it is not the purpose of government to provide legal protection to every posssible way in which individuals may pursue fulfillment. By definition, all same-sex unions are infertile, and two individuals of the same gender, whatever their affections, can never form a marriage devoted to raising their own mutual offspring. (Divine Insitution of Marriage, LDS Newsroom).