Lawless Sexual Revolutionists Protest the Mormon Church

In our opinion, the local newspaper did a poor job reporting the gay protest last night near the Salt Lake Temple. The Standard of Liberty was there and this is our take on what really went on.

In our estimation, the number that showed up was greatly exaggerated. It looked like about 1,000 people, not “3,500.” And also contrary to the reporting, the protest was not what we’d call “peaceful.”

Frankly, we saw a bunch of people acting like spoiled teenagers having a tantrum, publically blaming the LDS Church for getting involved and depriving them of legitimization. Steve even overheard two protestors, young men, commenting on how “this was going to be great, a huge party.” Evidently, to the lawless and licentious, showing up at the sight of a sacred edifice to make a scene mocking and denigrating people’s deeply-held religious beliefs is a party.

These are people who don’t care what the majority voted for. They don’t care what the inspired Constitution says. They don’t care what God, the holy scriptures, history, and the accumulated wisdom of the world has to teach us. They think they are above it all when what they have really done is sunk to humanity’s basest, unthinking instincts. And they arrogantly presume they have the right to bring everybody down with them.

The protestors held outrageous signs such as, “Religion Sucks,” “Read My Lips: No More Mrs. Nice Gay,” LDS (with a swastika for the S), Are Us Jews Next?”, “Mormons, Once Persecuted, Now Persecutors,” No More Nonprophet,” “No More Temple Sealings,” “Mormons Breed Hate,” “Shame on the LDS Church,” “Stop Temple Weddings,” “Revoke Tax Exemption,” and more. One of the speakers pointed his finger at the Church Office Building and yelled, “We’re calling you out and we’re putting you on notice!” Other speakers entreated the crowd to be respectful, but angry signs, shouts, and actions showed utter contempt for this advice. (Lest you think this was a group of fringe radicals, you should know that speakers included former Salt Lake City mayor, Rocky Anderson, and three current openly gay Utah legislators.) The group was highly disrespectful of the God-given, Constitutionally-protected freedoms of others. It was an ugly, profane, uncivilized, and tragically accurate portrait of a group of humanity that has turned its back on truth, reality, and health.

What we saw this group do was what they themselves spend so much time railing against: intolerance and bigotry, only it was aimed toward the Mormon Church and religion in general. The presumptuous chant “Tax the Church!” rang through the street. A small counter protest group showed up yelling, “You’re intolerant! The people voted! We’re still a democracy!” A shouting match ensued. In the middle of this insanity Steve change a flat tire of a car belonging to two ladies who had a bottle thrown at them. As they stopped the car it ran over the broken glass and punctured the tire. “Why should they be mad at us when we just happened to be on the road driving by?” they wondered. Peaceful demonstration? No way.

Why all the animosity and intimidation toward the LDS Church on the heels of the passing of California’s Proposition 8? We estimate there are 400,000 potential LDS voters in California. Over 5 million Californians voted for Proposition 8. Mormon voters comprised only 8 % of the passing vote. Yes, LDS financial involvement and grassroots efforts surely encouraged a number of nonMormon voters, but not only were there many, many more who feel the same way without any encouragement, there was nothing out of order here. The Mormon effort was an exercise of First Ammendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion. All Americans should know that the 1950s law about churches being prohibited from supporting individual political candidates does not apply here. Churches are perfectly free to involve themselves in political issues. All the anger and hatred we witnessed was in reality aimed toward God and His laws for human sexuality. It was a case of “kill the messenger.”

The sexual revolution has made unbelievable progress in the public arena and will not stop its efforts. Opposition seems only to the anger and resolve. But this in no way means we should refrain from opposing it. It means we should step up our opposition. Do we give up because those who seek to harm our society and our youth gain strength? No, we regroup, refine or change our strategy, and continue the fight.

Which will be upheld: individual sexual freedom or religious freedom? That is the big question.
As we’ve said, one will be preferred and the other harmed. Given the depth of feeling on both sides, the two cannot peacefully co-exist.

By the way, Mormons are a smaller minority than gays if you believe their admittedly inflated 10% number or even the more accurate 2 % number. According to Wikipedia, there are 1.3 million gays in California alone. In that case, gays outnumber Mormons 2 to 1 in that state. Evidently, gays’ outspoken demands for protected “minority status” does not apply to the even smaller Mormon minority.

As Latter-day Saints, we repeat our 11th Article of Faith: We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege [of worshiping God according to their conscience], let them worship how, where, and what they may. In other words, this is America. We have the right to worship God as we see fit.

Recent activities of the gay movement have exposed what this group is really about. It hates civilization. It hates morality. It hates responsibility. It hates democracy. It hates Christianity. It hates God.

-Stephen & Janice Graham

 

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