The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking California
congregants to join the effort to amend that state's
constitution to define marriage as being between a man
and a woman.
A letter sent to
Mormon bishops and signed by church president Thomas S.
Monson and his two top counselors calls on Mormons to donate
''means and time'' to the ballot measure. A note on
the letter, dated June 20, says it should be read
during church services on June 29, but the letter was
published Saturday on several websites.
Church spokesman
Scott Trotter said Monday that the letter was authentic.
He declined further comment, saying the letter explains the
church's reasons for getting involved.
The LDS church
will work with a coalition of churches and other
conservative groups that put the California Marriage
Protection Act on the November 4 ballot to assure its
passage, the letter states.
In May,
California's supreme court overturned a voter-approved ban
on same-sex marriage, saying gay and lesbian
couples could not be denied marriage licenses.
''The church's
teachings and position on this moral issue are
unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained
of God and the formation of families is central to the
Creator's plan for His children,'' the four-paragraph
letter states.
''We ask that you
do all you can to support the proposed constitutional
amendment by donating of your means and time to ensure that
marriage in California is legally defined as being
between a man and a woman,'' church leaders say in the
letter. ''Our best efforts are required to preserve
the sacred institution of marriage.''
California
Mormons -- there are more than 750,000, according to a
church almanac -- have heard and heeded similar calls
from their leaders before.
In 2000, a letter
from the pulpit asked members to give time and money in
support of Proposition 22, a ballot measure defining
marriage in California as between one man and one
woman. It passed with 61% percent of the vote.
The LDS church
also fought same-sex marriage legislation in other states
during the 1990s. As recently as 2006, it signed a letter to
Congress seeking an amendment to the U.S. Constitution
that would define marriage as being between a man and
a woman.
The latest letter
is a disappointment to members of Affirmation, an
international support group for gay, lesbian, and
transgender Mormons. Last month, Affirmation called on
the church not to meddle in California politics.
''This initiative will hurt so many people,'' executive
director W. Olin Thomas said in a statement Monday. ''The
California law affects civil marriage; it has no
effect on any religious institution or official.''
Affirmation
leaders are scheduled to meet with the head of LDS Family
Services, a church social services agency, in August to
begin a conversation meant to bridge the divide
between Mormonism and gay members hurt by church
teachings that homosexuality is a sin.
It will be the
first meeting between any arm of the church and
Affirmation, which was formed in secret in the 1970s by
students at the church-owned Brigham Young University
in Provo.
''We're not going
to let this stand in the way,'' Affirmation spokesman
David Melson said. ''The church has said they are open to
finding new avenues and new solutions to minister to
gay members, and we are taking them at their word.''
(Jennifer Dobner, AP)
