In what is perhaps today’s least surprising news, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (that’s a mouth full so let’s just call them the Mormon Church) which filed a pair of briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in January asking it to uphold California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, is not happy about today’s ruling.
Mike Otterson, spokesperson for the church, released the following statement:
“By ruling that supporters of Proposition 8 lacked standing to bring this case to court, the Supreme Court has highlighted troubling questions about how our democratic and judicial system operates. Many Californians will wonder if there is something fundamentally wrong when their government will not defend or protect a popular vote that reflects the views of a majority of their citizens.
In addition, the effect of the ruling is to raise further complex jurisdictional issues that will need to be resolved.
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Regardless of the court decision, the Church remains irrevocably committed to strengthening traditional marriage between a man and a woman, which for thousands of years has proven to be the best environment for nurturing children. Notably, the court decision does not change the definition of marriage in nearly three fourths of the states.”
tookietookie
Ha ha, suck it Mormons.
Mofdgheb
I don’t understand why any gay person would want to stay in that abusive little cult.
2eo
@Mofdgheb: Because they are sad, beaten depressed self loathing mentalists.
It’s great to see the church get a massive kick in the nads, I hope it sterilises the fuckers forever. Even if it doesn’t it’s nice to see morality, education, society and humanity take precedence over god for a change.
May it be the first of trillions of decisions based on people and not old, irrelevant worthless books.
doug105
Many Californians will wonder if there is something fundamentally wrong when their government will not defend or protect a popular vote that reflects the views of a majority of their citizens.
If people were allowed to vote on any and everything care to guess how many would vote to disband a certain “cult” ?
Daniel-Reader
Notice they say a man and a woman, not one man and one woman. That’s because traditional marriage in Mormonism is polygamy and they don’t want to anger their followers in the USA and around the world who practice polygamy, just like the Islamic Saudis do.
MK Ultra
It’s not “traditional marriage”.
The 1950’s “Leave it to Beaver” TV version of marriage that anti-gays like to reminisce on is nothing more than an escapism and never really existed that way in real life.
Adding the adjective “traditional” is nothing but propaganda.
That would be like if we adopted the term “Super-Marriage” for marriage equality.
Secondly attacking marriage equality is NOT IN ANY WAY “protecting marriage”.
You want to protect marriage, lobby against divorce. Lobby for more help for families.
That’ exactly like the KKK and skinheads claiming they don’t hate other races, they just want to protect the “white race”.
Dakotahgeo
Mormons?? Utah? LDS?? What…eva!!!
Cam
The Mormons overall have probably spent upwards of $100 million fighting a losing battle against gay marriage.
Meanwhile at the same time, memos have gone out firing the janitorial staff at their temples and requiring members to clean the churches etc…
Bigotry has cost them a lot, hopefully they will learn from this, but I doubt it.
Spike
@Cam: And for the $100 million, they got themselves a republican presidential candidate that other christians would support, the only problem being, he was the worst presidential candidates EVER, and a Proposition that the SCOTUS has pretty much pissed on.
And now their worst fear ever, marriage equality returns to California. Oh happy day!
Taliaferro
I once lived in Salt Lake City for a brief time that seemed far longer than the actual days I resided there. Why does anyone stay in a religion/cult that so dehumanizes them? The church in SLC is all pervasive and the indoctrination is astounding. Everything is designed to create a Them and Us world. By the time children become adults or aware of their sexuality years of damage have occurred and are had to undo.
rand503
Oh, the Mormons lost big. They spent all that money and energy to get Prop 8 passed, but although they tried to keep it quiet, the news eventually got out. That cost them a great deal of credibility and ever since they haven’t really been a player in such states as Maryland and Maine. The Mormons do really care what the rest of America thinks of them, and their support hurts them with a the new generations.
But at least they could console themselves with the fact that they stopped marriage in CA. IT was a success from that angle. But now they don’t even have that. They lost all that money, that credibility, and even their goals.
Biggest loser!
Dakotahgeo
Having read most of the news coming out of the Prop 8 and DOMA demise, plus talking with a few of my GLBT Mormon friends, the Mormon church simply does not have the financial resources left to fight big battles anymore. Neither does NOM or the Tea Party. This is why there is less and less confrontation in the states that have passed Marriage Equality laws. Today was probably the straw that broke the christian Taliban extremists’ backs, however. Their choir is ever so rapidly dwindling and so are the financial resources associated with them. The Catholic church (after spending $27Million for an old building to move their Diocese offices into) has closed and in the process of closing three (3!) educational schools in the KC Metro area! Churches’ giving has decreased tremendously among the Catholic parishioners to the point that needed facilities and their upkeep are closing. COULD IT BE that these ___wipes will finally realize that the well, any church-associated well, is running dry and I haven’t even touched on the Catholic sex scandals even though the Catholic faithful have probably thrown up their hands at this debacle also. Interesting, no?
mramseymd
Here is the simple answer, Mormon Church: The rights of the minority should NEVER be up for a vote by the majority.
1EqualityUSA
Churches need to lose tax exempt status when they entwine themselves in politics. That’s our next battle. The Republicans stand to take back more power with the Voting Rights Act screwed, gerrymandering states too stupid to realize what’s happening, voter suppression, and cheating. This will slow out progress down.
docrt925
“the Church remains irrevocably committed to strengthening traditional marriage between a man and a woman” says the spokesman for a church that, for much of its history, supported and defended polygamy.
E David
As a Mormon/Christian myself, I’ll refer to the Lord in this matter…
“And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.” – D&C 98: 5
So God is cool with it, regardless of what some of the Church leaders are saying.
queerduck
“the Church remains irrevocably committed to strengthening traditional marriage between a man and a woman”, and baptizing the dead. let’s not forget that traditional marriage for a mormon was polygamy.
Kangol
@1EqualityUSA:
Yep, destroying the Voting Rights Act and allowing gerrymandering and more big money in politics are part of the GOP game, and they are determined to do whatever they can to seize control, but as the increasing spread of marriage equality shows, money can’t always legislate hate, oppression and monopolistic control.
But they aren’t going to stop trying. There’s a hell of a lot of money flowing out there, especially since those Bush tax giveaways. There’s a reason W Bush was installed in that 2000 coup. Those tax cuts, that unneeded War in Iraq, the widespread spying on Americans we all have had to live with for 13 years now, and the extreme right-wing judges (Roberts, Alito) he installed on the Supreme Court were all part of a larger strategy.
I hope people never forget all the damage we’ve suffered as a result.
Dakotahgeo
@1EqualityUSA: As a retired Baptist (ugh!) minister, I could not agree with your stance on tax-exempt status more! Any church or religious entity should immediately lose their right to tax-exempt status immediately when they dabble in politics and bring into religious discussion… end of story. (I am no longer a …Bapti… ooofff… I can’t even say it within two minutes of saying it the first time)!
Michael
Isn’t it more like Marriage between A Man and WomEn as their religion is originally based on their men taking MULTIPLE wives