Prop 8 Umbrellas

Public Forum Letter
From the Salt Lake Tribune
D. James Croft
Great Falls, VA

"There has been substantial coverage of the protests against the involvement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a coalition of Catholics and Evangelicals that supported California's Proposition 8. Much of the coverage has focused on protests at LDS temples in California and New York.

But a recent demonstration at the Washington, D.C., LDS Temple produced interesting results. A small group of protesters gathered outside the temple grounds. They displayed their signs but did not block traffic. They did not deface any property or engage in any intimidating conduct.

When a rainstorm came up, sister missionaries working at the temple's visitor center ran out with umbrellas, which they gave to the demonstrating group.

Participants on both sides of this emotional issue can learn from all those involved in this episode."

An Ugly Attack on Mormons

By Jonah Goldberg
December 2, 2008
As printed in the LA Times

Did you catch the political ad in which two Jews ring the doorbell of a nice, working-class family? They barge in and rifle through the wife's purse and then the man's wallet for any cash. Cackling, they smash the daughter's piggy bank and pinch every penny. "We need it for the Wall Street bailout!" they exclaim.

No? Maybe you saw the one with the two swarthy Muslims who knock on the door of a nice Jewish family and then blow themselves up?

No? Well, then surely you saw the TV ad in which two smarmy Mormon missionaries knock on the door of an attractive lesbian couple. "Hi, we're from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!" says the blond one with a toothy smile. "We're here to take away your rights." The Mormon zealots yank the couple's wedding rings from their fingers and then tear up their marriage license.

As the thugs leave, one says to the other, "That was too easy." His smirking comrade replies, "Yeah, what should we ban next?" The voice-over implores viewers: "Say no to a church taking over your government."

Obviously, the first two ads are fictional because no one would dare run such anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim attacks.

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Violating the Spirit of the First Amendment

One of our contributors stumbled upon this piece while doing "research." It gives great clarity to this issue of demanding the recall of the religious institutions' tax exempt status.

Taking Away Churches Tax Exempt Status Would Violate

The Spirit Of The First Amendment

By Glen Dean

This post is a response to a post at Nashville Is Talking, which linked to a post from No Quarters.
Brittney wrote:

"The tax exempt status of churches has always baffled me. Does Two Rivers Baptist Church, with its bookstore and lattes, get coffee and songbooks tax free? Are all these giant megachurches with lavish accommodations getting all the stuff they purchase tax free?"

Taking away a churches tax exempt status would result in a violation of the spirit of the first amendment. The purpose of the Bill of Rights was to protect the citizens from government. The founders knew that only government could take away rights. As far as religion is concerned, they made a point not to set up a state church like the Church of England and they specifically wanted government to stay out of the affairs of churches. The whole purpose of the first amendment establishment clause was to protect religion and religious people from government.

Presently the federal government is much more powerful than the founders ever intended. Government uses the system of taxing and spending to control the behavior of the citizenry. The tax code is filled with all kinds of deductions designed to affect certain behaviors in Americans. The government especially controls our behavior when they redistribute our money in the form of government spending. Does anybody remember how the Carter administration withheld highway money from states that did not change the speed limit to 55? There are countless other examples, but the point is that government exerts power over us with the system of taxing and spending.

Imagine what would happen if government taxed churches? I have already written about what can happen when faith based groups take government money. Do you really want government controlling religion? Now do you see what I mean when I say that taxing churches would inevitably violate freedom of religion? Can you not see that if Congress made a law taxing churches, that they would eventually use the tax code to "prohibit the free exercise thereof"?

The day that churches lose their tax exempt status is the day that freedom of religion in this country dies. Sadly, that may very well be the aim of many secularists.

L.A. Film Festival Director Richard Raddon Resigns

As reported by the LA Times

Raddon, a Mormon, steps down over reaction to his financial support of Prop. 8.

By Rachel Abramowitz

2:31 PM PST, November 25, 2008

Richard Raddon, the director of the Los Angeles Film Festival who has been at the center of controversy ever since it was revealed almost two weeks ago that he had contributed $1,500 to the campaign to ban gay marriage in California, resigned from his post over the weekend.

The nonprofit arts organization Film Independent sponsors both the Los Angeles Film Festival, held in May, and the popular Independent Spirit awards. Raddon is a member of the Mormon Church, which actively called on its congregants to work for the passage of Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. It has been estimated that Mormons gave more than $20 million in support of the recently passed ballot measure.

After Raddon's contribution was made public online, Film Independent was swamped with criticism from "No on 8" supporters both inside and outside the organization. Within days, Raddon offered to step down as festival director, but the board, which includes Don Cheadle, Forest Whitaker, Lionsgate President Tom Ortenberg and Fox Searchlight President Peter Rice, gave him a unanimous vote of confidence.

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