Mormon church targeted for Prop. 8 support

More than 40 people demonstrated in front of a Mormon church in Seattle's University District on Sunday morning, expressing anger at the role the national church played in the passing of Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in California.

They lined the sidewalk, chanting slogans such as "Tax the church!" and holding signs saying "Shame on the church" and "All marriages are equal."

"I don't tell them what to do in their religion. They shouldn't tell me what to do in my life," said Chris Campfield, 27, of Seattle.

Matthew Wilson, 26, of Seattle, who organized the protest, said: "We want to make it very clear to this church that Washington will not accept divisive or discriminatory actions."

Proposition 8 defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and overrides a California Supreme Court ruling that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. It passed with 52 percent of the vote and throws into question the status of about 18,000 same-sex couples who wed in California.

Proposition 8 drew a range of opponents — including some Mormons. Proposition supporters, in addition to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), included the state's Roman Catholic bishops, some evangelical churches, and others.

But the Mormon church drew special attention after its top leaders issued a letter in June read in every congregation in California, asking members to "do all you can to support" the proposition by donating "your means and time." The church's position, the letter said, was that "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."

During the campaign, a Web site created by Proposition 8 opponents using campaign-finance data and other public records estimated that members of the LDS church had given more than $20 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. That amount is difficult to confirm, though, since the state does not track the religious affiliation of donors, the newspaper said.

Similar protests occurred Sunday around California — at the state Capitol in Sacramento and outside the enormous Saddleback Church in Orange County. In Oakland, a protest at the city's Mormon temple prompted the California Highway Patrol to close two highway ramps.

There are calls by gay leaders to boycott Utah and an online effort to challenge the church's tax-exempt status.

Mormon church leaders in Salt Lake City issued a statement late last week calling for mutual respect and civility.

"Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong," the statement said.

"The Church's opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians," and the church does not object to rights for same-sex couples such as hospital visitation, fair housing and employment rights, according to the statement.

Church leaders also said they found it disturbing that their church was being singled out.

That sentiment was echoed by Roman Catholic Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento, who issued a statement saying: "Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful."

Doug Clark, of Seattle, who is Mormon, counterprotested at the Seattle demonstration by holding a sign saying: "9.5 million voted on Prop 8. Mormons are not alone in their opinion."

Some Proposition 8 opponents in California also protested in front of Catholic and evangelical churches over the past week.

Gay-rights supporters, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, along with cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, have filed lawsuits asking the California Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com

The information in this article, originally published November 10, 2008, was corrected November 10, 2008. Top leaders for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a letter that was read to every California congregation, urging church members to support Proposition 8. The previous version of this story was more general and could have incorrectly left readers with the impression that the Mormon church's letter was read to every LDS congregation in California and beyond.