Proposition 8...I received this e mail today and wanted to share with my readers.

Please pass this along to EVERYONE you know.



Matt's (my son) institute teacher read the following letter in class yesterday, and Matt ask him for a copy of it. He pointed out that if gay rights people get what they want then we will lose our rights.

I don't know if you're aware of what's going on politically here in California right now but for the first time in my life I've seen the church take a stand on a political issue to the extent that we've had Ward gatherings for the past three weeks to physically canvas neighborhoods and make phone calls to registered voters to educate them about the language and affects of Proposition 8. I guess I was kind of oblivious to the wider reaching affects that this could have on all church members but found this informative e-mail interesting and decided to forward it on to you.

In a recent LDS Sacrament meeting in California, the focus was on Amendment 8 (The gay marriage issue). One of the speakers who, was an LDS judge in the area, had statistics that were 'mind blowing.'

For example, in Boston, MA (where gay marriages are now legal,) the Catholic Charities have closed their doors because the state has required them to allow adoptions to same sex couples, and they refused. They are a large and worthwhile charity with great power in the state and they were overruled.

A Methodist church has lost their tax exempt status because the minister refused to perform a marriage of a same sex couple (they were not of his congregation).

A physician who refused to do fertility treatments on a same sex couple because of religious reasons was sued, lost and the state is requiring him to treat everyone as equals.

Our schools will be required to teach, starting in kindergarten, that marriages make up many different combinations. The consequences are horrible.

Directly tied into ALL of this is our right to continue to go to the Temple. If Gay Marriage is supported by the government, then those who are same-sex married, who are 'LDS' and legally recognized as married by the government, can sue to be married in the temple.&nbs p; It is my opinion that the church will not bend on this issue, and our rights to go to the temple will be in jeopardy.

AND goodbye to those religious tax-deductions. Tithing, fast offerings, etc. We will lose our tax-exemption status if the government legally forces the church to support same-sex marriage'

These effects are far-reaching! I hope no one is upset by this Email, I would not want to offend anyone, but I believe this issue is not a political issue at all, but a moral issue that affects all of society.

The Proclamation on the family clearly gives a warning voice on this matter. I pray that this issue on the ballots will overturn the gay marriages occurring right now in that state, and help prevent other states from adopting this stance. I believe that it is important to support and defend traditional marriage, home and family.

Another friend says that her relatives in Sweden are even watching what goes on in California. Friends in Canada are watching. The whole world is watching to see what happens.

HERE IS MORE INFO FROM SOMEONE HERE IN OREGON:
I thought you might find this interesting. While I was in Idaho this last week, BYU-I has set up call centers on campus and is asking for the students to sign up and volunteer to call citizens in Calif. to support the bill to ban the same sex rights. In Cory's ward the Stakes have been asked to have a 4 hour commitment per week from members to make calls at call centers to Calif. The church is footing the bill on all the calls. I wish that Oregon was able to be involved. I think right now they are using Utah and Idaho. The problem is that this not only effects Calif. but as we in other states will be legally obligated to recognize anything in our states after they move, so it ends up spreading to all us very quickly.