Just weeks away from a a special session of the Hawaii legislature called by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to move forward on a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, the Mormon church is once again calling upon its membership to get involved.
But, according to Ruth Todd, spokeswoman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the difference in this post-Proposition 8 era is that that the emphasis will be focused not on telling members of the Church which side of the issue to take, but to study the Mormon church’s philosophy that endorses marriage as between one man and one woman.
In a letter dated Sept. 15 and read at LDS temples on Sunday, church leadership urged Mormons to “study this legislation prayerfully and then as private citizens contact your elected representatives in the Hawaii Legislature to express your views about the legislation.”
Whether Mormons favor or oppose the potential change, the letter said, they should push for “a strong exemption for people and organizations of faith” that would protect religious groups “from being required to support or perform same-sex marriages or from having to host same-sex marriages or celebrations in their facilities; and protect individuals and small businesses from being required to assist in promoting or celebrating same-sex marriages.”
If lawmakers pass a bill, Hawaii would join 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia in legalizing same-sex marriage.
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