Mormon Leader Compares Pro-Equality Activists to Violent Segregationists

[Ichingcarpenter]

In a speech yesterday Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an official of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, compared the alleged anti-Mormon backlash over the Church's support of Proposition 8 in California to the intimidation of Southern blacks during the civil rights movement.

"Equating the 1960s struggle for justice with the plight of a church that has been a vocal opponent of injustice is deeply offensive," said Reverend Byron Williams of the African American Ministers Leadership Council, a project of People For the American Way Foundation. "Elder Oaks and the LDS church poured millions of dollars into a campaign to ensure that some California families are granted second class citizenship. Any isolated cases of vandalism that the Mormon Church faced are entirely unacceptable, but comparing the treatment of the LDS Church after Prop 8 to the violence faced by anti-segregation activists diminishes the bravery and sacrifice of some of our nation's civil rights leaders. Elder Oaks should immediately apologize for his comments, as well as for the campaign for injustice he helped wage to pass Proposition 8."

"The Mormon Church is rightly upset that it received such bad press after it weighed in so heavily to pass Proposition 8," said Michael B. Keegan, President of People For the American Way Foundation. "But they should have considered that before they launched a dishonest campaign to deny protections to loving, committed couples. Elder Oaks has a right to speak out on whatever issue he feels his religion calls him to address, but there are consequences to participating in a public debate. That's not religious intimidation-it's civic discourse. To compare people who voiced their disappointment in the Church to violent segregationists is profoundly offensive, and the Mormon Church should be doubly sensitive to the issue given its own disturbing and too recent history of racial discrimination. Elder Oaks should make a public apology for his comments."

http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_2009_10_mormon_leader_compares

[tblue]

1. If that's not the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.

Project much? What a clown.

[TexasObserver]

2. They said blacks were cursed by God until 1978.

Curse of Ham, Noah's son, you know.

In 1978, they finally got the memo God sent the rest of the universe much earlier.

[old mark]

3. Mormons were subject to discrimination in their early years - they seem to have

forgotten all about that.

mark

[ThePantaloon.com]

4. Fuck Mormons, Glenn Beck is one of 'em

[Cid_B]

6. "Fuck Mormons"...

Stick any other religious or ethnic group in there (i.e. Jews, Blacks) see how far you get...

Its ok to stereotype and discriminate when you do it right?

[HereSince1628]

5. I don;t think so, I think they fall back on being the victims

That seems to be a part of human nature and the need to form groups that have form all our little "us" groups that make it possible to be against "them."