Religious Bigotry and Prop 8
The following TV advertisement is scheduled to run election day:
The reader who alerted us to this comments:
“Please forward - with my comments, if you want to - to every religious group you have dealt with. I would like them all to condemn this in very strong terms, as soon as day breaks. Once again, the opposition forces show that their true agenda is to attack religious organizations.
“The battlefront is getting very ugly. If you haven’t seen this latest No on 8 ad that will hit the California Television markets tomorrow, it is worthy of awareness. The direct attack against the Mormon church using faux missionaries is deplorable.
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/topnews/story.aspx?content_id=e1f83189-843f-41d7-84c4-2029fbd9a2ce
“My great hope is that Californians will be repulsed by such a blatant display of religious bigotry, and that they will see the true agenda of those who claim they want free speech. Anyone who tries to equate the free exercise of a person’s political rights with home invasion clearly has a twisted perception of the world. I hope that there is a firestorm of condemnation - from every religious denomination - of this raw display of intolerance. It’s Mormons today, and who else tomorrow?”
John comments: The reader is right when he comments, ” It’s Mormons today, and who else tomorrow?” And yet, it was “who else” that made it easy to shoot at Mormons this cycle.
Which is the first point - all those people that wanted to discriminate against a Mormon candidate never dreamed it would come back to haunt them on something they really cared about. UNLESS, OF COURSE THEY READ THIS BLOG! This is so utterly predictable, even if offensive and repugnant, after the primary campaign, that it would be comical were it not so serious.
This ad plays heavily on the fact that Mormon perceived oddity has been raised to revulsion in the comments, not in the Prop 8 campaign, but by the rhetoric of the primary. I mean, after all, “Mormons lie” and they think Jesus and the devil are brothers. The religion was, after all, “founded on ‘whoppers.’” All though, that last came from someone that is probably opposed to Prop 8, but then we tolerated it, didn’t we? - Weisberg still has his job.
Name calling begats name calling. It is no more complex than that. If we start naming and excluding we open ourselves up to the same thing.
It is so important to remember the big picture. Our petty theological differences with the CJCLDS do not amount to a hill of beans compared to this! If Prop 8 is defeated, much of the blame will belong squarely on the shoulders of those that said very similar things about Mitt Romney.
Just remember that when your kid is dragged to a gay wedding our of school.
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One Response to “Religious Bigotry and Prop 8”
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Lori on 03 Nov 2008 at 10:04 pm #
Lowell, thanks for letting us know about this. I am in the trenches in California’s effort to pass Prop 8. This has incensed me. I am practically speechless, this is so outrageous. The opposition cannot argue their position so instead they attempt to villainize the good and humble servants, the missionaries, who by the way have nothing to do with the campaign and are restricted from participation in it.
I have written to KTVU to ask them to retract this story. I will write to all stations who air this ad. This ad is meant to stir up anger and violence against these good and kind young missionaries who give so much kind charity and humanitarian service to their communities. They do not deserve this.
This is so un-American that I struggle to find words to describe my thoughts. It’s hideous, hateful, and beneath contempt.