Ashton did not receive his money from the LDS church. He is the co-founder, along with Bruce Bastian, of WordPerfect. Bastian is the one who gave $1 million against Prop. 8.

The LDS church does not refuse to marry you if you have been divorced. I don't know where Rev. Smith is getting his info, but it's incorrect. LDS bishops can also perform inter-faith marriages, and marriages where neither person is LDS.

Vote Yes on 8.

The LDS church does not practice polygamy, does not marry underage girls, and anyone who is LDS that does this is ex-communicated. Do not confuse the LDS church with the polygamists in Texas, Arizona, or southern Utah. They are NOT LDS.

McCain and Yes on 8 will fall.
Why? Simple.You're outnumbered,Period.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon Church") has every right and every reason to support traditional marriage and encourage its members to do so as well. Traditional marriage was the law of the land in California until 4 judges overturned the law and created a new legal definition of marriage violating the separation of powers according to Justice Baxter, who wrote the dissenting opinion to the majority decision. Who violated the California constitution and threatened the right of all Californians? The California Supreme Court.

Should the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or anyone else expect that the supreme court in this state is going to uphold constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms when it has already violated the constitution? No. I think that is why so many religious organizations reject the idea that their religious freedoms will be upheld in a contest between them and a society where same-sex marriage becomes the new norm. The Latter-day Saints (LDS) additionally have a history of this country violating their religious freedoms--and it was not all because of the practice of polygamy by some members of the church.

I am an LDS woman, and I will be supporting Proposition 8. I made that decision before my church officially and specifically encouraged its members to support Proposition 8.

It's a sad day in California history when powerful, wealthy churches are able to scare people into doing their bidding.

Michichael: "The church that ... is even today enslaving young girls into marrying old church elders." You can't be serious. Do you plan to deceive others as well?

To those that "know "the bible: grow up! You do not read ancient Hebrew or Aramaic., do you? Everything you think you know has been translated and rewritten by men of a certain time, place and political philosophy. Therefore, nothing in it is infallible. What is certain is that we have the intellect and free will to analyze our world as we know it and make the best of it. Prop 8 is unfair and will do nothing to change the world for the better.

Also: if you're not a constitutional scholar with a JD and PhD, what makes you think you can put Prop 8 in context, and predict the fallout? The resulting chaos if Prop 8 passes will have to be sorted out by JDs & judges, so they'll have the last work anyway. The only thing Prop 8 supporters can be sure of is clogged courts and wasted resources. Let those with expertise in lawmaking do their jobs. The legislature, governor and courts all oppose Prop 8.

MARRIAGE the western world form came from Judeo-Christianity in connection with traditional family's of dad/mom and kids. Marriage is intended for uniting the two human genders amle and female also for taditional family's of mom/dad and kids. All kids when possible deserve both a mom and a dad not two or three moms. The Oxford English Dictionary 3rd edition informs-marriage is a union of a man and a woman who become husband and wife. Words do have meaning and history in them. NOTE- History, Tradition, Spirituality and Naturalism all confirm marriage is exclusively intended as a union for a man and a woman- the two human genders which is the complete human race.

The lengths that those who oppose Proposition 8 will go to would be laughable if they were now so pathetic. The Revend Daniel E. Smith's comments on Mormon doctrine not marrying divocees and people of differing faiths are just plain wrong. Something I know from personal experience, not reading or hearing it somewhere. The former Mormon, continues to spread lies and disinformation that, again, would be laughable if it were not so pathetic and of course his words represent an unbiased opinion, don't they? No matter what Ms. Gallagher's background is, it has no bearing on her premise that marriage is about biology and the survival of the species. We have already seen the results of children being raised in fatherless families in our inner cities, do we really want to distort the nuclear family even more? Even the current Democratic candidate for President has called for fathers to step up and raise their children themselves rather than leaving it to others. Lastly smearing a donor of any amount because you don't agree with his views is the worst form of bigotry.

Note to L.A. Times Blog readers: The following opinion contains satire (n.): "the use of ridicule, sarcasm, and irony to expose, attack, or deride vices and follies."

To whomever has stolen my No on 8 sign three times in North San Gabriel: Let me appeal to your practical side for a "No" vote, since my signs (with a tacked-on "Thou Shalt no Steal") haven't done the trick:

Same-sex marriage is the best way to tame wild, lustful gays and keep them home at night like other married people. It's far better to pair them up and let them keep tabs on each other than to have them roaming the streets at night passing for normal. Imagine if they were to target your son or daughter in a bar or nightclub, in a pathetic, doomed attempt to reform their lives and go straight--only to fall back into The Life later, leaving your kids broken-hearted and you grandchildless, with nothing to do on holidays.

It doesn't have to be this way. Contain the passion--ghettoize the problem.

Vote No on 8. Let freedom end with rings.

Haven't we learned that "Separate but Equal" isn't?

First of all, I am a white, straight, conservative-leaning woman. But I can recognize prejudice, bigotry and hatred when I see it. And I see it clearly in Proposition 8.

Some of the more enlightened supporters of Prop 8 say that same-sex couples have other options available to them such as civil unions, etc. This is the same argument used to rationalize the doctrine of "separate but equal" for people of color. (If you are too young to remember this policy, ask an African-American over the age of 50 what it was like to live in Alabama in the 40's and 50's.)

The arguments in favor of Prop 8 - at least the ones that are not just scare tactics and baseless lies to rally the homophobes - are the same that allowed our country to institutionalize prejudice and segregation against our own citizens nearly a century after we abolished slavery.

When you apply rules and laws differently to different groups of people, you are guilty of prejudice. Plain and simple. Prop 8 will do this, allowing further differentiation and discrimination in the future. Will we only allow adoptions for "married" couples? Will there be different housing restrictions for "married" couples?

Come on people. Wake up. The "sanctity of marriage" is a ruse. If Prop 8 is defeated you will still be able to hate anyone you want, regardless of race, gender, religion, or even sexual orientation. You just cannot discriminate against them.

Please vote NO on Prop 8, and vote against legalized hate.

The article by Maggie Gallagher makes the most sense of anything I've read so far. I'm voting YES on prop 8

For public release
Presbyterians Against Proposition 8
October 28, 2008

Let us be absolutely clear that in our opposition to Proposition 8 we are asking nothing more than what already exists in the respectful balance between the beliefs and practices of our many faiths and California constitutional law.

Within the many communities of faith in our State we have conflicting doctrines and beliefs that already govern the practice of marriage.

Our Roman Catholic, Mormon and many of our evangelical churches do not and will not marry persons who are divorced. But that does not mean that those who are divorced are constitutionally prohibited from the right of legal marriage in our state.

Likewise, our Roman Catholic, Mormon, and some Jewish and Muslim faith traditions will not marry persons of different faith traditions. But that does not mean that interfaith couples, or those of no particular faith tradition, cannot be married in our state.

Our California constitution honors all religious traditions by respecting our differences about religious marriage while at the same time providing and protecting the right of all couples to marry the person of their choice.

Prop. 8 would ELIMINATE the constitutional right of same sex couples to marry. That is unfair and unjust. California constitutional law already honors and respects religious differences. No religious institution is forced to marry anyone. But that does not mean that any person in our state should lose their constitutional right for legal marriage.

I urge you to protect our constitutional rights as well as our right to religious diversity and pluralism by voting NO on Proposition 8.

Thank you.
#

Rev. Daniel E. Smith
Pastor, West Hollywood Presbyterain Church
7350 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Ph: 323-874-6646
E: dsmith@wehopres.org

Worship Service: Sundays at 11 AM

West Hollywood Presbyterian Church
7350 Sunset Blvd at Martel St
(between LaBrea and Fairfax)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323/874-6646
www.wehopres.org

See http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1129476/getting_prop_8_straight.html?post=true&cat=17 for the LAW on Prop. 8 before you vote on it.