The California Supreme Court recently ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in California. Recognizing the importance of marriage to society, the Church accepted an invitation to participate in ProtectMarriage, a coalition of churches, organizations, and individuals sponsoring a November ballot measure, Proposition 8, that would amend the California state constitution to ensure that only a marriage between a man and a woman would be legally recognized.
So begins the introduction to recent document entitled “The Divine Institution of Marriage,” created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to help explain our involvement in a coalition focused on helping pass Proposition 8 in the state of California in the US. This document was created “to reduce misunderstanding and ill will.” We highly recommend this document as a clear explanation of why we feel marriage between a man and a woman is so important, important enough to get involved with a coalition focused on passing a legal measure that will keep the institution of marriage between a man and a woman.
We would like to note a sentence, also in the introduction, which reminds us all that “[t]he Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility towards homosexual men and women.” Our leaders have reminded us often that we should be kind, courteous and respectful of all people, and particularly so with regard to this issue.
For more links and information on this topic, see here.
