Mormon church was unfairly targeted over Prop. 8, BYU professor says

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/18433/Mormon-church-was-unfairly-targeted-over-Prop-8-BYU-professor-says?s_cid=queue_title&utm_source=queue_title

"PROVO, Utah — Supporters of Proposition 8 came under fire from the national media and gay-rights activists, but none as much as the LDS Church, which became an unfairly overinflated target for the media, a BYU professor explained recently during a two-day Mormon Media symposium at BYU.

The showdown began in May 2008 when the California Supreme Court overturned Proposition 22, the ballot initiative that had banned same sex marriage in 2000, explained Joel Campbell, an associate communications professor at Brigham Young University and former writer for the Deseret News.

In June 2008, Proposition 8 had qualified for the November ballot and on June 29, 2008, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asked that a letter be read in LDS congregations across California stating their support for the proposition and requesting that members support it, too, said Campbell.

By August, media were reporting that religious groups had joined the fight, and by September, Mormons were being mentioned specifically and negatively, Campbell said. The Wall Street Journal and even British newspapers began framing the issue as "Mormons versus Gays."

"Mormons were singled out more in news coverage because they were an easy 'other' to identify," Campbell said.

After the amendment passed, Campbell said a New York Times article in November 2008 talked about how Mormons had tipped the scales in the gay marriage ban.

Yet Campbell pointed out the criticism was disproportionate given the number of other pro-proposition groups involved, many much more so than the LDS Church."
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oh brother.....

Where, or where do I begin??

How about the disproportionate amount of money raised by the Mormons?

How about the disproportionate amount of time spent in church meetings telling people if they did not support this, dog would hold them accountable?

Next, who gets to define "fair"? Only children complain about fairness. As my wife would say, if life were fair, bras would only come in one size. I would suggest they grow the hell up.

I could go on at length, but I am not in the mood.

The more wants to play politics? Well, if they they can't handle the bumps and bruises, that THEIR problem.

If you are going to pick a fight, don't whine and snivel when the people you pick a fight with fight back.

Cry me a river Mormons! It is because you single handedly made it all happen with your stupid call centers and your big ass donations. Own it!

provided they're only preaching to the uncritical choir.

It never ceases to amaze me how gullible Mormons can be, or how often the leadership takes that gullibility for granted as they concoct PR schemes.

Here are apostles Ballard and Cook on ABC Nightline. Fast-forward to 8:10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFxIUxKhVBY

Now they are unfairly singled out? For really knowing how to do it and getting it done? Which is it, Mormons?

Ballard and the boys want all the credit for getting it done amongst their Christian buddies in the fight— but none of it when it comes to PR.

I suspect that the "others' involved in the campaign were giving the Church a ton of credit for their part in it. Raising tons of money, organizing etc.

Funny thing is— many of the Christian groups who benefited from the LDS are probably content to let them take the bullet for this. Not only were they in many ways the real force behind the victory— but they're not liked very well even by those with the same goals. Like how Republicans nationally count on the UT vote but then wouldn't touch Romney w/ a 10 ft pole.

Nothing new. The Mormon Church always lies about its lies.

been the first ones to throw stones at LGBT people, a loooooong looooooong time ago in Hawaii.

But then again, we know how their overbearing persecution complex works, so why get all worked up about it?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2010 11:22PM by atheist&happy:-).

What a crock of crap. I live in Ca. and I can tell you first hand just how much involvement the mormon church had in Prop. 8. First of all-we were handed out "Vote Yes on 8" bumper stickers. We heard about it every week in church. A woman in the ward (an attorney) spear-headed a massive,all in compassing get out the vote,put up the signs,stand on the corners and Let Your Voices Be Heard!! campaign. It was literally a 24 hour a day campaign.Members would go out late at night,early in the morning to replace signs taken down. One family gave their whole life savings of $50,000 to the cause. We were expected to donate and participate as much as we could. What a nice lesson to teach our children.Intolerance ya know.

Seriously? They donate over 70% of the funds for the Yes on 8 campaign and then they claim that they're being unfairly picked on?

They're fucking lucky that the IRS went easy on them. They should have their tax exempt status revoked for interfering in politics.

Makes me sick.

The only thing I remember was that there was one house on a busy street in my neighborhood that kept a running tally on the number of "Yes on 8" signs that were stolen. I have no idea if the family was Mormon, but the final number of signs taken was 15 or so from what I remember. You couldn't drive down that street without noticing the tally of signs taken.

That's what I hear the most as an excuse.

TBMs love to blame Blacks.

There is simply no other way to discuss Mormons.

Now they're whining because a lot of people here are boycotting them. Why? Isn't the boycott as legitimate a use of "free speech" (since $ are now considered speech) as the donations they made?

Don't they also believe in blaming the victim?

So, by 'playing' the victim, they should also be blaming themselves.

Yup. And Hitler has been unfairly targeted for the Holocaust.

Oh good golly! Where will it ever end?
What ever happened to everyone on earth flocking to the church because it was a haven of righteousness?

And gosh golly- if they hadn't tried to cover it up and pretend it was only the Catholics and Evangelicals, maybe people wouldn't have cried foul as loudly...

And when they pulled that stunt in Maine, they tried to press the courts to keep their doners' names private. It was okay to let the Catholics take the heat, but not themselves.

And not only that, but while the Catholics were taking out full page ads in papers asking for donations and special offerings, the LDS were getting their wives to run "grass-roots" organizations and to do it as invisibly as possible.

As the everlasting cowards that they are, they bully from behind the scenes and then scream the loudest when caught.