I finally saw the dvd. It was well done, and angered me to see what LDSinc has done against the gay community.

In the first part, there was a comment made that members in CA were approached by leadership, told how much money they could afford to donate, and pressured to do so. The claim was, if they didn't donate, they might lose callings, even be dis-fellowshipped.

That last part seems unlikely to me. Does anyone have first hand experience or know of this?

thanks

Its been a point of contention, but no one, as far as I know, has stepped forward, including the cult, to confirm or deny.

I think it unlikely the upper echelon confronted members. Local leaders? That's another story.

Timothy

Thanks, Timothy.

I tell you one thing, despite my shameful past as a homophobic LDS peter, after seeing that vid, I felt like I would march with the gay community against LDSinc any day of the week. It's taken me time to get over some of the intolerance that was drilled into me, but I appreciate the patience been shown to me here in my progress.

+1

Patience here...learn and grow...

There was a Time magazine article in June 2009 that talked about that issue. My ex-husband married into a family who was actively involved with Prop H8 in their Alameda Ca stake. My ex's brother-in-law & especially BIL's wife called a list of people on behalf of the stake and "suggested" that they donate XXXX amount of dollars, probably based on their tithing records. They were featured front and center with a photo essay in that article, and it caused a lasting rift between the members themselves and many others in their community. Reading that pissed me off so badly that it steered me RfM and away from TSCC. I don't know if my original post on this was archived; it went into more detail and I included the link for the Time article. So yes, that actually DID happen with the local leadership in some places; one of the most frighteningly rabid cases of TBM obedience to the Profit run amok.

If you happen to find a link to that article, please share.

I'll be lookin' for it myself!

Kewl!

Timothy

Is this the article?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1904146,00.html

Thanks for the link. I found the article interesting, even if a tiny bit wrong on some points (and chock-a-block with misspellings).

At one point the article counters the claim that members were pressured with losing callings and to be disfellowshipped if they did not donate: "A senior church official had promised Mormons who disagreed on Prop 8 that "we love them and bear them no ill will." "

It does bother me that people/neighbors are trying to out Mormons who donated to a political cause. Yes, I know it was intolerant of them to promote proph8, but their politics are part of the bargain of free speech. The outing of individuals smacks of McCarthyism to me. They discuss it in the article: "A prominent Mormon Sacramento musical-theater director was hounded from his job. Tom Hanks declared the Mormons "un-American." " Somehow this makes one think the Mormons are getting treatment the gays are decrying used against them. That will only polarize the issue further.

On the other hand, LDSinc is completely disingenuous about their role in proph8. That should be exposed because it is based on lies and a campaign to deceive and pressure members.

I wondered what this line meant: "Individual Mormons contributed $20 million of its $40 million war chest." Does LDSinc have a $20M reserve for more political battles?

Even though I have a gay son my sister phoned me out of the blue
(come to think of it, that is about the last time she phoned me)and was asking my stand on prop 8. Her husband was in the Stake presidency at the time and I firmly said I wouldn't support it and I personally think that the phone conversation was taped and forwarded to my bishop or Stake President here in Canada. When I returned a year and a half-ago I was not given home teachers or visiting teachers.

She did tell me that they were calling and approaching people for money. They were also using sacrament meeting to put the squeeze on people. One family in Sacramento donated their children's college money, $50,000.00 to be exact.

I found out later that a list appeared on the internet naming everyone who donated, how much they donated, what their profession was and where they lived. I looked it up and found out how much my sister gave for the cause. It was public record and may even still be out there in cyberspace

@Anon: yes, that's the article, thanks for finding that link! (There's your reading material Timothy) ;)
*shudder*
Just looking at it again gives me that same sick feeling I had the first time I saw it. Not the happiest of memories there.
@Brandy: I remember reading about that couple in Sacramento, I live in the general area. I wonder if they have any regrets for what they did to their children, given the state of our economy and the difficulties of getting an education. And if they don't regret it, I wonder if they'll still feel the same way when Prop H8 is eventually overturned and TSCC's public shame becomes their own personal shame as well in the history books.
The end result of all this for LD$ Inc. may be perhaps the most tragic waste of time, means, and even lives in a cult that has lain waste to so much already.......

loop for awhile. When I was there it was prop 8. Everything that you mentioned was happening according to my brother and sister. Now I am reading H8 on the different posts. Is this something new? I've been away for two years so I'm not up to date on what is happening now. I am extremely interested in anything new that has happened since then.

Brandy, Prop 8 and H8/Prop H8 are the same thing ;)
I frequently call it H8 (as do many others)because it was primarily a hateful proposition, engineered by hateful people, for a hateful reason, that had many hateful consequences. You'll find it referred to as such in a lot of forums and social groups, i.e. the "No H8" campaign on Facebook, etc.
@Jesus Smith: I agree, I had very mixed feelings about the public 'outings' of names; it's not something I would normally encourage. Having said that, a few things to add:
The Stewarts, featured in the article, chose to put themselves on the front lines and harass people about donations, and they were proud of it. Seriously, they were bragging about it, were glad that all America would see how they defended the "sanctity of marriage" from the scary homos, and being "persecuted" for their role in it just added to the righteousness of it all. The couple, particularly the wife, have been involved in a lot of anti-gay lobbying in their area. They got their Gs in a huge knot when the gay penguin book came out, and I understand they've also opposed some anti-bullying resolutions and/or curriculum at school (must protect the precious little darlings from gay cooties 24/7, ya know.)
What else was there.....oh, the guy from Music Circus. That was a very unpleasant scenario, but what actually happened is that after talking it over with management, it was mutually agreed that he would step down. I think it could have been handled better, but being a singer myself in the area and knowing a lot of people who have performed there, it would have been very difficult to continue there when so many, many people who had known and worked with him felt so deeply and personally betrayed. There were, and are, no easy answers for those who were caught up in he middle of it; it's sad all the way around. I know many who are basically good and decent, including others of the ex's new family by marriage, but they allow themselves to be used or willngly go along with the program if they're told to, and that has a ripple effect that reaches all of us. I don't know what all is in TSCC's remaining "war chest", but I do know one thing, and I think they're finally beginning to see it too: they're fighting a losing battle, and just it has before, and will do again, the parade marches on without them. Let's hope it doesn't cost another $20 million to pay the price.