Why Does the Mormon Church Oppose Gay Marriage?

Posted by Jenny Evans Aug 31, 2009

In searching for images to attach to my Mormonism articles, I've come across a lot of pictures of various signs from anti-Proposition 8 rallies in '08 attacking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a the "Mormon church") for its stance against gay marriage.

Some of the signs, like "My 2 moms can beat up your 14 wives" were pretty funny (completely inaccurate, since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hasn't practiced polygamy in 120 years, but funny nonetheless.) But many of them just broke my heart.

There seemed to be so many people claiming that we "hate" - I saw the word "hate" on the signs over and over again. It makes me sad to think that so many people honestly believe the church's official position is to hate anyone.

Hate has no place in the gospel of Jesus Christ or in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is possible to love someone without condoning all their actions. In fact, that's exactly what Jesus asks of each and every one of us.

Opposing same-sex marriage isn't about condemning or punishing anyone. It's about upholding God's definition of marriage as we understand it. I'm open to a discussion on whether we interpret God right or not, but please don't start talking about "hate." It's really got nothing to do with it.

For more information on the official LDS position on gays and lesbians, read Mormon Beliefs about Homosexuality.