A word on religion and politics...

I was reading in the LA times this morning about the protesting that has been going on at the LDS temples in California with all of the hype surrounding Proposition 8. Quite frankly, it left me baffled. I don’t feel upset by those who are against Propostition 8, those who are for gay-marriage. I understand that it is a difficult and sensitive debate. Regardless of my personal stance on this issue, I do feel confused at how shocked so many are that “a church would get involved in such a matter.” Are you serious?

"Jeff Flint, strategist for Yes on 8, said "I am appalled at the level of Mormon-bashing that went on during the Proposition 8 campaign and continues to this day," he said. "If this activity were directed against any other church, if someone put up a website that targeted Jews or Catholics in a similar fashion for the mere act of participating in a political campaign, it would be widely and rightfully condemned."

Members and leaders of the Catholic Church and other Christian churches were also heavily involved in the campaign to pass Proposition 8. The Knights of Columbus, which is tied to the Catholic Church, gave $1 million, and several evangelical groups gave millions more. But they have not come under the same kind of attack.

Leaders of the No-on-8 campaign said they did not believe they were engaged in Mormon-bashing. "This is not about religion," said Jacobs. "This is about a church that put itself in the middle of politics."

So, I'd like to know, what on earth is worth a church getting involved in if not politics? Should religion be limited to the light and fluffy, easy things in life like humanitarian projects and taking cookies to new neighbors? What has a greater effect on the citizens of this country than politics? And if it happens to be a moral war that is threatening the security and protection of the family unit, what is a worthier cause to “get involved” in? I’m sorry that the sense of morality is ever decaying in the world we live in. I’m sorry that fewer and fewer seem to have the courage to stand up for what they believe in, but the reality is that every organized religion that claims to believe in the Bible as the word of God should be just as involved in Proposition 8 as has been the LDS church. Should religion be nothing more than a passive influence in our lives that has no direct affect on the secular decisions we make? Or, as Christians, should the gospel of Jesus Christ be the most compelling force in our lives; the very essence of each and every decision each day. If what we say we believe is truly what we believe, and if we have any ounce of conviction surrounding those beliefs, what is more important in this life than defending them?

“In general, the church 'does not oppose civil unions or domestic partnerships,' that involve benefits like health insurance and property rights. The church is not anti-gay. It is pro-marriage between a man and a woman." This is not a civil rights movement.

You have a right to take whatever political stance you choose. Completely your prerogative. But don't tell me that religion has no right in affecting how we feel about this or that political issue; that no church or religion should even be involved. You must think no one possibly believes the doctrine of their religion is true let alone strives to live by it.