Elder Cook's Comment on Opponents of Prop 8

[wired]

The Black Sheep (speaking from the great beyond) mentioned Elder Cook's comments about members not being out of good standing for opposing Prop 8 or choosing not to participate. I thought of the exact same quote yesterday and actually spent about an hour looking for it - I can't find it. Can anyone find a record of that quote?

[thebigcheese]

I also looked and was unable to find it. But I distinctly remember it being in one of the Church's very first press releases on the issue, as well as in the letter that was read in Sacrament Meetings.

[wired]

Alright, I am going to claim either Deatheaters or Danites are involved somehow if we can't find that quote anywhere....

[thebigcheese]

Still looking... I found this, which hints at it:

Before it accepted the invitation to join broad-based coalitions for the amendments, the Church knew that some of its members would choose not to support its position. Voting choices by Latter-day Saints, like all other people, are influenced by their own unique experiences and circumstances. As we move forward from the election, Church members need to be understanding and accepting of each other and work together for a better society.

Source: http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom ... iage-votes

[Waldorf and Sauron]

It's elder clayton. It's in the SL Tribune archive, which I don't have access to.

[thebigcheese]

Here's another snippet from Elder Wickman:

Decisions even for members of the Church as to what they do with respect to this issue must of course rest with each one in their capacity as citizens.

Source: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng ... attraction

As an aside, the Commentary section of the LDS Newsroom is FULL of fascinating stuff. You guys should browse through it sometime.

[wired]

Thanks for the correct. That would be why all of my "Cook" searches were not generating the results I wanted.

[Katya]

It's elder clayton. It's in the SL Tribune archive, which I don't have access to.

Here you go:

Latter-day Saints are free to disagree with their church on the issue without facing any sanction, said L. Whitney Clayton of the LDS Quorum of the Seventy. "We love them and bear them no ill will." (Stack, Peggy Fletcher. "LDS wards feeling toll of conflict" The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah: Oct 26, 2008)

[TheBlackSheep]

Gah, that's it!

Thanks everyone! Now I don't feel so sketchy about passing that on.

[Marduk]

Leave it to Katya to be the librarian.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

We love you, Katya!

[Katya]

Leave it to Katya to be the librarian.

No trouble at all, good citizens. I was in the neighborhood and happy to help. (And thanks to Waldorf and/or Sauron, who gave me all the information I needed to find it.)

[Katya]

Gah, that's it!

Thanks everyone! Now I don't feel so sketchy about passing that on.

It's a weird quote, though, because I can't figure out where or under what circumstances he gave the statement, unless it was in an interview with Ms. Stack.

[Damasta]

Here's another:

When asked about whether Latter-day Saints who publicly opposed Prop. 8 would be subject to some kind of church discipline, Elder Clayton said those judgments are left up to local bishops and stake presidents and the particular circumstances involved.

"All we can say is that the LDS Church gives way to the spiritual discernment of local leaders in the handling of any matter that might involve the kind of question you have raised." (Moore, Carrie A. "LDS official lauds work for California's Prop. 8." Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah: Nov. 6, 2008; here, p. 2)

[thebigcheese]

While I was searching for that quote, I stumbled across a blog that was talking about the effects of Proposition 8 on wards in California. I guess some bishops were revoking temple recommends over this issue. Given the quote, I certainly hope that action only applied to cases where people took it to extremes ("I disagree with the Church's stance on this issue" is a very different from "I will actively denounce the prophet and his authority in front of the ward and all my friends"), but I don't really know the details of what happened. Apparently the wards got pretty polarized over there, at least from that person's perspective.

[vorpal blade]

I live in California, and I have relatives in other stakes in California. I'm sure not all members of the Church agreed with the Church's position on prop 8, but as far as I could see the opposition point of view was rarely expressed. When it was expressed those views were treated with respect. I really doubt any temple recommends were revoked over the issue, though if anyone was saying publicly that the Church was false and the prophet was a fallen prophet that would be grounds for pulling someone's recommend. I think I would have heard about that in my stake, so I don't think it happened in my stake. I would say that in my stake, and I think in the other stakes I am aware of the claim that the wards were polarized isn't correct. The opposition was a small minority. Two or three individuals in a ward who disagree isn't exactly polarizing, in my opinion. However, neither I nor my relatives live in the more liberal parts of the state, so I can't speak with authority about those areas.

[Damasta]

I live in California, and I have relatives in other stakes in California. I'm sure not all members of the Church agreed with the Church's position on prop 8, but as far as I could see the opposition point of view was rarely expressed. When it was expressed those views were treated with respect. I really doubt any temple recommends were revoked over the issue, though if anyone was saying publicly that the Church was false and the prophet was a fallen prophet that would be grounds for pulling someone's recommend. I think I would have heard about that in my stake, so I don't think it happened in my stake. I would say that in my stake, and I think in the other stakes I am aware of the claim that the wards were polarized isn't correct. The opposition was a small minority. Two or three individuals in a ward who disagree isn't exactly polarizing, in my opinion. However, neither I nor my relatives live in the more liberal parts of the state, so I can't speak with authority about those areas.

I think you're right, Vorpal. I think the church only disciplined in cases of genuine apostasy, not mere political disagreement.