Supreme Court declines to hear same-sex marriage appeal from Utah
SALT LAKE CITY - The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear same-sex marriage appeal from Utah and four other states, apparently leaving in place lower court ruling allow gays and lesbians to marry.
In a surprising move, the high court denied seven petitions from Utah, Oklahoma, Indiana, Virginia and Wiconsin. Each of those... Ref. Source 9
Church Responds to Supreme Court Announcement
Court Chooses Not to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Cases
Salt Lake City -
The succession of federal court decisions in recent months, culminating in today's announcement by the Supreme Court, will have no effect on the doctrinal position or practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is that only marriage between a man and a woman is acceptable to God. In prizing freedom of conscience and Constitutional guarantees of the free exercise of religion, we will continue to teach that standard and uphold it in our religious practices.
Nevertheless, respectful coexistence is possible with those with differing values. As far as the civil law is concerned, the courts have spoken. Church leaders will continue to encourage our people to be persons of good will toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or non-belief, and differences in sexual orientation. Ref. Source 9
People are going to do what they want to do regardless to any policy or law. Right now the church is trying to find ways to legally define they don't have to perform gay marriages. I have the feeling they would rather give up the ability to do civil marriages than do gay marriages.
Name: Jacob
Country:
Comments: Soon this will come to full circle as more gays become members or more members of the church admit to being gay.
The Mormon Church today announced that it will support national and local anti-discrimination laws for gays and lesbians, provided such laws also respect the rights of religious groups.
Church leaders called the offer a new "Way forward" To balance religious freedom and legal protection for people in the LGBT community.
With nearly 6.5 million members in the United States, the Mormon Church is now one of the largest in this country to back equal rights laws.
The announcement, however, does not change church doctrine or alter the church's opposition to same-sex marriage, Mormon leaders said. Ref. CNN
Church's Doctrine on Chastity Will Never Change, Says Elder Christofferson
"There is no change," Elder Christofferson said during a Church News interview on February 3. "There is no evolution. Rather, our declaration was a challenge to ourselves and others-to all-to have a mutually respectful dialogue and work together in search of fairness for all." Ref. Source 8