Taken from the comments because it was too long . . .

See the comments of the previous post to understand the context here.

First, the church did not "force or coerce a mass majority to be constricted to our moral standards." It did not force anyone to do anything. We worked 100% within the democratic system. It did nothing illegal. Prop 8 passed by a majority vote, the same kind of majority that chose Barack Obama in California (whose election McCain supporters are still required by law to accept).

If the church can take a stance on what alcohol laws should be put in place, tax policy affecting the church, pornographic store zoning, whether the John Birch Society is crazy, and whether Yucca Mountain should be used for nuclear waste storage (which it has and does), then it can take a stance that they should support Proposition 8. Again, there is no coup, no force going on. It's majority rule.

Yes, the ideal is to teach correct principles, then let people govern themselves. But in the real world, principles must be taught and applied in specific, simple, and practical ways for organizational purposes (to get anything done) and to get the marginal people in line.

Freedom of conscience is not infringed upon. If someone didn't want to vote for prop 8, no one forced them to. If someone doesn't believe in the Democratic platform, they don't have to. If someone doesn't agree with the ban on same sex marriage, they are perfectly free to work to change the law (which they do).

If someone disagrees with a war and is drafted, he can work to change the policy and allow conscientious objectors, or he can work to convince Congress to end funding for the war. But until he can accomplish this, he must obey the law, or face the consequences.

If someone thinks his taxes are unfairly high, he can work to get them lowered, but he must pay them until he can manage that or go to prison.

If someone thinks he should be able to own an automatic weapon, he can give money to the NRA, but again he must obey the law as it stands or go to jail.

This is the way liberal democracy works. A certain degree of individualism must be stifled (eventually by violence) or we would have chaos. Freedom of speech, press, suffrage, assembly, religion, conscience and others help ensure that basic individualism, especially as far as beliefs go, is preserved. But what official policy is and what actions and relationships are recognized as legitimate by the government is a different matter that can and is set by the majority.

Finally, that ad was bull**** (I never say that). From lds.org: " As Church members decide their own appropriate level of involvement in protecting marriage between a man and a woman, they should approach this issue with respect for others, understanding, honesty, and civility. "The LDS church, again, did not force anyone to do anything. And all existing "marriages" are unaffected.

The church supported a very honest, even blunt, PR campaign, and when the information of both sides became well known (the GLBT movement certainly wasn't quiet this whole time!) the voters chose to support Prop 8. It was honest, clearly communicated information that passed Prop 8, not a religious coup. The church just happened to assist in the dissemination of that information.

Encouraging people to give money to a cause is not a crime. And the church's jurisdiction over the counsel it gives to its members (of their own free will and choice) is certainly not limited. The GLBT campaign lost because it failed to convince the public of the justice of its cause, not because sinister missionaries broke into gay people's houses and took their rights.