Time* for another installment of Answers to Mormon Questions.**

Are Mormons really worried about the California Supreme Court overturning Prop 8? Or, having fought the good fight, are they satisfied with their effort and just content to let the chips fall where they may?

This question was raised (sort of) in the comment section of an earlier post, although I have actually been thinking about it for a long time. It’s a fantastic question, and I, as a California Mormon and resident know-it-all, am clearly qualified to opine on the matter. Unfortunately, like so many interesting questions in life, the answer is the ever-unsatisfying, “Well, it depends.”

Contrary to popular belief, the Mormons are not a large group of people who are homogeneous across culture, political persuasion, and race. This is simply not true. The reality is that we are a large group of people who are mostly homogeneous across culture, political persuasion, and race. As such, some consideration must be given to the differences among Mormons regarding political preferences, including Proposition 8. The basic breakdown of LDS viewpoints on this issue are summarized (or perhaps grossly over-simplified) below:

1. Those who opposed Prop 8 because they favor legalization of same-sex marriage
2. Those who opposed the Church’s involvement in Prop 8 because, even though they may or may not personally support same-sex marriage, they felt that the Church itself should not be involved in politics
3. Those who supported Prop 8 out of personal political opinions, and would have done so independent of ecclesiastical prompting or their affiliation with the LDS Church.
4. Those who supported Prop 8 because, despite ambivalent or positive stances on same-sex marriage, they felt a responsibility/inspiration/desire/obligation to follow the Prophet’s counsel in this matter.
5. Those who don’t care one way or the other

Obviously, members of the Church in (5) need no further discussion, but the others all merit further discussion. (1), (2), (3) and (4) all have clearly different past investments and different future incentives and possibilities to take into account before deciding whether or not to lose sleep over the potential universe-altering outcomes of the current court proceedings. LDS people who fit into category (1) obviously hope that the Court will overturn Proposition 8. They desire same-sex marriage to be legalized, but also were uncomfortable with the stance of the Church they belong to and obviously would prefer to not experience any real or perceived social or religious ostracization among those who are, technically, their brethren in faith. Mormons in (2) are largely the same as those in (1) for the latter reason, but not necessarily for the former. Mormons who would oppose same-sex marriage without Prophetic exhortation (3) are basically the counterpart to those in (1)–clearly hoping for the Court to uphold the vote of the people last November, and willing to fight this thing to the death again, if need be.

So what about people who didn’t have well-defined feelings about same-sex marriage in the first place, but worked on the Yes campaign anyway–those in group (4)? I think this is the most interesting group in terms of answering the question about how Mormons feel about the upcoming Court decision. (That opinion may be partially rooted in the fact that I belong to this group, and think that I am much more interesting than other people. Whether you say you disagree with that assessment or not, the very fact that you’re reading this reveals your true preferences.)

On the most basic level, of course I want Prop 8 to be upheld. While I started out with very ambivalent feelings toward Proposition 8, I would not have continued if I didn’t eventually become convinced that it was the best course of action for society. I think that traditional marriage is something worth preserving. I won’t get into the why’s and how’s of that here, because it’s not the point of this post. Suffice it to say, I think society is best served by preserving traditional marriage.

(Of course, one problem in saying that something is “best for society” is that there is really no way of proving such a claim. Undoubtedly, when the dust finally settles and gay marriage is either squashed or accepted permanently throughout the land, there will be no generally agreed upon “proof” that society took the right or the wrong course. You can see it now, can’t you? Two old geezers will be sitting in rocking chairs on their deck in Newport Beach, and one will argue that society is clearly better now that gays can marry because there is so much more “love” now. The other geezer counter by claiming that the wrath of God has been upon California since gays were allowed to marry. See what I mean? How can you honestly prove that there is more “love” in a geographic region? How can you prove that God has ceased to bless a sinful populace? You can’t. Both groups will see what they want to see, cite the statistics that favor their stance, and go to their graves thinking they were right. You can’t argue with religious people or political idealists–and I should know, because I am both of those things.)

So where does that leave me? Praying for the Court to sustain my cause? Sure, I guess. But it’s more complicated than that, because in the very deepest and most honest corners of my mind and heart, I just don’t care one bit what the Court does. For me, and for most of the Mormons in group (4) it was less about passing the ballot measure–I was very skeptical from day one that the measure would pass–and more about doing the right thing and standing up for our beliefs when it was given to us to choose.

So.

One possible outcome is that the court will overturn Proposition 8. Such a ruling would effectively end any further discussion of this issue in California as same-sex marriage is made the law of the land. The reason this would be a permanent conclusion to the argument is that, with no more hope of a citizen-based referendum, the only remaining option lies in the hands of the state legislature–restoring the traditional definition of marriage would require that the legislature, which is decidedly in favor of same-sex marriage, place a new initiative on the ballot. The other possible outcome is that Court upholds Proposition 8, which virtually guarantees that California and its citizens get to go through the whole mess again during the next election cycle. If this happens, the LDS Church, and its members, will face a decision about whether or not to get involved again. This is where the situation is a little bit sticky, and attitudes toward the Court’s upcoming decision depend on which of the 4 relevant groups described above a person belongs to.

Some members of the Church, particularly those who fall into group (3), fully hope and expect that the Church will re-engage in any future battles over same-sex marriage in California. The “assault on the family” will require us doctrinally to oppose such measures, even if it’s a lost cause. While I do not personally believe/expect that the Church will ever change its stance on same-sex marriage, it would be erroneous, in my opinion, to assume that the Church will continue to fight a redundant battle after it has been effectively lost. A very common phrase among Yes on 8 campaigners was “This is just a temporary fix.” Almost everyone I know who worked on either side of the issue acknowledged that society is moving in such a way that, like it or not, barring some highly unexpected change of public opinion, same-sex marriage is coming eventually. I have a really hard time imagining that the LDS Church would ask its membership to essentially throw money and effort into the toilet just to make a point. I may be wrong there, but I expect that there will come a time when the costs of opposing same-sex marriage in California will outweigh the benefits. Such costs may be simple campaign expenditures and time, but they may also be rooted in concern for missionary work, public perception, and most prominently, the general livelihood of the members of the Church. The protests, boycotts, and demonstrations imposed on LDS people after the election demonstrate that the world has changed–and disagreeing with societal currents may now cost you your job. Again, I may be wrong–it would not be the first time in Mormon history that the Saints were asked to literally give up everything and find a new job, home, and life. Still, I believe there is a threshold beyond which the Mormons will change their course–again, I do not predict a change of stance; just a change of course in political engagement.

Given this, there is a perverse incentive at work for those who are still suffering the aftermath of “winning” last Fall: If the Court overturns Prop 8–and nullifies all the hard work, sweat, and sacrifice–we don’t have to go through this again. Ever. If the measure is upheld, however, there is a very real possibility that everyone gets asked to jump back into the game immediately. With Proposition 22, at least the Saints had 8 years to recover from their battle wounds. This time, there would be significantly more sores to heal, and considerably less time in which to heal them.

There was always–especially in the early going, when public opinion polls showed Prop 8 going down in a massive defeat–an attitude among the Mormons that it really wasn’t about winning or losing–it was about doing what the Lord had asked us to do. I remember one particular discussion with several local ecclesiastical leaders who were working on the campaign. There was some debate about whether or not the instructions received from the Brethren during the last weeks of the campaign were going to be very effective, and whether we ought to look for a more efficient alternative. One of those present stood and said, “The more I’m involved in this campaign, the less I believe it’s about winning or losing. It’s about doing what the Lord asked us to do. If the Lord asks us to hold back the ocean, then we should head down to the beach and stick out our arms.”

There is also the simple question of righteous determination–as Paul taught, after enduring a great fight…we are not of them who draw back. From that perspective, people in (4) will desire to circle the wagons again and prepare to fight it out to the end. Many religious people, including many Mormons, believe that the passage of Proposition 8 was nothing short of pure proof of divine blessing–literally a miracle–as without such blessings, the early deficit in public opinion could never have been overcome. As such, it seems a bit forgetful and ungrateful, for lack of better terms, to now enter a state of apathy regarding the safety of traditional marriage in California.

However, the fact remains that last Fall was a horrible experience–win or lose–for almost everyone involved. Sure, some may have reveled in the opportunity to assert rights they believe have been unjustly withheld, and others may have jumped at the chance to rally against something they find disagreeable. However, I think that those who were celebrating on the 5th of November were celebrating a very hollow victory. All through the campaign, many hearts were broken, families and friendships were damaged or strained. Previously cherished religious beliefs were tossed under the bus, and formerly loving brothers and sisters in faith became judgmental and harsh in their dealing with one another. Does anyone really want to see California go through this again?

For the Mormons in particular, our faith was laid out upon the rack and stretched for all it was worth. Although the early efforts from opponents of Prop 8 avoided singling out any one group, that strategy began to fall apart in the last days of the campaign, as all eyes and fingers were pointed directly at the Mormons. If there is another election-year fight over same-sex marriage, there is no question where the battle will be focused, unjustly or not: The Mormons are the enemy. Is this something that the leadership of the Church wants? Is this something that we, as members of the Church, want? Certainly, we are willing to endure it if need be, but I don’t think anyone is excited about the prospect of escalated public scrutiny and derision of all that we hold sacred in the world.

Then again, I might be way off here. Perhaps, at the end of the day, this all just boils down to laziness. I will get out and campaign again if I am inspired to do so. However, ceteris paribus, I’d really rather stay home on Saturday morning and play with my kids.

What do you think? If you played any role or had an opinion on the vote last Fall, how do you feel about the various possible outcomes now?

*I apologize if you attempted to link to this post last night and found it missing. After posting it, I decided I wasn’t happy with some of the content, and took it down until I could revise it early this morning.

**“Answers to Mormon Questions” are kind of like the famous “Answers to Gospel Questions” by the former LDS Church President Joseph Fielding Smith, except that a) I’m not a Prophet of God, b) my questions have less to do with the gospel, and more to do with “being a Mormon”, and c) no one will likely ever read or care about them.