Proposition #8 Passes in California with Help from the Religious

Thousands of protesters held rallies in California this week in defence of gay marriage. A little more than a week ago voters in the "Sunshine State" voted in approval of a ballot initiative that cancels an earlier court decision legalising gay marriage in the state. The initiative was narrowly approved and opponents of the same-sex nuptials are sad and upset. The media has given broad, well reported coverage to both sides of the controversial issue and the Mormon Church is plum right in the middle.

A November 14th piece by the Times titled "Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage,"
explains how less than two weeks before the election proponents and the chief strategist were worried about the initiative passing because of lack of money in their campaign. “We’re going to lose this campaign if we don’t get more money,” the strategist, Frank Schubert, said in the Times. So after an urgent appeal a man connected with the Mormon Church gave $1 million to the cause and volunteers, ultimately helping to drive a sharp advertising campaign and gain 52% of the vote. Protesters to the ban zeroed in on the church.

The LA Times ran an article in early November profiling the protests against the "Church of Latter Day Saints." "It was the latest in an escalating campaign directed against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its role in marshaling millions of dollars in contributions from its members for the successful campaign to take away same-sex marriage rights," the piece reads. Even Gov. Schwarzenegger got in on the action, quoted in another LA Times article telling CNN, "It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end." Hopefully he's right.