Mormons Asked to Drop Support of Measure Banning Gay Marriages

Religious leaders from more than 70 California churches are asking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to reconsider its support for an anti-gay marriage initiative.

Proposition 22, the “Limit on Marriage” measure, won’t solve problems facing families, said the church leaders, who planned to release a copy of their letter to the Mormon church Wednesday.

The initiative, sponsored by state Sen. William “Pete” Knight (R-Palmdale) would bar California from recognizing marriages of same-sex couples. Voters will consider it March 7.

Religious leaders who oppose such a ban, which include Catholics, Unitarians, Jews, Episcopalians and Methodists, want to hold a round-table discussion with Mormon church officials to discuss their support for it.

In June, the Mormon Church sent letters to 740,000 members asking them to support Proposition 22. The measure has also received support from most of the California diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, who together have donated $311,000 to the Proposition 22 campaign, and the California Southern Baptist Convention, which voted in November to ask members to support the ballot measure.