Mormon church reports spending $180,000 on Proposition 8

Top officials with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints filed reports today indicating that they donated more than $180,000 in in-kind contributions to Proposition 8, the November ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California.

The contributions included tens of thousands of dollars for expenses such as airline tickets, hotel and restaurant bills and car-rental bills for top church officials such as L. Whitney Clayton, along with $96,849.31 worth of “compensated staff time” for church employees.

The church said the expenditures took place between July 1 and the end of the year. The church’s involvement has been a major issue in the campaign and its aftermath. Individual Mormon families donated millions -- by some estimates more than $20 million -- of their own money to the campaign.

On top of that, some Prop. 8 opponents say church officials violated election law by failing to file campaign disclosure reports outlining church funds being spent on the campaign. Fred Karger, who filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission after the election alleging that church officials had not properly disclosed their involvement, said he thought today’s filing proves that his complaint has merit.

“They said they reported all their travel ... now, when there is a [complaint filed] they disclose 25 Southwest tickets just in October,” he said. “They were required to report this” in an earlier filing, he said. Church officials could not be reached for comment this evening.

-- Jessica Garrison

Comments

[John]

They're finally being exposed, which is everything they didn't want to. Before this election, most people had no idea how a relatively small religious group could have such a strong political arm. There was no public awareness of all this. Well, Mormons: TOO BAD.

[Chad]

One would have to concur that if Jesus were to come back to this plane and see what was being carried out in his name it would take a good year for him to stop vomiting.

[TD]

tell me again why the mormon church is tax exempt?

[Ryan]

Good job at beating a dead horse. I can understand if this church gave out of their coffers to the Prop 8 folks, but to just use their staff on their end doesn't seem to be actively donating to Prop 8; this church just helped out on their end. Move on.

[SVB]

First of all, $180,000 is still a very small amount in terms of money raised for the campaign. Second, these were in-kind donations meaning they were not monetary. And third and most significant, it is perfectly within thier right to donate money, goods or services to whatever campaign they or any other church chooses. That's the bottem line.

[ESTELLA DAVIS]

WOULD IT BE SAFE TO SAY THAT THE WHOLE ISSUE OF GAYS IS TO SAY THAT THIS IS A GROUP THAT IS IN FAVOR OF DYING OR DEATH? EVEN IF WE WERE TO JUSTIFY THE GROUP'S IDENTITY BY SAYING THAT THEY WOULD STILL BE IN THE "CLOSET" IF THE SANCTITY OF TRADITIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND MARRIAGES WERE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE PUBLICITY OF THE GROUP OR THE SURFACING OF THE GROUP, WOULD IT STILL BE SAFE TO SAY THAT THIS IS A TERMINAL GROUP? SAME SEX IS DOING NOTHING IN THE WAY OF FOSTERING OFF-SPRING. AGAIN, WOULD IT BE SAFE TO SAY THAT GAYS ARE A FATAL GROUP? THAT THE GROUP EXISTS TO THE EXTENT THAT TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE IS NOT WORKING.

[Dr. Gary Killen]

The LDS Church has never produced a Financial Statement to its members at any of their bi-annual General Conferences. Why should anyone believe this unprecedented financial disclosure contains the full truth!

[chascates]

Since the Mormons have been 'christening' deceased Jews as Christians can't they simply 'christen' the GLBTs into heterosexuals and be done with it?

[james sutherland-harper]

Poverty, Clean Water, Homelessness, Food Supplies, Rape, Gang Violence, Injustice and Gay People... which one of these have the Mormon Church put the most money towards fighting......

[Calamity Kate]

A relatively small religious group? Well, how about a relatively small group of the population, estimated at 2-3%, that chooses an alternate sexual lifestyle? We should upturn centuries of human societal norms so they can feel good about their perversions?

And why doesn't the pink mafia go down to Watts or Compton to protest? 70% of black Obama voters voted FOR Prop. 8. I'd pay top dollar to sit in the front row for that demonstration of freedom of speech.

[Paul Dieter]

Hey SVB, do you really believe that a church should be able to donate to political causes and keep tax-exempt status? I certainly don't. I believe all churches should be taxed anyway. It's extremely offensive to hard working tax payers like me that any group should be tax exempt because of some ridiculous mass delusion.

[Candycane]

this is not a direct donation to the proposition. additionally, prop 8 is not 'political' although it has become 'politicized.' would one care if the church got behind a proposition to support a high speed train connection between san francisco and los angeles?

[Kevin]

180K? That's it? Brad Pitt and Stephen Spielberg/Kate Capshaw together gave more than that. And there's no big revelation here. Everybody knows what the Mormons, evangelical Christians, Muslims, etc. think about traditional values and gay marriage. Looking around, it's hard to blame them. Has the abandonment of traditional ideals of sexual and marital behavior really been good for society? If the anti-8 crowd wants to win, they need to convince society that they really want to affirm and be a part of traditional values. Instead, many if not most anti-8 supporters sneer at the values that most of us have seen the importance of first hand. People are increasingly afraid that this is not just about individual rights, but about left-wing activists trying to shove their agenda down our throats. And if you oppose them openly, they'll try to get you fired.

[Kevin]

"Poverty, Clean Water, Homelessness, Food Supplies, Rape, Gang Violence, Injustice and Gay People... which one of these have the Mormon Church put the most money towards fighting......" Posted by: james sutherland-harper | January 30, 2009 at 07:36 PM

They quietly spend a heck of a lot more on poverty, clean water, homelessness, food supplies, the disabled, and medical care than on opposing gay marriage. Opposing gay marriage may get a lot of press, but it is a very minor issue in the larger Mormon world.

[redplanet]

Imagine...no religion. Oh what a wonderful world that would be. It's way past time to put god(s) in the closet and let everyone else out. Be good for goodness sake..

[Randy]

It seems to me that the gay community is full of crybabies.

You lost, and even if you hadn't lost, your cause is ultimately fighting against God, which you can't win.

Good luck with that fight!

[Denise_90]

And so what! Would there be outrage if they donated to the No on 8 crowd?

This is America, remember - and most, absolutely most of all Americans believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Times, is your way to increase readership - to continue to beat a 'beaten' dead horse?

Get over it and move on...

[notsoandso]

What Hypocrisy in the name of God. Mormons, the same group that not that long ago were killed just for being Mormons. All of these dollars from outside of California from Mormons to promote intolerance.

[Bruce becker]

Prop 8 is unconstitutional.

[cbk16]

Only 180K which is basically travel. What is the big deal?

[Pacific Northwest]

The time has come to tax all churches. If they have this kind of money it will not be a burden on their fantasy, denial, or their gnomes. There are many priorities, health care, that need to be addressed. Two people can live together, never have sex, and be normal as any other combination of people. Again as the republicans, sarah and john they just don't get it.

[John]

Hey LDS: Don't you have a better use for your money than trying to mess up the lives of married people?

[Jesus H. Christ]

LDS should lose their tax exempt status.

[fern]

When the court refused to hide prop 8 donors my comment was "no guts, no glory", my mistake, it should have been "greed and no guts".

[Victoria]

The voters spoke. Majority wins. That's democracy.