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Question: Is it hypocritical for Mormons to oppose same-sex marriage, when the Church itself practiced plural marriage?
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Questions
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Critics argue that it is hypocritical for the LDS Church to oppose same-sex marriage, when the Church itself had an alternative form of marriage.
==Detailed Analysis
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The Church has supported rights for all people to pursue happiness according to the dictates of their own conscious, both for themselves and for others. They have never pushed for polygamy to be held up as the national standard, and have opposed efforts to hold same-sex marriage as a standard for people with same-sex attraction. We did not ask for anything more with polygamy than we were willing to allow for same-sex couples, and we are not asking anything more of them than we were willing to give ourselves.
Different levels of rights
Sometimes, when we talk about rights, all the different levels and degrees of rights get lumped together into one group. People say that people should have rights, but often don't discuss what happens when those rights conflict. There are several different levels of rights associated with sexual practices.
The most basic right is the right to practice your desired sexual relationship. Even in the most liberal societies, this right is tempered by the right of other people to reject your desired relationship. For example, people with a prepubescent sexual orientation may not legally act upon their sexual orientation. However, in most modern societies, any number or gender of consenting adults can usually practice their desired relationship without fear of legal retribution.
Another set of rights is the right to legal protection from discrimination. This would include laws that would penalize people from treating you differently for your sexual practices. For example, it is illegal to treat a inter-racial couple differently from a couple of the same race. The church strongly believes that everyone should be treated equal. Even if you disagree with a sexual practice, you can still treat people with the respect they deserve.
Another set of rights include government help in maintaining your family. This would include legal recognition of your relationship, and associated rights such as visitation rights. It may also help subsidize the cost of your sexual relationships, through tax breaks and other benefits. Some modern societies have extended these rights to same-sex couples, and the church has publicly stated that they do not oppose these rights.
A final right is for the government to adopt your sexual relationship as a model to be held up, and to be taught in schools as something to strive for. This goes beyond tolerating practices that we disagree with, into incorporating it into our nation's moral fiber.
Rights associated with plural marriage
When the church supported plural marriage, they were seeking for the most basic right - the right to practice plural marriage. They were not seeking for the United States to subsidize their relationships, nor were they seeking for the United States to hold it up as a standard that everyone should strive for. They were simply looking for the right to practice it.
Husbands were forcibly separated from their wives and children. This left a lot of women and children destitute, with little opportunity to get food or make a living. Men who tried to smuggle some food to their starving children were thrown in jail. Many leaders moved to other countries so they could continue to be with their families. Even in recent times, the US government has made raids and kidnapped children from polygamous families.[1]
Rights for same-sex couples
There are many rights that same-sex couples do not have. The church has publicly supported many rights and have pressed for changes in legal system to afford these rights to same-sex couples. The rights that the church supports for same-sex couples goes BEYOND any right that they have ever sought for polygamous families.
What the Church does not support is the government adopting same-sex marriage as a standard, and rejecting any alternative for people with same-sex attraction. About half of the Church's members with same-sex attraction are in an opposite sex marriage and this would have a desperate impact on many members of the church. However, this has been the trend of many rulings.
For example, the California Supreme Court ruled that, for people with same-sex attraction, their "choice of a life partner will, by definition, be a person of the same sex", and that was what their "true identity" should be. Later, Judge Walker ruled that the sexual relationships of half of the church's members with same-sex attraction was "unrealistic". The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that these relationships were "unappealing" and was "no right at all". These rulings go beyond the basic right for same-sex couples to practice their sexual relationship, and prejudices those who do not wish to practice same-sex relationships.
Groups that do support alternatives for people with same-sex relationships are under attack by many so-called "gay rights" organizations. For example, the Human Rights Campaign has actively opposed anti-discrimination rights for gay people who do not have gay sex.[2] [3]
The Church actively supports many rights for people in same-sex relationships even while those very same rights are being threatened by so-called "gay rights" organizations.
==Answer
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The Church supports all of the rights for same-sex couples that they sought for polygamous families plus some. The church never sought anyone to adopt their sexual practices as a standard, while many gay rights organizations seek to oppress those who do not adopt their lifestyle choices.
== Notes == None
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