CHURCH ESSAY: “Latter-day Saints maintained that plural marriage was a religious principle protected under the U.S. Constitution. The Church mounted a vigorous legal defense all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In Reynolds v. United States ([decided in] 1879), the Supreme Court ruled against the Latter-day Saints: religious belief was protected by law, religious practice was not. According to the court’s opinion, marriage was a civil contract regulated by the state. Monogamy was the only form of marriage sanctioned by the state. … Church leaders encouraged members to obey God rather than man.” –The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage, LDS.org, Gospel Topics. [source]
NEWS RELEASE: “Five religious organizations, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, filed an amicus (‘friend-of-the-court’) brief today with the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. The brief addresses two cases before the court that seek to redefine traditional marriage. … From the perspective of each faith’s tradition individually, as well as collectively, the brief outlines why ‘marriage between a man and a woman is sanctioned by God as the right and best setting for bearing and raising children.’” -LDS Church news release, 10 February 2014. [source]
AMICI CURIAE BRIEF: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints … appears in this case to defend the traditional, husband-wife definition of marriage.” -from page 1a of an amici curiae brief filed 2 April 2015. [source]
COMMENTARY: It’s a good thing the God of Mormonism never changes. Otherwise we might not know whom we are allowed to marry. But what do I know? I’m just another apostate.
