Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Some friends make themselves heard

Abovethehate.com is gathering signatures to "express our deep gratitude to you and the entire LDS community" for contributing to CA and AZ marriage initiatives, and also "to express our outrage at the vile and indecent attacks directed" at us.

This is good to hear. It's open to the public, but here are some of the names on the letter:

Maggie Gallagher President National Organization for Marriage
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
Dr. Jim Garlow Pastor, Skyline Church Director, CA Pastors Rapid Response Team
Donald E. Wildmon Chairman, The Arlington Group Chairman & CEO, American Family Association
James C. Dobson, Ph.D. Chairman & Founder Focus on the Family
Charles W. Colson Founder & Chairman of the Board Prison Fellowship
Tony Perkins President Family Research Council
Paul Weyrich Chairman & CEO Free Congress Foundation
Dr. Gary Bauer President American Values
Bishop Harry Jackson Chairman High Impact Leadership Council
Richard Land President Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Ron Shuping Exec. VP of Programming The Inspiration Networks
Maurine Proctor President Family Leader Network
Peter Knobloch Executive Director Family Leader Foundation
Ron Prentice CEO CA Family Council
John Stemberger President Florida Family Policy Council
Keith Wiebe President American Association of Christian Schools.
Dean Nelson Executive Director Network of Politically Active Christians
Phil Burress President Citizens for Community Values
Kelly Shackelford President Free Market Foundation
Jeremiah G. Dys, Esq. President and General Counsel The Family Policy Council of WV
David E. Smith Executive Director Illinois Family Institute
Kathleen N. Benfield Director American Family Association of New Orleans
Regina Griggs Executive Director Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX)
Kris Mineau President Massachusetts Family Institute
Tom Shields Chairman Coalition for Marriage and Family
Colin A. Hanna President Let Freedom Ring
Diane Gramley President American Family Association of Pennsylvania
Micah Clark Executive Director American Family Association of Indiana
Steve Noble Chairman Called2Action
Molotov Mitchell President Illuminati Pictures, LLC
David Crowe Director Restore America
Wendy Wright President Concerned Women for America
Janice Crouse, PhD Senior Fellow Beverly LaHaye Institute
John Atkinson Senior Pastor Calvary Chapel North Long Beach
Pastor Gregg Barnes Set Free Pacific Beach
Jim Garlow Senior Pastor Skyline Church
Pastor Chris Clark East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church
Miles McPherson Senior Pastor The Rock Church
Jim Franklin Senior Pastor Cornerstone Church
Jim Barry 14th Ave Baptist Church
Wade Cabitac Bethel Assembly of God Church
Pastor Steve DeNicola Calvary Chapel Foothill Ranch
Pastor Nick Triveri Calvary Chapel Placerville
Pastor Jerry Foster Calvary Chapel South Lake Tahoe
Manuel Gonzales Senior Pastor Calvary Chapel Winnetka
David A. Skates Lead Pastor Christian Church of Lemon Grove
Bishop Steve Perea Christian Worship Center
Bill Jens Pastoral Care Church of Glad Tidings
Pastor Timothy Jones Community Lutheran Church
Craig Garbe President Cornerstone Christian School
Ron Sukut Pastor Cornerstone Community Church
Pastor Scott Wood Crescenta Valley Community Church
Larry Peltier M.Div. Senior Pastor El Camino Christian Fellowship
Rev. Brian L. Polston Family Life Center
Dr. Walter Price Fellowship of the Pass Church
Pastor Bill Mellinger First Baptist Church
Dave Beckwith Senior Pastor First Baptist Church
B. Wade Estes Senior Pastor First Baptist Church
Rev. Scott Pearson First Baptist Church
Dr. Glenn Edward Layne Lead Pastor First Baptist Church
Pastor Bubba Lipscomb First Southern Baptist Church
Brian Chock Pastor Foundation Christian Fellowship
Terry Long Pastoral Administrator Horizon Foursquare Church
Pastor Netz Gomez Houses of Light Church
Jimmy Salya Pastor Mission for Christ Church, Broadway Christian Center
John Andersen Elder Monte Vista Presbyterian Church
John Erwin Senior Pastor Moorpark Evangelical Free Church
Pastor Blayne Corzine Mt. Zion Assembly
Pastor Jim Ortiz Senior Pastor, My Friend's House, Assembly of God President, Whittier Area Evangelical Ministerial Alliance
David Berg Pastor New Covenant Ministries Christian Fellowship
Cecil Lucas, Jr. Pastor New Hope Community Church
Enrique Mulgado Pastor Pilgrim's Progress Chapel
Pastor Mark Pitcher Porterville Church of the Nazarene
Pastor Rick Bassett Santa Rosa Nazarene Church
Lee Huddleston Senior Pastor SeaCoast Church
Bishop Henry Alexander Shield of Faith Fellowship of Churches International, Inc.
Howard Haupt Respect Life Ministry Coordinator St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Anthony L. Dockery Pastor St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church
Pastor Jeff Kerkhoff The Lord's Grace of Downey
J. Larry McCain Pastor Trinity Baptist Church
Gina Vegar Leadership Team Member Vista Assembly of God Church
Pastor Willie Williams Wellspring Christian Center
Rev. Brenda J. Wood Pastor Word of Life Ministries International
Joanne Abel Ms Faith in Action Team- Co-Chair
Merritt Adams Chaplain Jail Chaplaincy of Racine County

Here is the letter's text:

November 15, 2008

President Thomas S. Monson
Office of the First Presidency
Church Administration Building
47 East South Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150

Dear President Monson:

We write firstly to express our deep gratitude to you and the entire LDS community for the large and impressive contributions of your church and its members in protecting marriage in California and Arizona.

Anyone who participated in this process has come to admire the competence, diligence and moral courage that so many members of your faith community displayed as part of this coalition effort—as Catholics, Evangelicals, Mormons, and people of other faith communities all came together to fight this great battle for marriage.

But we write for an even more important purpose: to express our outrage at the vile and indecent attacks directed specifically and uniquely at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members because of your courage in standing up for marriage.

It is deeply unfair, and contrary to the best American traditions, that any faith community, much less a minority one, should be singled out and attacked in this way by powerful, well-funded political forces determined to “make them pay” for participating in the normal political processes of democracy.

These attacks include:

Large organized protests designed to disrupt places of worship; [1]
Public calls to investigate and “dig up dirt” on Americans of a particular faith who donated to a political cause; [2]
An outrageous television ad campaign crudely and deliberately designed to incite fear and hatred of a minority religious community. [3]
None of these things should happen in America, but they are happening right now to the LDS faith community.

We urge more and other responsible voices to say “enough.” These attacks are shameful. This is not the way Americans behave towards each other.

The coalition for marriage in California and across the country includes people of different theological views. But let us here make one thing absolutely clear:

We, the undersigned, utterly condemn and reject the ongoing unprecedented efforts to incite religious hatred and bigotry towards members of the LDS Church because, as American citizens, you have courageously exercised your core civil rights to speak, to vote, and to donate to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

We pledge to work with you and for you not only to protect marriage, but to protect the rights of all religious citizens, including the LDS Church, to participate freely (without threats of retribution or retaliation) in the political processes of this country in defense of the Judeo-Christian values—and the common good—we hold so dear.

Sincerely,

Co-Signed:

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