A catholic priest, a reverend and a stake leader from the church of latter day saints all stood together, united in the belief churches and members should not be targeted in the fallout over Proposition 8.
Jim Franklin said, "They talk about basic civil rights. Our very foundational one is freedom of religion and freedom of speech. But yet they would try to intimidate that. It just seems pretty hypocritical that they would say they want our rights but we want to intimidate other people from operating in theres."
11 days after voters passed Proposition 8 at the polls, churches say hostility has escalated. On Thursday Mormon temples in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City have received envelopes with a mysterious white powder. The FBI announced Friday the powder was non-toxic. Local Prop 8 opponents say they do not condone the threats against the Mormon Church, but it is still the focus of their protests.
Prop 8 Opponent Michael Esswein said, "We do feel that a lot of the funding came from the Mormon and Catholic churches and we feel that these would be the appropriate places to hold a silent, nonviolent protest. Its more about letting the churches see the type of people that their decision to fund the campaign has affected."
Mormon Church leaders say the church as a whole did not donate to the campaign but individual members may have. They asked those against the proposition to be peaceful when they protest.
Jon Parker said, "We do respect the right of the opposition to voice their opinion to have the right of free speech and we respect that. And we ask that they equally respect our opinion and the opinion of over 5 million Californians who voted in support of Proposition 8."
More of these protests are planned over the weekend. One at city hall tomorrow is part of a nationwide protest against Prop 8. Another silent protest is also planned at an undisclosed Mormon Church.
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