Mormons Tried to Hide Involvement in Campaign to Prevent Gay Marriage.

The Mormon church has long tried to give the impression that they don't want to get involved in political issues except that's not true. They wanted statehood for Utah but the federal government wouldn't allow it unless it ended polygamy. Well, wouldn't you know it then that not much longer after that the "prophet" of the church (who is also the leader) received a "revelation" from "God" that man isn't ready for polygamy. Convenient. Then they received another convenient revelation during the height of the civil rights movement to allow blacks to enter the priesthood. They didn't have a very good opinion of blacks up until that point and some, today, still are somewhat racist. Then comes Proposition 8 in California, which made gay marriage illegal in California but they tried to hide their involvement in that bigoted campaign:

The Mormon church worked to hide its involvement in the 2008 effort to ban gay marriage in California, telling the Proposition 8 campaign that it wanted "plausible deniability" in its connections with the movement, documents revealed in a California courtroom Wednesday show. One key email that got the attention of Julia Rosen at the Prop 8 Trial Tracker blog was one between officials of the Church of Latter-Day Saints and the Proposition 8 campaign, which read in part:

With respect to Prop. 8 campaign, key talking points will come from campaign, but cautious, strategic, not to take the lead so as to provide plausible deniability or respectable distance so as not to show that church is directly involved.

Green Man: Interesting that a church, which cautions against "secret combinations" as stated over and over in their Book of Mormon (in other words, secret groups dealing behind closed doors) would try to cover its tracks. As someone who was born and raised in that church and who spent 22 years of his life doing its bidding, I can tell you that their squeaky clean, polished, professional, open and innocent image is a carefully crafted lie. They are masters at manipulation, brain washing and other forms of indoctrination

One of their most effective tools in missionary work is deception and manipulation. I know this because I myself served a two-year mission for them. They present their church during missionary work as being a mainstream religion such a Methodism. However, once you get into the church deeper and deeper you begin to learn about some strange things that they never taught you about in the missionary lessons. These include their past on polygamy, (including that they'll practice it later in "heaven") race relations, secrets about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. As well as what goes on in their bizarre temple rituals, which include secret handshakes, rituals and ceremonies. As well as veiling women and wearing weird ritual clothing such as aprons like the Masons and weird hats. They don't prepare you for it much, nor give you much of a true picture of what actually goes on in the temple. The missionaries often prey either willingly or unwillingly upon the poor and those going through a crisis in their life where their rational thinking might be weak. My own grandmother joined the church as a way to cope with a childhood of abuse.

They get you to believe that if you follow them and their programs and pay their mandatory 10% tithing that you'll have eternal life with your family and posterity forever. So, in some ways it's a pyramid scheme. They are one of the richest religious organizations out there. If you don't pay your dues (mandatory tithing) then you can't go to the temple. If you can't go to the temple then you can't get married in the official ceremony. If you can't get a "celestial marriage" then you can't make it into the highest category of "heaven." Yes, they even stratify "heaven." The deeper you go the more they promise and the more they expect from you.

They get you to devote your life to them by making each member play an active role in keeping the church going. Thus, keeping you under their watchful eye and away from anything and anyone that isn't Mormon. The longer you stay the more you're connected with them via your family and friends. So, they give you strong hints that if you leave you'll go to "Hell" and no longer see your friends and family. And if you question the leaders you're questioning "God" himself. This gives the leaders a lot of power of you. This is all classic cult-like behavior.