Newport Temple Protest

Well, there was another protest today. No big surprise there. I am inclined to say that nothing will surprise me anymore, but that would be tempting fate. There were only about 300 protesters, but their choice of location, their sign messages, and photos snapped by media would suggest that they were only barely peaceful and most likely not part of the Join the Impact marches/protests - seeing as how they cast aside the whole "be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups" bit.

I've got to hand it to this guy. Can you imagine walking into an oil-drenched building with a lit match? That's what this image reminds me of. Gotta love the finger pointing. It is so true that 95% of our communication is non-verbal. And in keeping with that knowledge, what message do you think these men are conveying in this next photo? Love? Peace? Acceptance?

"Mormon Cult Teaches Hate"
Isn't calling my religion a "cult" considered hate speech? Anyone? Anyone? Can I get an AMEN?!

"Hate the Mormon Bigotry, Love the Mormon Bigot."
I have to give these people props (just not Prop 8). They really are getting clever. And it's nice to see that they managed to spell bigot correctly. I've seen bigget, biggot, bigit, etc.

This makes me sick to my stomach just looking at it. The man, John Remy of Irvine, decided that he'd make more of an impact if he wore some of his clothes from when he was an elder serving a mission for the Church. In a statement to the press, he said simply, "Having been a member of the church, I felt duty-bound to atone and duty-bound to be a critic of the choice it is making." So much for following the Prophet. I guess he didn't remember the Primary song, Follow the Prophet - specifically this text from verse 9 and the chorus,

"Now we have a world where people are confused.
If you don’t believe it, go and watch the news.
We can get direction all along our way,
If we heed the prophets-follow what they say.

Follow the prophet, follow the prophet,
Follow the prophet; don't go astray.
Follow the prophet, follow the prophet,
Follow the prophet he knows the way."

This one in the background just oozes love, "Seperate church from hate. Muck Formans."
Classy, I tell ya, classy. And the misspellings crack me up. You people need spell check for your protest signs!

And then there's this lady standing on the street corner on a Sunday afternoon, sporting her sexy little spaghetti strap top, holding up a sign implying she's a Mormon: "Mormons for Love, Not H8te." It'd be a bit more credible, lady, if you were dressed modestly.

Newport Beach Stake President, Waterford Clayton issued the following statement to the press today, "Everyone in the United States has a legal right to protest, which we support fully. This is not about sexual preference. This is about the moral standing of marriage. When churches feel that something that affects society as moral questions do, churches will and should take a stand. Our desire is that we disagree with civility and have a conversation."

Amen.

More rallies were held today in Washington DC, Minneapolis MN, and Atlanta GA.

Photos from OC Register.