The LDS Church and Proposition 8

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave 20 million dollars to the vote yes on 8 campaign. This proposition passed 52-48 in California, taking away the right to marry that had only recently been declared universal by the California courts. I would be angry anyway at the passage of this constitutional amendment, as I am at the other states who passed it, and as I was, although not at all surprised, when my beloved Virginia passed such an amendment in 2006. However, what makes this even more than usually horrendous to me are two things: first that it happened in California, where I would instinctively have expected it to pass, and second is the involvement of the LDS church in the campaign.

The church gets a significant portion of its income from tithing its members (ie requiring that members give a tenth of their income to the church). The church chose to take 20 million dollars and give it to preventing people who love each other from being able to marry. Not to treating AIDS, finding a cure for cancer, feeding starving people around the world, or even building churches or missionary work. What possible goal could the prevention of gay marriages serve for the church? Do they really think it's going to somehow draw people into the church or better them as people? Christ's commandment is to love thy neighbor as thyself. I don't even really understand opposing gay marriage, because there is no way in which it negatively affects anyone, but I certainly don't understand a CHURCH whose money should be used to promote general welfare and spirituality giving 20 million dollars to this. I feel like Rachel Maddow - I need someone to talk me down. Any offers? I want them stripped of their tax exempt status. I want to boycott them. I even want to boycott all businesses owned by Mormons until they stop paying tithing.