Never since the earliest days has the LDS Church been in such danger of persecution by a mass of Americans. The same can be said about the danger of governmental punishment from the time of the polygamy trials. Unlike the mentioned examples where the religious were the instigators, secularists are in command and faith itself is in the crosshairs. This time no one who believes in God and attends church will be spared. Worst case scenarios have Christians going underground like in China to worship, if the modern interpretation of the religious clause is brought to its logical conclusion. Religation to absolute privacy is not freedom; its house arrest. There are some possible changes coming to how the LDS Church operates in this increasingly hostile secular new United States. Some are already in practice where secularism has completely taken over.
There is no need to rehearse where the danger comes from the most. Anyone can look at the current headlines about the U.S. Supreme Court’s biggest case of the year. For those who wish to criticise any “the sky is falling” concerns, a reasonable person should read what Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli said in response to Judge Alito’s question:
Justice Alito: Well, in the Bob Jones case, the Court held that a college was not entitled to tax exempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating. So would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same-sex marriage?
General Verrilli: You know, I don’t think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is going to be an issue.
Although the question refers to a college, it can easily apply to a Church since the university is a privately held religious institution. It wouldn’t take a leap to translate into any private institution with tax exempt status. For many religions the university is an extension of the church and not a side project. I am sure that Brigham Young University’s varied campuses are seen in that light by the LDS leadership, who on more than one occasion has stated it outright. Calling it “The Lord’s University” is more than a silly saying to be mocked. Those might be the first casualties.
The End of Church Schools
At the moment the LDS Church’s Universities are strong and well attended. Every year there is a growing number of Mormon youth who aspire to attend what has become a huge educational conglomerate. It has become so popular that the LDS Church started to emphasis the need for students to attend more secular schools, backing it up by developing complementary religious institutes wherever possible.
Students who attend “The Lord’s University” are eligible for student loans and grants from the government. Although the school as a whole has not received grants, individual research is often subsidised. These are reasons that the University must comply with Title IX in sports, and a few other less visible compliances. There has been times when the segregated housing has been unsuccessfully challenged. The late President Hinckley once told Larry King about not accepting government humanitarian aid during George W. Bush’s faith based initiative drive that he “appreciate[s] the offer of federal funding, we like to do ours on our own. Once the government is involved, regulations follow.”
The schools could, under pressure to comply with increasingly secular requirements, completely cut off all federal funding or loans for students and faculty. The costs might be exorbitant enough for individual students that generous Church subsidies be impossible without the government resources. Properties might be sold off and the Church completely leave education, hoping that strong religious institutes fill in the needs.
Dangers of Dissolving
Nothing sounds so far fetched, but yet has loud enough voices, as taking away the tax exempt status of Churches. This is where the LDS Church and traditionally religious opponents will end up in the same situation. For a small example, it isn’t difficult to find in comment sections a call for stripping Churches of all tax exempt status with another saying Churches should be taxed out of existence. The goal is not to make them follow after businesses rather than charities, but run them to the ground.
Those who wish to no longer consider Churches as 501(c) 3 tax exempt organizations are ignorant of history. Taxes were the prime force that got in the way of religious freedom. True that a tax exemption does give them financial support, but it also in theory keeps them out of politics to a large degree. Of course, the opponents want them to stay out completely and taxing them is supposed to suppress even more the voice by reducing growth opportunities. The irony is that large Churches will become completely free and secularist influence might actually be harmed. This despite smaller Churches becoming unsustainable. The biggest winner might end up the Catholic Church.
How the LDS Church responds is more questionable, because it does have money while in reality consists of a small footprint. It did in the past come close to dissolving when the might of the federal government took away all its property. There is nothing keeping this from happening again considering certain trends hold up and increase. A small consolation is that this time Mormons would not be alone in the struggle for survival.
Changing the Marriage Procedure
Now for the not exactly elephant in the room; what might happen with marriage. Assuming that a particular group gets its way, “Verrilli’s issue” can do more than redefine marriage for the government. It can easily change how the LDS Church does marriages in the United States. Currently the Church is given the authority to mix couple sealing with civil ceremony. In many places outside the United States, a couple must first produce a civil licence before allowed to enter Temples to be sealed.
Marriage procedures could be unified throughout the world and rumors are spreading this is already on the drawing board. The members of any country will have to get a court produced marriage certificate, and the marriage sealings will be a purely religious ceremony. Temple married Mormon couples will then have to have two marriage certificates; one secular and another religious. Without going over what was discussed some time ago, the secular requirement might some day be discretionary or even discouraged.
Any marriages by “clergy” (such as a Bishop) outside a temple could be halted completely. Since the “public accommodation” argument has been given a very wide definition, it might end up safe than sorry to stop using meeting houses for marriages. Any marriages outside of Temples (recognized very specifically as private) could be in danger of government regulations.
Most shocking is that tithing might become optional to entering the Temple. As one critic said:
Yes it is okay to discriminate against gays if the church is non-profit.
But hey, what do members have to pay to the Mormon church to enter the Temple and to be Sealed?
Yep, tithing, ie money and lots of it, 10% of annual income.
A very lucrative for profit business, eh?
And one that cannot discriminate according to US law.
You read it right here. A nascent argument that Churches cannot gather any kind of money regardless of the need to even exist. According to this “budding lawyer” the mere exchanging of money for any kind of service is considered commerce to be regulated.
As the saying goes, “we live in interesting times. Woe to those who live in interesting times.” There is hope that the opposition is right in claiming none of these secular changes will interfere with the free worship of religions, but evidence clearly stresses the opposite. For them “freedom of religion” has been morphed into “freedom from religion” and therefore placing shackles on individual believers. Not that this should be a surprise. The Scriptures have warned and forewarned that the last days will be dangerous, corrupt, and only the fires of heaven will stop the wicked from obliterating the righteous. The only question is how far down the rabbit hole will we witness in our lifetimes?