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Mormon Church has asked the US Supreme Court to ban gay marriage

Several religious organisations have joined the Mormons in a brief to the high court

Payton Guion
Saturday 11 April 2015 21:58 BST
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(Getty Images)

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in cahoots with several other religious organisations, has asked the US Supreme Court to prevent gay marriage from becoming legal across the country.

The high court is expected to hear same-sex marriage arguments starting later this month after the issue has gained momentum in the past year, as several states have legalised it. Utah – home of the Mormon Church – is among those.

Along with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the National Associate of Evangelicals, the Free Methodist Church – USA and the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, the Mormon Church filed an amicus brief asking to Supreme Court to uphold traditional marriage, Fox 13 reported.

“Notwithstanding our theological differences, we are united in declaring that the traditional institution of marriage is indispensable to the welfare of the American family and society. We are also united in our belief that a decision requiring the States to license or recognize same-sex marriage would generate church-state conflicts that will imperil vital religious liberties. This brief is submitted out of our firm judgment that the Constitution does not require States to take that fateful step,” the groups wrote.

The Utah Attorney General’s Office last week submitted a similar brief to the Supreme Court, asking it to ban same-sex marriage. This differs from Utah Governor Gary Herbert and the mayors of major cities Salt Lake City and Park City, who have supported gay marriage.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on same-sex marriage in June.

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