In your editorial, "A church's right to opine," you assert the right of churches to speak on moral issues. This is obviously valid. The role of religion is to provide guidance to people seeking to find their most righteous path through life.

The current debate in California is not about morality. It is not even about gay marriage. It is about legal recognition of existing relationships. Defeat of the proposed Definition of Marriage Act would not legalize gay marriages, and marriage in the state of California is already defined as between a man and a woman. The purpose of this legislation is to try to deny gay couplings any legal rights at all.

You note correctly that, "Notions of marriage and morality strike at the very heart of religion." I, too, believe that marriage has social and religious meanings that gay people are wrong to challenge. But our secular laws have been built around this term. As with other relationship issues, like divorce or polygamy or children out of wedlock, the LDS Church must find a way to deal with human realities, even as it expresses moral disapproval.

There are gay people in the world. They do pair up. I wish the LDS Church could make constructive contributions to the discussion about the legal standing of gay couples, instead of just trying to will us out of existence.

Finally, it is not the church's expressions of moral guidance that has riled Californians, it is the action of church leaders here. As any member of the church knows, it is a dramatic moment when you are pulled aside by your bishop for a private conference where you are informed that the word of the Lord is that you should, if at all possible, do a particular thing. As this snowballs into organized pressure on leaders and members to act and give money a particular way within their civic roles, this passes well beyond "a church's right to opine."