Jane Barnes co-wrote the 2007 PBS series “The Mormons.” Her forthcoming book, "Falling in Love With Joseph Smith: Adventures With God," will be published by Penguin next August.

Americans are impressed that Mormons fast one Sunday a month, and that the money these individuals save is voluntarily donated to the church’s widely respected rapid response system. After Hurricane Katrina, Mormon trucks were the first to arrive. But what was a force for good after Katrina also has a dark side. When it comes to the social agenda, the Mormon Church does not respect separation of church and state. It has used its mobilizing genius to pursue political goals, and individual Mormons have obeyed like sheep.

When it comes to the social agenda, the Mormon Church does not respect separation of church and state.

The church’s role in defeating the Equal Rights Amendment has been documented by historians: Mormons illegally used church pulpits, buildings and deceptively named grassroots groups to enlist supporters against the amendment. Mormon activism grew as the church fought gay rights in Hawaii and Arizona.

In 2008, the church targeted the California Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Prophet Thomas S. Monson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, asked Mormons to give of their “means and time.” Mormon volunteers were bused into California to support Proposition 8, a Constitutional amendment that overturned the court decision by defining marriage as only taking place between a man and a woman. Some $22 million from Utah financed the victory. How much came from the church? It's not clear. Attempts to challenge to the Mormons’ 501(c)(3) tax exempt status have faltered because of the secrecy in which the church shrouds its finances.



In 1960, as a presidential candidate, John F. Kennedy declared his absolute belief in separation of church and state, but also in an America “where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public.” In his 2007 speech on religion, Mitt Romney only said that no authorities of his church would “exert influence on presidential decisions.” What if the church illegally used its money and influence to defeat Roe v. Wade or to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment while Romney was president? Would he protest from the Oval Office? Or would he be a sheep?