Mormons feel misunderstood? Then maybe they should stop the gay-bashing.

A series of articles today on Mitt Romney and the Mormons. The first, from Buzzfeed, documents how Romney is running (or at least hiding) his Mormon faith on the campaign trail. The second, a new poll from PEW, shows that Mormons feel discriminated against and misunderstood.

Misunderstood, sure. As the PEW poll shows, only half of Americans think Mormons are Christians. And while some would like to cast this as "discrimination," it's the right of Christians in America to decide who is and isn't a member of their own faith. But take the point a step further. Some people feel Mormonism is a cult. Is that bigoted or discriminatory of them? Some people also feel that Scientology is a cult (Scientologists consider themselves members of a religion). Is it also bigoted and discriminatory to think that Scientology is a cult? I suspect far fewer people would defend Scientology, or condemn those who consider it a cult. Is there a difference between judging Mormons and judging Scientologists?

Putting that discussion aside for a moment, Mormons probably do face animosity in America today, but I suspect that some of it doesn't come from the historic persecution that Mormons feel they have always faced. Some of the animosity comes from the Mormon's own actions. To wit, the Mormons dropped $20 million to get Prop 8 passed in California, revoking the right to marry for gay couples in that state. Should gay people not be angry that the Mormons have spent tens of millions of dollars over the past twenty years, in state after state, in a systematic effort to stop us from gaining our civil rights?

I didn't know much of anything about the Mormons until I got involved in gay rights advocacy. Then I noticed their name popping up time and again, reaching a culmination in their abominable support for Prop 8, which quite literally took rights away from millions of gay people. And to add salt to the wound, Prop 8 was going down until the Mormons stepped in and saved the day.

There's a reason that some people have issues with Mormons. It's because the Mormons have issues with us. The day the Mormon church stops being one of the largest purveyors of hate and bigotry in America today is the day the Mormons earn the right to complain about how they're treated by their own victims.

Calling yourself a religion is not a get-out-of-jail free card to exonerate you from your own hateful actions.

PS And I didn't even get to what the Mormons are still doing to Jews, and did do to African-Americans.