Same-sex marriage hits at the heart of Mormon theology, said Terryl Givens, a professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond. According to scholars and documents on the Mormon Church's official Web site, couples married in a Mormon temple remain wedded for eternity and can give birth to spirit children in the afterlife. Most importantly, Mormons must be married to achieve "exaltation," the ultimate state in the afterlife. Mormons also believe they retain their gender in the afterlife.

"This all explains the Mormon difficulty with homosexuality," said Mr. Givens. In a theology based on eternal gender, marriage and exaltation, "same-sex attraction doesn't find a place."

Portion of a Wall Street Journal article that examines what is motivating religious groups to donate many millions of dollars to Vote Yes on Proposition 8, an organization that seeks to overturn California's recent allowance of legally recognized same-sex marriages. The Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints reportedly accounts for 40% of the total sum raised to fight gay marriage, and it is well known that Mormon leaders have organized massive fund raising announcements throughout their California congregations. One of the muddying questions raised about gay marriage remains the argument that polygamous marriage will then be allowed, which is something the LDS says they are against, but which some Mormons still choose to engage because it has always been part of the philosophies espoused by the church's founder, Joseph Smith. (Wall Street Journal)