Top Mormons outline support for marriage for man-woman only

SALT LAKE CITY -- Mormon leaders vowed to be a leading advocate for the belief marriage is an institution exclusive to a man and a woman during the religion's biannual conference Saturday that also included two rare events.

The first came when the conference kicked off without the usual welcoming address from church president Thomas S. Monson, 87, who days earlier also missed a meeting with President Barack Obama while he was in Utah.

Monson, who was still present at the conference and walked in on his own, skipped the speech as part of a decision to reduce the number of speeches he's giving this weekend, church officials said. He gave a short speech about the priesthood Saturday evening.

The second unusual event occurred when five people stood up and yelled, "Opposed," during a part of the conference when attendees usually raise their hands in unison in a vote of support for church leadership, drawing some gasps by surprised attendees who hadn't seen this kind of act for decades. They represented only a handful of the 20,000 in attendance.

L. Tom Perry, a member of the faith's Quorum of the Twelve, cautioned Mormons not to be swayed by a world filled with media and entertainment that presents the minority masquerading as the majority and tries to make mainstream values seem obsolete.

Perry said strong, traditional families are the basic units of a stable society, a stable economy and a stable culture of values. He noted Mormons' investment in the topic is even deeper than other religions because they believe marriages and family are for eternity.

D. Todd Christofferson, another member of the quorum, added more on the topic, saying, "A family built on the marriage of a man and woman supplies the best setting for God's plan to thrive -- the setting for the birth of children who come in purity and innocence from God."

Christofferson said the focus on marriage isn't meant to disparage those who don't marry, be it because they can't find a suitable partner, have physical or mental impairments or experience same-sex attraction.

As acceptance for gay marriage has swelled in recent years and same-sex unions have become legal in dozens of states, including Utah, the church's stance on homosexuality has softened.

Church leaders helped push through a Utah law this year that bars housing and employment discrimination against gay and transgender individuals while expanding protections for the rights of religious groups and individuals.