SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement on Friday regarding recent comments made by Utah state senator Chris Buttars about homosexuality.
Church spokesperson Scott Trotter released the following statement:
“From the outset, the Church’s position has always been to engage in civil and respectful dialogue on this issue. Senator Buttars does not speak for the Church.”
Senator Buttars made the controversial comments to former ABC 4 reporter Reed Cowan, who is an openly-gay TV news anchor and reporter now living in Florida. Cowan is also working on a documentary about Proposition 8 and the role of the LDS Church in its passage. Cowan interviewed Buttars as pert of the documentary and released audio recording of the senator's statements to ABC 4 News earlier this week.
In his comments, Buttars compared gay activists to radical Muslims and called homosexuality the "greatest threat" to America.
Buttars was removed from his chairmanship of the senate judiciary committee on Friday.
