Utah’s Chris Buttars is hardly alone in this country when it comes to his fiercely homophobic sentiments. Oklahoma’s Sally Kern easily can match Buttars word for word. In Georgia, State Representative Charlice Byrd has proposed legislation that would “purge” the state’s colleges and universities of faculty members engaged in sociology courses and research dealing with the LGBT community. And, six states have laws on their books prohibiting openly gay individuals from serving in public office. Oddly, Arkansas has proposed repealing such sanctions but, in the next breath, the state legislature also is considering the right for individuals to bring firearms to church.

In Utah, the Eagle Forum’s Gayle Ruzicka enjoys a privilege that few, if any, other citizen has in this state — a virtually unfettered channel of access to the state’s legislators despite the difficult challenge of ascertaining her group’s accountability with regard to its membership rosters and to its funding. The media ought to press this matter aggressively and without hesitation. Given the record and, in particular, the most recent experience of how legislators received the Common Ground Initiative as proposed by Equality Utah, one seriously can argue the merits of whether Ruzicka et al are effective political proxies for the LDS Church, which is conspicuous for its most recent silence.

As I noted previously in the blog, at some point, Buttars and his supporters will have to stand out of the way for what is coming. As for Equality Utah, it would do well to stay a dignified, respectful course — to keep alive the message of the Common Ground Initiative during the 320 days of the year when the Utah Legislature is not in session. The dialogue can be cultivated and enriched away from the irrationally-charged chambers of the state Capitol.

As with so many issues, it indeed is frustrating each year that the Utah legislature resists any and every attempt to normalize state laws that ultimately address the quotidian aspects of life for virtually every citizen and business owner here.

And, as much as one should respect the need for a fair, balanced dialogue when it comes to addressing the LDS church, one cannot ignore the persistent dangers and risks being inflicted upon the state’s capacity for pragmatism when it comes to articulating policy for the public’s welfare.

Recently, the Pew Forum of Religion and Public Life published a comprehensive study of the country’s religious landscape. The full report is available here.

Among the most fascinating questions was the following: “When it comes to questions of right and wrong, which of the following do you look to most for guidance?”:

The results were a bit surprising. With the exception of Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Evangelicals, the adherents of virtually every other faith suggested that practical experience and common sense outweighed every other consideration. Jehovah’s Witnesses (73 percent) and Mormons (58 percent) reported that religious teachings and beliefs factor first in these questions of right and wrong.

Even more compelling is how Mormons diverge significantly from the mainline Christian community on this particular question. Fewer than one out of four (mainline Christians) said they rely principally on religious teachings and beliefs. For those who followed Buttars’ comments this week, take note that a statistically significant larger segment of Muslim adherents indicated that practical experience and common sense influenced their positions on questions of right and wrong than Mormons who responded to the same query.

There have been plenty of public observers who suggest that one of the strategic reasons for the strong anti-gay position of the Mormon Church is that its leaders seek to be counted among the Christianist community. E. D. Kain, most notably, has disagreed with Andrew Sullivan’s characterization of Christianists when it comes to Mormons. Kain argued in his blog The League of Ordinary Gentlemen that “Mormons are not, by any definition of the word, Christian.” Then, he posted this reconsideration in light of the criticism he received for such a blanket characterization:

“Basically a lot of people think that there is at least some definition of the word that could be applied to Mormons. A good few others, including my wife, think people should have the right to self-identify, that this is one of the better aspects of living in America, this freedom to believe what we want and call it what we want and so forth.

“Now, my wife grew up in a town of about 2,000 people in southern Utah, most of whom were Mormons,though she and her family were not. She faced a lot of religious descrimination there. If anyone has a background that might predispose them to antipathy toward the Mormon faith and people it’s her. So when she says I’m out of line saying this, I listen.”

Wisely, Kain adds that he does not have the right to make such a “bold, final call.” He acknowledges that his statement was “too broad, too all-encompassing.”

And, then he closes with this:

“What I do know for sure is that words have power, and that meaning is a tricky thing to pin down. Our language is quicksilver, and our beliefs are like flames. Better to end in warmth than in embers.”

As Utah citizens and voters, regardless of our religious stripes, we have the prime responsibility to take what Kain calls the “proverbial check” and we have the equally prime expectation that our elected officials do likewise. Buttars is and has always been resolute in being unapologetic. There is a pragmatic choice to be made in this specific situation. Citizens should press the matter urgently and loudly, asking for the immediate resignation of Chris Buttars from the Utah Senate.