"There's not much separation of church and state going on there. It is a clear violation of American democratic principles. The implication is that one church [the Mormons] will have more influence than any other group in the state," says Joe Conn, a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
In Tuesday's column, Rebecca Walsh, a Salt Lake Tribune columnist, strongly suggests that the Mormon church has far too much power over the State of Utah.
She writes "Nowhere else in the country do lawmakers consult with one denomination in this way -- not Boston, not Birmingham. It's one thing for lawmakers to consul privately with individual Mormon bishops and stake presidentents. It's another to make an annual political event out of it." She continues by quoting Joe Conn, of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
'"It is a clear violation of American democratic principles," he says. "It not only looks like theocracy, it suggests there is a theocracy."' Read original article here.