SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mormon church leaders are making a national appeal for a "balanced approach" in the clash between gay rights and religious freedom. 
 
 FILE - In this April 5, 2014 file photo, people walk past the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City. On Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, Mormon leaders made a national appeal for what they called a "balanced approach"... (Associated Press) 
 
 The church is promising to support some housing and job protections for gays and lesbians in exchange for legal protections for believers who object to the behavior of others. 
 
 It's not clear how much common ground the Mormons will find with this new campaign. The church insists it is making no changes in doctrine, and still believes it's against the law of God to have sex outside marriage between a man and a woman. 
 
 But church leaders who held a rare news conference Tuesday said "we must all learn to live with others who do not share the same beliefs or values." 
 
 The language of the new campaign mirrors a website the church launched in 2012 instructing Latter-day Saints to be more accepting and compassionate toward gays. The church made clear then and now that it still opposes gay marriage and insists on its right to apply its own rules within church-affiliated charities, schools, businesses and properties, even those that provide services to non-Mormons. 
 
 The church announced the campaign in a rare news conference including three elders from a high-level Mormon governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 
 
 Church leaders condemned discrimination against gays in stark terms, speaking of centuries of "persecution and even violence against homosexuals." 
 
 "Ultimately, most of society recognized that such treatment was simply wrong, and that such basic human rights as securing a job or a place to live should not depend on a person's sexual orientation," said Neill Marriottt, a church lobbyist. 
 
 Mormon leaders still want to be able to hire and fire workers based not only on religious beliefs, but also on behavior standards known as honor codes. Gays and lesbians would have to agree to remain celibate or marry someone of the opposite sex. The church also wants legal protections for religious objectors who work in government and health care, such as a physician who refuses to perform artificial insemination for a lesbian couple. 
 
 Accommodations for religious objectors have factored into every state legislative debate over gay rights. But political pressure on rights groups to make concessions to religious conservatives is plummeting as support for same-sex marriage grows around the country. 
 
 Gay rights advocates say broad religious exemptions perpetuate discrimination. In some states, such as Arizona, business leaders now side with gay advocates, saying extensive religious exemptions hurt a state's image. 
 
 When the U.S. Supreme Court set a broad expansion of gay marriage in motion last year, religious conservatives said they would press states to allow some groups, companies and people to refuse some benefits or service for gay spouses. And gay rights groups seeking job and housing protections have faced an uphill battle in the more politically and religiously conservative states. Under these circumstances, advocates for broader religious exceptions believe they can win some concessions. 
 
 The Mormon church operates an extensive network of charities, schools and for-profit businesses around the country, with total operating budgets in the billions of dollars, but the new LDS approach is likely to be especially significant in the Mormon strongholds of Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona, where the church and its members play a large civic role. 
 
 After coming under intense criticism for leading the fight for California's Proposition 8, church leaders have been trying to heal tensions by telling Latter-day Saints to be more loving and respectful toward gays and lesbians, while appealing to gay and lesbian Mormons to stay in the church. 
 
 "Accommodating the rights of all people — including their religious rights — requires wisdom and judgment, compassion and fairness," Holland said. "Politically, it certainly requires dedication to the highest level of statesmanship. Nothing is achieved if either side resorts to bullying, political point scoring or accusations of bigotry." ||||| "We call on local, state and the federal government," Oaks said in a news release, "to serve all of their people by passing legislation that protects vital religious freedoms for individuals, families, churches and other faith groups while also protecting the rights of our LGBT citizens in such areas as housing, employment and public accommodation in hotels, restaurants and transportation — protections which are not available in many parts of the country." 
 
 Mormon officials "believe laws ought to be framed to achieve a balance," Oaks said, "in protecting the freedoms of all people, while respecting those with differing values." 
 
 The LDS Church preaches that sexual relations — other than those between a legally married man and woman — run contrary to the laws of God and thus opposes same-sex marriage. 
 
 In 2009, the LDS Church endorsed two Salt Lake City ordinances barring housing and job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It marked the first time the faith endorsed specific, pro-gay-rights legislation. 
 
 The Salt Lake City Council unanimously approved those measures, which carried some religious exemptions. A number of local governments — including Salt Lake County, Summit County, West Valley City, Ogden, Park City and Moab — adopted similar nondiscrimination ordinances without explicit backing from the LDS Church. 
 
 Nearly 20 Utah cities and counties have passed nondiscrimination ordinances, according to Equality Utah, which has advocated for the laws. But efforts to codify those protections statewide have come up short. 
 
 Sen. Steve Urquhart, sponsor of the SB100 nondiscrimination measure that he introduced Tuesday, expects that to change with the LDS Church's announcement 
 
 "I think the bill now passes," said the St. George Republican, even though the apostles did not mention his bill. "It was an endorsement of nondiscrimination legislation in employment and housing. There's one bill involving that." 
 
 Rep. Jacob Anderegg, R-Lehi, who is sponsoring legislation to protect religious individuals' ability to refuse to marry same-sex couples, is not so sure that passage is a sure bet. 
 
 "I still think House leadership is going to weigh the church's announcement and make a decision in the best interest of the Senate, the House and all of Utah," he said. "It certainly is an argument for moving [the religious-liberty bills] forward, and it removes any question of whether the church would stand in the way or remain silent." 
 
 Oaks stated the LDS Church is not backing any particular bill and has no plans to testify for or against measures on these issues. 
 
 "We are not promoting a specific legislative program," he said. "We are promoting the general principle of balance and fairness that we think should apply in the current contention about nondiscrimination and religious freedom." 
 
 In 2012 and 2013, versions of Urquhart's anti-discrimination bill made it through a Senate committee, but never got an up-or-down vote in the Senate. Last year, legislative leaders agreed not to hear any legislation dealing with LGBT issues, fearing such debate could hurt Utah's defense of its constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which had been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge and was on appeal. 
 
 The refusal to hear the bill was met with vocal and silent protests — as backers taped notes to the doors of the Senate chamber pleading for a hearing for the bill, and LGBT activists were arrested for blockading a Senate hearing. 
 
 Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court opted not to hear any of the cases where same-sex-marriage bans were deemed unconstitutional, allowing such unions to proceed in Utah and elsewhere. Since then, the high court has agreed to hear a case out of the 6th Circuit. 
 
 Until now, the LDS Church had largely been on the sidelines of the debate over discrimination protection — notwithstanding its high-profile support of the Salt Lake City measures. There were concerns, in particular, about how such a law might require same-sex couples to share student housing at church-owned Brigham Young University. 
 
 Urquhart said those concerns have been thoroughly addressed, and BYU housing is protected. 
 
 "I assume the church is talking about the very important protections of the First Amendment and anything we can do to codify First Amendment protections, that's always a good idea," he said. "I think it was a balance of protection and was a significant step forward for the LDS Church, LGBT individuals, the LGBT community and the entire state." 
 
 Oaks acknowledged that many state legislatures are considering laws relating to LGBT issues of discrimination and the church "is on record as favoring such measures." 
 
 At the same time, the apostle decried what he described as "the steady erosion of treasured [religious] freedoms that are guaranteed in the United States Constitution." 
 
 For evidence, the Mormon apostle noted California schools' refusal to recognize Christian student groups simply because those organizations require their own leaders to be Christian, and government lawyers subpoenaing the sermons and notes of pastors who opposed parts of a new law on religious grounds. 
 
 Oaks also pointed to 1984 gold medalist Peter Vidmar, a Mormon gymnast who resigned as symbolic head of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team for the London Summer Games after drawing fire for his support of California's Proposition 8 and his opposition to same-sex marriage. In addition, a CEO at Mozilla stepped down from the high-tech firm after his contribution to Prop 8 created an Internet uproar. 
 
 "When religious people are publicly intimidated, retaliated against, forced from employment or made to suffer personal loss because they have raised their voice in the public square, donated to a cause or participated in an election, our democracy is the loser," said Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice. "Such tactics are every bit as wrong as denying access to employment, housing or public services because of race or gender." 
 
 Holland, who joined Oaks at the Conference Center briefing in downtown Salt Lake City, said religious organizations should have the right to "use church properties in accordance with their beliefs without second-guessing from government." 
 
 Faith groups should be allowed to set their own rules for "employment, honor code standards and accreditation as church schools," he said, and "church-owned businesses or entities that are directly related to the purposes and functions of the church must have the same latitude." 
 
 In addition to the anti-discrimination measure pending in the Utah Legislature, there is a bill and a constitutional amendment aimed at protecting religious liberties — giving legal protection to individuals who refuse to perform marriages or provide services based on their faith. 
 
 The question, Marriott said in her remarks, is "how to affirm rights for some without taking away the rights of others." 
 
 The push for gay rights was prompted by "centuries of ridicule, persecution and even violence against homosexuals," she said. "Ultimately, most of society recognized that such treatment was simply wrong, and that such basic human rights as securing a place to live should not depend on a person's sexual orientation." 
 
 As a matter of doctrine, the LDS Church does not support same-sex marriage, Marriott said. "But God is loving and merciful. His heart reaches out to all of his children equally, and he expects us to treat each other with love and fairness." 
 
 Above all, the LDS leaders said, the debate about balancing religious and gay rights — often a polarizing predicament — should be civil and respectful. 
 
 "Nothing is achieved," Holland said, "if either side resorts to bullying, political point scoring or accusations of bigotry." 
 
 Compromises, no doubt, will be required. 
 
 "Neither side may get all that they want," the LDS Church said in its news release. "We must all learn to live with others who do not share the same beliefs or values." 
 
 Mormon LGBT advocates rejoiced over Tuesday's news. 
 
 "To have the church stand in support of legislative protection for LGBT individuals is meaningful because it encourages Mormons to think differently about how we understand our LGBT brothers and sisters as our equals under the law," said Mitch Mayne, board member of Mormons for Equality. "To some, this will be new thinking, and that's a good thing. To many others, it will be permission to speak out about what they've known and felt in their hearts all along: that LGBT individuals are just as valued and important in the eyes of our Savior as any heterosexual person." 
 
 Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, said Mormons and LGBT Utahns need not be divided on these issues. 
 
 "Gay and transgender Utahns can live and work beside people of faith," he said. "Many within the LGBT community are themselves people of faith." 
 
 Not all commentators were as welcoming. 
 
 Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor for The New York Times, wrote in a blog post that LDS leaders are seeking "legal permission to use their religion as an excuse to discriminate." 
 
 pstack@sltrib.com 
 
 gehrke@sltrib.com ||||| (CNN) In at least one big and bruising culture-war battle, the Mormon church wants to call a partial truce. 
 
 Convening a rare press conference on Tuesday at church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Mormon leaders pledged to support anti-discrimination laws for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, as long the laws also protect the rights of religious groups. 
 
 In exchange, the Mormon church wants gay rights advocates -- and the government -- to back off. 
 
 "When religious people are publicly intimidated, retaliated against, forced from employment or made to suffer personal loss because they have raised their voice in the public square, donated to a cause or participated in an election, our democracy is the loser," said Elder Dallin Oaks, a member of the church's Quorum of Twelve Apostles. 
 
 "Such tactics are every bit as wrong as denying access to employment, housing or public services because of race or gender." 
 
 The Mormon church is one of several faiths to complain about religious freedom coming under attack in recent years. Catholic bishops and Southern Baptists have sounded the alarm as well. 
 
 Oaks cited several examples on Tuesday, including: 
 
 The mayor of Houston subpoenaing sermon notes last year from pastors who opposed an equal rights ordination. The subpoena was later dropped. 
 
 Public pressure on a Mormon gymnast to step down as an Olympic liaison in 2011 because he had supported California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in 2008. 
 
 In 2014, Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich was forced to resign because he had donated money to support the passage of Prop 8. 
 
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 "It is one of today's great ironies that some people who have fought so hard for LGBT rights now try to deny the rights of others to disagree with their public policy proposals," said Oaks. 
 
 Tuesday's announcement doesn't change church doctrine -- including its opposition to gay marriage, Mormon leaders said. 
 
 "But we are suggesting a way forward in which those with different views on these complex issues can together seek solutions that will be fair to everyone," said Elder D. Todd Christofferson, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, one of the church's top tiers of leadership. 
 
 Christofferson said Tuesday's announcement came after years of dialogue with LGBT groups in Utah and elsewhere, and was timed to the convening of a new Congress and new legislative sessions nationwide. 
 
 "It seemed like the right time to speak, before positions get any more hardened on either side," he said. 
 
 Shortly after the church's press conference, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and a Mormon, said he will work to "ensure that legislation designed to promote greater equality includes robust religious exemptions and nonretaliation provisions." 
 
 Utah state Sen. Jim Dabakis, who is openly gay, said "Amen," to the church's "historic announcement." 
 
 "I am proud that the LDS Church has seen fit to lead the way in non-discrimination," he said. "Now, let's roll up our sleeves, get to work and pass a statewide nondiscrimination bill." 
 
 Oaks, however, said it's "unfair" to characterize the church's announcement as a national nondiscrimination campaign. Mormon leaders are merely seeking to square competing claims of gay rights and religious liberty, he said in a brief interview on Tuesday. 
 
 The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT advocacy group, said some Mormons may consider their church's announcement symbolically significant. 
 
 "But, as a matter of public policy, it appears deeply flawed," said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. Doctors, landlords and business owners would still be allowed to discriminate against gays and lesbians, as long as they cited a religious reason, she said. 
 
 On the other end of the spectrum, Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore called the Mormons' new policy "well-intentioned, but naive." Proposals to balance gay rights and religious freedom inevitably lead to attacks on the latter, Moore said. 
 
 Officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon church, like other religious groups, has tried to strike a delicate balance on gay rights. 
 
 Mormons have fought the legalization of same-sex marriage, for example, while trying to avoid the "anti-gay" label sometimes affixed to conservative faiths. Many church members were particularly stung by the fierce backlash to Prop 8. The Mormon-backed referendum was later struck down in court. 
 
 Nearly two-thirds of Mormons say homosexuality should be discouraged by society, according to a 2012 survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The church's official position is that same-sex attraction is not a sin, but acting on it is. 
 
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 At the same time, Mormon leaders have taken an increasingly civil tone towards gays and lesbians in recent years, and gay rights groups cheered the church for endorsing the Boy Scouts' decision to allow gay scouts in 2013. 
 
 Notably, however, Mormon leaders said Tuesday that they would not -- and could not -- alter their opposition to gay marriage, calling such unions, "contrary to the laws of God." 
 
 "This commandment and doctrine comes from sacred scripture and we are not at liberty to change it," said Sister Neill Marriott, a leader in the church's women's organization. 
 
 "But, God is loving and merciful," Marriott continued. Jesus ministered to marginalized outcasts, she said by way of example, while also obeying religious commandments. 
 
 "It's for this reason that the church has publicly favored laws and ordinances that protect LGBT people from discrimination in housing and employment." 
 
 In 2009, the Mormon church backed nondiscrimination regulations for gays and lesbians in Salt Lake City. On Tuesday, Mormon leaders said they are now willing to support similar measures elsewhere, including laws protecting LGBT persons from unfair bias in housing, unemployment and public transportation. 
 
 With nearly 6.5 million members in the United States, the Mormon church is one of the largest in this country to offer support of LGBT anti-discrimination laws, second only to the United Methodist Church. The country's two largest Christian denominations, the Catholic church and Southern Baptist Convention, have opposed the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA. None of those groups condone gay marriage. 
 
 In this country, less than a third of states have laws protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination, according to GLAD, a gay rights group . Even fewer state laws protect gender identity or expression. 
 
 It is unlikely that Mormons' support of those measures could increase that number significantly, except perhaps in church strongholds like Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. There are 16 Mormons in Congress , where LGBT civil rights legislation, including ENDA, has repeatedly failed. 
 
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 Gay marriage has proved far more successful than anti-discrimination laws, despite opposition from conservative groups, including the Mormon church. Thirty-five states now allow same-sex couples to wed . Earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether states have the constitutional right to ban same-sex marriage. 
 
 Perhaps with an eye on the high court, Mormon leaders said Tuesday the rights of gays and lesbians must not trump the religious freedom of faith communities. 
 
 "What kinds of religious rights are we talking about?" said Elder Jeffrey Holland, a member of the church's Quorum of Twelve Apostles. 
 
 It begins with the rights of faith communities to preach their beliefs from the pulpit, teach them in church classrooms and freely select their own leaders and ministers, Holland said. 
 
 But religious freedom should also extend to Mormon physicians who refuse to perform abortions or artificial insemination for a lesbian couple, or a Catholic pharmacist who declines to carry the "morning after" pill, he added. 
 
 As Mormon leaders acknowledged Tuesday, such situations have perplexed politicians, appeared on court dockets across the country and set conservative and liberals at fierce odds. 
 
 "These are serious issues," Holland said, "and they require serious minds engaged in thoughtful, courteous discourse."
– In what the Salt Lake Tribune calls a "major move," leaders of the Mormon church today declared that gays and lesbians across the country deserve better protection from discrimination when it comes to jobs and housing. But the church added a caveat that amounts to what CNN calls only a "partial truce": LDS leaders say that their church and all religious groups similarly deserve protections if they object to LGBT lifestyles. The church, then, still believes that sexual relations between same-sex couples are wrong and will not change its doctrine to allow gay marriage, reports AP. Some quotes from today's news conference illustrating the "balanced approach" sought by the leaders: "We must all learn to live with others who do not share the same beliefs or values." "When religious people are publicly intimidated, retaliated against, forced from employment or made to suffer personal loss because they have raised their voice in the public square, donated to a cause or participated in an election, our democracy is the loser. Such tactics are every bit as wrong as denying access to employment, housing or public services because of race or gender." "It is one of today's great ironies that some people who have fought so hard for LGBT rights now try to deny the rights of others to disagree with their public policy proposals."