SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Mormons who disagree with their church on same-sex marriage don’t want a California court ruling that upholds a ban on the unions to shut down opportunities to discuss the issue.

“As much as people have tried to reach out during Proposition 8, we need to reach out even more now,” said Laura Compton, a Mormon from Cupertino, Calif., who help create the Web site mormonsformarriage.com.

“I think there will be a lot of Mormons who are going to feel like they’ve been righteously upheld, that the court decision is a sign that God is on their side,” Compton said. “I hope it doesn’t lead to a rash of ‘I told you so’s.””

On Tuesday, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints praised the decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. The church backed Prop. 8 last fall and its members vigorously gave their time and money to support the initiative.

In a statement, the church said it “recognizes there are deeply held feelings on both sides, but strongly affirms its belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.”

The church said it believes marriage has profound implications for society that range from “what our children are taught in schools to individual and collective freedom of religious expression and practice.”

That position has placed the church at odds with increasing acceptance in society for gay rights and, in some states, marriage. After the November vote, the church became a target for protests, vandalism and hate speech.

The faith group has called for civility and said it believes discussion of the issue isn’t helped when people on both sides of the debate demonize each other.

Compton echoed that sentiment on her Web site Tuesday, asking marriage-equality supporters to speak their minds “respectfully, faithfully, honestly and charitably.”

“Mormons for Marriage will continue to teach and provide a forum to discuss the importance of marriage equality,” she wrote on the site.

Affirmation, an international support group for gay, lesbian and transgender Mormons, expressed regret over the ruling and the role that church played in Prop. 8.

“The church, which preaches that family is to be valued above all else, has squandered millions of dollars to tear our families apart,” said David Melson of Silver Spring, Md., the organization’s executive director.

Like many religions, Mormonism teaches that traditional marriage is an institution ordained by God and that homosexual sex is a sin. Gays are welcome to attend church but must remain celibate to retain service callings.

The church has been consistent in its position and has actively worked against marriage equality legislation since the 1990s.

Linda Stay of St. George quit the church last fall over the same-sex marriage issue. Tuesday’s ruling was bittersweet for her family, which has been Mormon for several generations. Two of her nine children are gay. Both live in California, but only one was married during the window when same-sex marriage was legal last summer.

The court ruling did not invalidate those marriages.

“We’re grateful that my son and his returned (Mormon) missionary husband’s marriage gets to stand, but for my daughter, who didn’t have someone she was ready to marry at that time, it’s heartbreaking,” she said.

San Francisco graphic designer and lifetime Mormon Lisa Fahey said she hopes that her church services on Sunday will be free of righteous messages. For now, she said she won’t let the differences of opinion keep her from church and she’ll keep fighting for equality.

“I’m an active, faithful member of the church. Just because we have different views on same-sex marriage doesn’t mean I’m any less a member,” Fahey said. “I like to say I’m a missionary for the church. A missionary showing that not all Mormons are against gay marriage.”