Following an FBI report that the white powder that spilled onto a mail clerk's hand at Temple Square is nontoxic, local gay rights advocacy groups have condemned any acts of non-peaceful protest against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

FBI spokesman Juan T. Becerra said the powder that spilled Thursday from an envelope addressed to the LDS Church in Salt Lake City was tested in a laboratory for known biological hazards and toxins.

Those tests came back negative.

Another letter with a suspicious powder arrived Thursday at a Mormon temple in Los Angeles. It too has been determined to be nontoxic. The Salt Lake and Los Angeles temples were the sites recently of protests against the church's support for California's gay marriage ban.

While claiming it was incorrect to assume the suspicious powder came from gay protesters, the Utah Pride Center, an advocacy group for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, decried all vandalism aimed at the LDS Church in a written statement released Friday.

"The Utah Pride Center is deeply troubled by the recent vandalism of LDS churches and the suspicious mailing to the LDS Temple," the statement read. "These actions are deplorable and make our entire community fear for our safety."

Though disappointed by the Proposition 8 outcome in California, the Utah Pride Center hoped to find peaceful and productive ways to continue dialogue on the same-sex marriage issue, the organization's statement said.

The First Presidency of the church released a statement on Friday expressing disappointment that "places of worship have been targeted by opponents of Proposition 8 with demonstrations and, in some cases, vandalism."

"People of faith have been intimidated for simply exercising their democratic rights," the church's statement said. "These are not actions that are worthy of the democratic ideals of our nation. The end of a free and fair election should not be the beginning of a hostile response in America."

The statement continued to affirm church members' right to express their political views without fear.

"Attacks on churches and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues. People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal. Efforts to force citizens out of public discussion should be deplored by people of goodwill everywhere."

The statement condemned what the church deemed extreme actions by a few people and called for mutual respect and civility for those on either side of the issue.

Equality Utah, political advocacy group working for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, also released a statement urging civil and peaceful expressions and conduct.

"There is no room for violence, vandalism or intimidation -- Equality Utah objects to these acts," the organization's statement said.

Equality Utah's statement reiterated that it has asked the LDS Church to work with them on issues of common ground, and the group is confident the church would do so.

"We believe the church will show its genuine compassion for the needs of Utah's gay and transgender people and their families who rightly ask for basic legal protections."

Becerra says the FBI is still investigating both powder cases -- it's a crime to release a threatened harmful substance to stoke public fear.

"Even if you send a hoax threat, you're still in violation of federal law," Becerra said.