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GAY MARRIAGE
Civil union okay, marriage is okay but is still religious and the government has no
business telling the church who has the right to use the churches personal
private property, or what to believe or accept as moral
A church can do what it wants. If a church wants to
accept gay marriage it can, it is their choice not the governments.
The right of assembly is also private and the government cannot tell a church
who must be allowed to attend.
The US Supreme Court made this clear in 2000
Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640 (2000)
My point is not anti gay, that would be a red herring (maybe straw man) on your
part. It is about applying things equally to all the best we can.
WHAT GAYS WANT
1). For others to not harass them or harm them The
harm part is without question, but right and wrong (immoral or not) is a matter
of opinion, people have the right to express their opinion even if you disagree
with it. It is NOT name calling.
2) For others to not wholesale call them names (like
saying they are immoral)
COMMENT: I personally do not think homosexuality is immoral because it does not
hurt anyone.
EXAMPLE from my personal belief: I think it is immoral for a "Christian" church
to build a new building but not help the poor. I don't hate the church for it,
but their moral compass if off.
3) For basic rights that everyone
else has I have no problem with gays getting married.
Civil union okay, marriage is religious and the state has no business
telling the church what to believe or accept as moral including how many spouses
a person can have.
Civil union is not where the gay marriage supporters stop. Those that support
gay marriage have no problem ignoring the 1st amendment if it gets in their way.
Many lawsuits are being filed to force churches to believe a certain way or pay
the consequences.
In recent years, some states have passed laws giving residents the right to
same-sex unions in various forms. Gay couples may marry in Massachusetts and
California. There are civil unions and domestic partnerships in Vermont, New
Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Oregon. Other states give more limited
rights.
Armed with those legal protections, same-sex couples are
beginning to challenge policies of religious organizations that exclude them,
claiming that a religious group's view that homosexual marriage is a sin cannot
be used to violate their right to equal treatment. Now parochial schools, "parachurch"
organizations such as Catholic Charities and businesses that refuse to serve gay
couples are being sued — and so far, the religious groups are losing. Here are a
few cases: excerpt from
NPR
In 2006, a Methodist group in New Jersey that rented
out its boardwalk to the public for weddings lost tax exemptions after refusing
to allow a same-sex commitment ceremony.
The church lost the case even though the Supreme Court ruled differently in the Boy
Scouts of America et al. v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640 (2000) case.
side note: I am not so sure that any organization should get a tax
exempt status.
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Rod Rieger
