As a Christian I understand that God does not want us to sin. He wants me to stop fornicating and talking about people. I know what I am doing is wrong in God’s eyes. I may have been born a gossiper, but in order to be pleasing to God I have to fight the urge just as my promiscuous (hetero) friend needs to fight the urge. I wish I had the sermon my pastor gave about judging others. I believe he said it was the Christian duty to tell another Christian that what they are doing is not pleasing to God. It’s not about judging but helping others build their relationship with Christ.

Now the me that does not care as long as it does not affect her pockets, believes that couples who love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together and have equal protection should be given that right. It looks like they are going to have to take their fight to the Courts though and make this an issue of contract law.

When issues like these are placed on the ballots people are going to tend to base their opinions on whatever guides their moral compass so those spouting people need to separate their religion are going to have to get over that b/c it’s not going to happen. It does not make it right, but many allow their spirituality to guide their daily decisions. I feel more comfortable giving people the option to make their own decisions.

It’s a very fine line to walk. As Christians we are charged with bringing people towards Christ but I also respect the rights of others to live how they feel best suits them.

I just read this post an thanks so much for mentioning my blog. This is really an area that Black people are falling behind on – but I feel it’s a generational issue like the scars they still carry from Jim Crow and Civil Rights. Those that support Gay Rights need to take more care in how they frame any argument that would diminish that. We’ve come so far and still have a ways to go, but we’ll get there eventually.

To people who say being gay is a choice you are wrong. You are born gay you don’t decide to be gay and stop saying you support their right, BUT… there is no but. You either support them fully or you don’t.

Anyone who says being gay is a choice is ignorant and/or bigoted and those of us who get this need to point that out every time someone tries to play this game.

But the subject of marriage is a complex one. Marriage is not just a legal union. Its also a social and religious one as well. Socially and legally i believe that gay or straight, every couple should have the same rights. But religiously, you cant possibly force a religion to change its rule or else you face a whole different issue.

I think in a way i may fall under the “call it a civil union, just don’t call it marriage,” group but its so much more than that. legally, yes, they should be husband or wife respectively.

then again, prop 8 AND the defense of marriage act both sound a bit fishy to me. excluding one group of people from rights that others have access to no is not just unfair and unconstitutional, its illegal.

but i think differently. i don’t fall under the “100% yes” nor the “100% no” category. but if we all listen to each other we can find common ground and create a law that insures that those in love and gay have the same privileges and rights awarded to those who are straight.

i agree with Nicole above, esp that ‘Focus on a true seperation of church and state- not on marriage.”!!!!!!!! so true.

i think that once religion is seperated from the situation (religion not faith), then i think everyone would support gay marriage or at least civil unions.

First, I think that there should be a complete seperation of church and state. The institution of marriage is purely religous. Before religion was introduced, two adults decided to stay together and do thier thing. I think that everyone should have civil unions done at the court house and then have the right to have their own marriage/ commitment ceremony/ whatever they decide. I am married and while I technically got married when my husband and I signed everything at city hall, we did not begin our marriage until after the wedding.

Secondly, I am a Christian. The scriptures clearly speak against homosexuality.

My final reason is biological. The main reason two adults decided to live together before religion introduced marriage was to raise children. A gay couple cannot reproduce naturally with one another.

I think that gay advocates are fighting for the wrong thing. Focus on a true seperation of church and state- not on marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Civil unions should be for everyone and they should be changed so that they may be honored in the entire country instead of state-by-state.

“In dark ages people are best guided by religion, as in a pitch-black night a blind man is the best guide; he knows the roads and paths better than a man who can see. When daylight comes, however, it is foolish to use blind old men as guides.” (in God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens)

I am heartned by the Christians who have said that they cannot find it in themselves to deny gay and lesbian people the right to marry if they so wish. It seems to me they have acknowledged that if we are to truly live in a democratic society we cannot (indeed must not) allow our private beliefs to hinder the civil freedoms of others.

Tami put it succinctly when she asks why are religious people ok with atheists, the divorced, and so on marrying but not homosexuals. It makes no sense.

I don’t understand what happened in California but the result confirms to me that there are some things you simply can’t trust ‘the people’ to get right. We must defer to reason.