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go midage!!! I have over time asked this one question of everyone I know who is against gay marriage...Tell me one thing you are going to do differently in your life if Gay people are allowed to marry?...after a couple of uh's the answer is always...nothing...

warmly

Kenny

I agree with all of ya! But there was one thing that did stand out to me that I wanted to address. Somebody emphasized 'secular' union.

There are gay churches and churches that accept the gays. If the church is willing to marry them, have at it. Only your wedding album will tell where you got married in years to come, the document only says what state. And what you get at church and what you get at the courthouse are the same document.

If you don't believe in gay marriage, don't marry somebody that's the same sex as you! Isn't that simple? =D

I have to ask the question...why shouldn't gay people be allowed to marry in the church?

In Canada they are, except for the Roman Catholic church of course. There has been an interesting news story running in the local paper here. The Anglican Church of Canada supports gay marriage. However, three local churches have decided that they are not going to support this. They have in effect, broken away from the larger Anglican community.

This has caused quite an uprising. Many Anglicans have sent letters to the editor denouncing those congregations who are opposing gay marriage and referring to them as non-Christian like. Those break away churches have also been told that they will have to move their congregations out of the church buildings, and find somewhere else to worship.

It's interesting to see how many straight Christians here are vocally in support of allowing gay people to marry in the church.

The way I see it (although I'm not a Christian), if a gay couple attends a church, most likely it isn't one where they are being told as often as possible how they are going to hell. The church they would most likely chose to attend will be gay-friendly.

Many of the Christians that are completely opposed to it are attending churches where no homosexual would want to be or to be married in. I wouldn't want the biggest day of my life to happen in a building where I'm condemned at every opportunity.

I think these Christians are afraid of being forced to marry a gay couple, and that is ludicrous. Straight people have to ask permission to be married in a church, especially if it isn't their church, why would it be different with gays?

Exactly. That would totally be up to the church. Since churches are private institutions they can do, or not do, exactly what they want.

I don't think most gays care about forcing churces to marry them. There are several churches that would.

Now, I can't speak for gay Catholics or others... but that would be my guess. If I wanted to be married and my church wouldn't marry me... well, I'm OUTTA THERE!

(I haven't figured this thing out yet. I was trying to respond to the person who wrote: "The Bible is full of words condemning homosexuality; however, it's not for us to judge someone else's actions or beliefs. It's between them and their Maker."

Actually, as a seminary student and practicing pastor, I must disagree with you. The Bible is not "full of words condemning homosexuality." While there are about five references in the whole book (which spans about 1500 years in authorship) there are literally hundreds of references to things that DO matter in the Judeo-Christian ethic, such as social and economic justice, kindness to immigrants and the poor, laws to protect the rights of the underprivliged and limit the powers of the rich and dominant. In reality, "homosexuality" was not a concept...at all...in Biblical times. There were sexual behaviors between people of the same gender which were, admittedly, understood as unnatural, but so were many, many things that are "natural" and normal for people of Christian and Jewish faith today. But little understanding whatsoever of what modern science and psychology tell us about human identity and relationships, particularly when it comes to healthy marital and sexual relationships. The Bible does not give us much of value about marital relations of any kind, as a matter of fact, unless you believe that wives should be silent, men should own their wive's sexuality, polygamy is a man's right and duty, and that a woman should not serve food to her husband when she is menstruating. (That's right alongside the Leviticus condemnation of "men lying with men.") As a person of faith, I think the God of justice and love would be all for laws that would support loving, egalitarian and stable relationships between people who care about each other adn are willing to commit to each other, whatever the gender.