WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States.
Gay and lesbian couples already can marry in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The court’s 5-4 ruling means the remaining 14 states, in the South and Midwest, will have to stop enforcing their bans on same-sex marriage.
The outcome is the culmination of two decades of Supreme Court litigation over marriage, and gay rights generally.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, just as he did in the court’s previous three major gay rights cases dating back to 1996. It came on the anniversary of two of those earlier decisions.
“No union is more profound than marriage,” Kennedy wrote, joined by the court’s four more liberal justices.
The ruling will not take effect immediately because the court gives the losing side roughly three weeks to ask for reconsideration. But some state officials and county clerks might decide there is little risk in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
The cases before the court involved laws from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Those states have not allowed same-sex couples to marry within their borders and they also have refused to recognize valid marriages from elsewhere.
Just two years ago, the Supreme Court struck down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law that denied a range of government benefits to legally married same-sex couples.
The decision in United States v. Windsor did not address the validity of state marriage bans, but courts across the country, with few exceptions, said its logic compelled them to invalidate state laws that prohibited gay and lesbian couples from marrying.
The number of states allowing same-sex marriage has grown rapidly. As recently as October, just over one-third of the states permitted same-sex marriage.
There are an estimated 390,000 married same-sex couples in the United States, according to UCLA’s Williams Institute, which tracks the demographics of gay and lesbian Americans. Another 70,000 couples living in states that do not currently permit them to wed would get married in the next three years, the institute says. Roughly 1 million same-sex couples, married and unmarried, live together in the United States, the institute says.
The Obama administration backed the right of same-sex couples to marry. The Justice Department’s decision to stop defending the federal anti-marriage law in 2011 was an important moment for gay rights and President Barack Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage in 2012.
Story by MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Resources
- Read the Supreme Court’s decision here.
Related posts
- Utahns respond to Supreme Court hearing same-sex marriage case
- Supreme Court hears arguments on same-sex marriage
- Governor says Utah will recognize same-sex marriage
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Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Isaiah 5: 20-21, 23
You wanna translate that into English.
Amen
You really think a God who loves unconditionally is gonna come down on people for wanting to marry somebody they love? If so, find a better God.
Big Guy thank you for stating that eternal truth. Isaiah got it just right! I had no problem understanding it and if I want to read it more clearly I can google the verse and come up with at least 9 different translations of it. I can also read it in Spanish. Guess what it says the same thing in Spanish! I bet that’s true in German and Italian as well.
Wonder what it means in Arabic or Farsi?
Yeah BIGGUY, the Supreme Court just ruined my marriage. Might as well move to France.
The “Big” in “Big Guy” must be short for bigoted …
Bigguy, Good for you, go ahead and have that as a personal belief as long as your not forcing it on others.
I don’t understand why christians are so upset by others having religious freedom when it doesn’t affect them in any way. I’m a mormon and i don’t have any problem with someone else living a different lifestyle then me as long as it doesn’t infringe on my (or anyone else’s) right to make my own decisions.
JEDIJAMES13, don’t buy a pizza parlor in Indiana and say you wouldn’t cater same sex weddings or you’ll become the target of the national news media and receive death threats. And expect vitriol from “open minded liberals” who refuse to respect your beliefs while insisting that you actively embrace theirs. “Not forcing [your beliefs] on others” is not enough for them; you need to expect them to force their beliefs on you.
Ok LITTLE BOY,
Ok LITTLE BOY, Are you telling me that straight people wouldn’t be doing the exact same thing if the tables were turned the other way? Death Threats? Vitriolic comments? That’s nothing compared to what conservative God fearing “Christians” have done in the name of religion and “Morality”. Elizabeth 1’s older sister Mary, a devout Catholic, killed and imprisoned thousands of protestants including her own sister in the name of God. But that’s ancient history. What about Slavery? The bible condones it in multiple verses. But hey, slavery was outlawed nationally when the south surrendered to the north ending the CIVIL WAR in 1865. But again that’s ANCIENT HISTORY. After all, according to the Mormons, God changed his mind about Black people in 1978, right? Lets bring it closer… Jonestown farm, Warren Jeffs, Aggresive Christianity Mission, the list goes on. The point is that while I’m sure the pizzaria owner in Indiana didn’t like the death threats, she’s still alive, allowed to espouse her views however she wants and no one, to my knowledge anyway, destroyed the building her family owned. Keep in mind that I in no way condone the threats here. I’m just saying that when it comes to people doing evil stuff, Christians take a MUCH BIGGER slice of the proverbial cake.
So how come a flag made up of a bunch of rainbows, that has nothing to do with our Nations History can be flown with “pride” but the Confederate is considered a symbol of hate, and not pride, and is being considered to be banned. I bet if I got up on stage at a NASCAR event and asked over a loud speaker if the people flying the Confederate flag hated black people nobody would be able to answer the question with Yes! Nobody really hates black people, especially if such person has been in prison, in the military or ever gone a mission in any other place that Utah, then you know black folks have you back no matter what. We feel the same way in the South! Now the Nazi flag is a symbol of hate. I will agree.
Maybe it’s because the rainbow flag got its start by and has continued to represent things like equality, love and acceptance for everyone while the confederate flag was created to represent a bunch of southern conservatives who felt that black people were better off as slaves and indentured servants, devoid of the most basic human rights.
Well Simone. Now that you can get married to your partner, does this mean ‘you people” are going to quit marching and go out and get a job and support economical growth. Now that your equal. Oh, and by the way the those southern conservatives you speak of did not have a voice during the Civil War nor did they have anything to do with the civil Rights movement that LGBT community should not be grouped in in the first place. Did they turn dogs and fire houses on you parades? maybe you should visit the South and see what TRUE love, equality, and acceptance look like. That is all supported in those Stars and Bars! Its about pride and who we really are…not who we identify as. Part of my “black culture” is Keeping it real! GO FALCONS!
First of all lets get a couple of things “straight” so that you’re clear before continuing.
1.) I am not gay, despite your implication
2.) I work two jobs and go to school full time. I Pay for my education by myself without any help from any government or private loan. Together that equates to about a 70 hr work week.
3.) To quote CNN “Slavery was a big part of why the South wanted to secede
In their declarations of secession from the Union, some Southern states expressly mentioned slavery as a reason for their departure.
“… an increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery, has led to a disregard of their obligations …” South Carolina wrote in its declaration.
The state of Mississippi aligned itself with slavery right off the top of its declaration:
“Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world.”
Georgia named slavery in the second sentence of its declaration. The sad list goes on.
“To put it more simply, South Carolina and the rest of the South only seceded to preserve the violent domination and enslavement of black people, and the Confederate flag only exists because of that secession,” said CNN political commentator Sally Kohn.
“To call the flag ‘heritage’ is to gloss over the ugly reality of history.”
4.) Did the government turn fire hoses or dogs on Gay Pride parades? Not to my knowledge. However, countless men and women have been violently beaten, had their property destroyed or even murdered simply because they were gay or lesbian.
5.) By the way everything I posted above is fact. Feel free to double check the sources if you like but I highly doubt that you will because, lets face it, facts and conservative ideologies just don’t mix these days.
Woo Hoo, Simone. You go!
You are absolutely illusional. You won’t find a racist at a NASCAR event? You’re a little loose with the hyperbole.
That is exactly what I was saying….I believe you meant “disillusioned”
No, I meant illusional, delusional or any other word describing out of touch with reality.
Josh, simple question and take your time for a thoughtful response. How does this SCOTUS ruling directly impact your life? What do you care if “those people” can get married.
Josh didn’t or couldn’t or wouldn’t answer my question. Wonder why?
This is rare for me, BUT I have to agree with 42214 here.
Get a grip, Josh.
I have a sound grip…i just say the things you can’t. You lack intestinal fortitude.
Josh, my initial reply was not enough. You actually caught me off guard. Let me just say your assertion that the Confederate flag does not represent racism to “some” at a NASCAR event is without a doubt one of the, if not THE dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I’m a NASCAR fan and am often embarrassed by the racist attitudes I see and the comfort level of those who share those attitudes. This isn’t about NASCAR and I don’t even know how we got here other than your homophobic comparison of the Confederate flag to a rainbow flag.
I too am a big fan of NASCAR. I have been to a couple of events. Nothing racist at all. That is why there is no need to ban the Confederate at NASCAR. Read what I am actually saying.
You need to learn history. The racism (ie: hate, xenophobia) behind the rebel flag is well-documented and verifiable as FACT.
I posted a couple of facts in a reply above. I’m curious to see how Josh responds.
My confederate ancestors who fought under that flag didn’t hate any one.
They believed in states right the same as I do and they fought for them. My confederate grandfather from the Virginia hills was not a slave holder. He was a small farmer who knew the north had no business invading the south so he fought back. The flag is heritage for me and I have a right to that heritage.
You can fly it in your house any time you want and honor your heritage.
I will exercise my right to free speech and fly it in public just like you fly your gay flag in public places. I will see my heritage honored in public just like you demand yours be honored. You and all like you live life on a one way street demanding rights for your self while giving your self’s permission to disrespect anyone else you chose to. I know who has true meanness in their hearts. I can read your comments.
You know, there’s a great misperception in many of the comments here and New Mexico has just demonstrated it. You seem to think that because I defend gay rights I am myself gay. It just doesn’t seem possible to you that a non-gay person could be in favor of gay rights. Well, you’re very wrong. There’s a world outside of Utah and in some places even inside Utah made up of people who believe in gay rights without being gay themselves. I believe in civil right as well although I am not a person of color. Let’s just get that point straight right now.
I know, the Rebs didn’t hate the north. Just like our soldiers in WWII didn’t hate the Japs or the Germans. It was just a big love fest with guns and millions of deaths. You really got a grip on history Woe is Me.
Actually when the state of Arkansas joined the Confederacy; my grandfather from Little Rock , a military officer and a leading citizen of the town made it his business to see that all Northern troops in the town at the time were able to leave peacefully and safely under a flag of truce. He allowed no violence towards them. Tell me again southerner’s were only full of hate. I know better.
If your “Grandfather” was a Confederate officer in the Civil War that makes you about 140 yrs old? Really. Think before you type “Woe is Me”
Now we wait for PETA to demand equal rights for all animal lovers.
If you think I’am off base, Just think about it for a while.
People who love animals already have equal rights because they are people. What’s your point?
Equal rights to do what? I’m a little bit creeped out by your suggestion, pal.
Since current Legal Rights To Marry is the subject we’re discussing, Why is it a no-no to marry a goat, dog, orangutan of your choosing? That’s what I was suggesting.
Before you write me off as a homophobic nut or a out of touch animal hater or something, it wasn’t too long ago that two men holding hands tip toeing through the tulips, would be run out of town. Why?
( I want to note that I support what PETA does and their current mission)
Yeah, that’s what I was afraid you were referring to. I’m not writing you off as anything, pal. If you want to marry your goat, I don’t care. I think it’s weird, but I don’t care, as long as you don’t judge people who want to marry people they love, no matter what sex they are.
In answer to your question about the men tip toeing through the tulips, and why it’s different now, I think the answer is two-parts. 1. I think some people around St. George would still run them out of town if they thought they could get away with it and 2. I think changes are happening because enough people are becoming more tolerant about those changes. Gives me hope for the future.
I was only pointing out that “animal lovers” already have equal rights and the comment was poorly worded. I don’t think we should be able to marry animals, no matter how cute they are.
To all LGBT friends, family and fellow human beings I say this:
A a decades long battle between Love and Hate ended today with Love having been declared the victor. Congratulations. You have won. :). To quote Suzanne Collins “May the odds be ever your favor”.
Your excitement over this decision is obvious, but the courts just can’t legislate morality. MLK thought he achieved a major accomplishment in the 1960’s, which he did, but race relations are worse now than they have ever been. Human behavior is a complex matter. Chances are that gay -straight conflicts over these issues have not been solved today by any means.
The churches can’t legislate it either, given the number of religious scandals including the most recent with Billy Graham’s son. Morality works from the inside out – you got it or you don’t.
And for Christians, morality works from Christ, or it doesn’t work at all. But really, ANYBODY, it amazes me that you keep swinging around in general at Christianity, and keep trying to use the Bible against them. There is no real Christianity in the sense of all the churches gathered under one idea. You’re swinging at an empty box. It really is stupid to talk about ‘church scandals’ or Billy Graham’s son and expect a Mormon, or a Catholic, or some other group not affiliated, to consider you as making any real sense. The really sad thing here, so far as I and probably a lot of the other commentators can see at this point, is that you have got a pretty big axe to grind, but it’s a blunt, unreasonable axe, without any bite to it. I wonder, do you even aware of the ill-will spilling out of your comments? Really hard to understand how you expect anyone to take you seriously. You make a substantial, valid point, I’ll consider it. Otherwise, grow up.
You are a sorry example of someone who believes what he wants and assumes way too much. What is it that makes you believe I am not a Christian? Being a Christian does not mean I cannot use my God-given mind and intellect to question false premises by others who claim to be Christians. I don’t think God gave me a brain so it could be washed in the river of dogma that so often passes for clear Christian thought. Don’t make assumptions. Your pompous point attacks are not the kind of thing my God takes in stride.
ANYBODY, nobody’s preventing you from using your God given mind, except yourself. As for false premises, your not much of one to talk. I don’t see much in the way of substantial argument coming from you anywhere on this site, never have, probably never will. Your opinions are still your own, never fear, however irrelevant they may be. As for Christianity, well, I guess we will just have to disagree about what charity and tolerance really mean. I wouldn’t teach your brand to a dog.
Nor I yours, Roy.
It’s sad to see how far away we have steered from “In God We Trust”. We based this nation on doing what god wants. If anyone is familiar with the story of sodom and Gomorrah, they know that god told the people he wasn’t happy that they were gay, and when they wouldn’t stop he killed them all! If you believe in god, you believe the bible, if you believe the bible, you shouldn’t believe in homo sexual activity.
Well, if you’re right, God has alot of killing to do.
The Supreme Court decision now makes it clear that the laws of our land will not be based on religious views. Deal with it. And get your mind out of the gutter. Gay marriage is not about sexual activity. Is yours? Is that all you think about when you think of marriage between a man and a woman? Detractors always head straight for the sex.
If the Mormon church had been in business back in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, Utah would have been flushed off the map.
AH: Last paragraph – please defend that statement. It makes no sense to me. If you are suggesting that they would have been swept off because of polygamy, then I think you need to go back and do a bit of research. If I remember correctly, Lot and Abraham are contemporaries and Abraham (the prophet) had two wives… just sayin’.
Hey Abraham was a piker – Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines according to the myths of the Bible. Adam, however, had only one. I’m saying there’s a lot of hypocritical thinking about marriage in Utah.
Marriage absolutely has to do with sex. If you don’t think so that you are out of your mind. If you are saying that people that are involved with homo sexual marriage aren’t having sexual relations you are nuts. We aren’t pigs, but its an important part of a marriage. Which once again, in a homo sexual relationship isn’t/ wasn’t okay with God….
Let’s keep our level heads here and remember that God did not write the Bible. Men (no women allowed) who believed certain things wrote the Bible and their personal ideas are passed off as what God did or did not think. Nobody, and I include you and I include me, knows the mind of God. I certainly include the writer guys who put the Bible together.
I’m not nuts – I know that sex is part of any good marriage. But there’s a lot more to a good marriage and that’s what members of the gay community were looking for. In today’s world people can have sex pretty much anytime with whomever they want. This wasn’t about the right to have sex. It was about the right to have the other things that are part of marriage, things like being able to see your partner in the hospital, to help with decisions when one of the partners is critically ill, raising children, receiving all the benefits heterosexual partners in a marriage are allowed.
As I said above, anybody who thinks this is about what “God” wants really ought to be looking for a better God.
ANYBODY, I suppose Christians are entitled to their opinion, same as you, regarding the Bible. As such, it has been the agreement of nearly every Christian sect (though not all) that the Bible was divinely inspired, and (depending on the sect) more or less infallible. Since that has been the opinion of the overwhelming majority, it’s a little ludicrous for someone accuse someone of having lost their head for holding it. Also, regarding your ‘no women allowed’ comment, I don’t think you can have read very much Christian history, if you never even made it to the harrowing history of the 3rd Ecumenical Council at Ephesus, and the dispute over the Theotokos. I wonder, really, if you know anything about us at all. Regards.
Roy, who is the “us” you reference?
In this case, ANYBODY, I suppose the ‘us’ would be Christians in the broad sense of those who agree on the divine inspiration of the Bible, though there may be a disagree as to the degree. Are you really reduced to evasive questioning? I would expect more dignity and rationality ought of someone who has gone around this website posturing about your higher education, and how you have written a book (or was it two?), but I guess they don’t teach the fine art of logic and debate where you come from. Too bad, because I used to think you had something worth listening to. Oh well.
So the only. Reason you are married is for sex? Marriage is a whole lot more than sex.
Ezekiel 16:49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy
Sounds like Hillary and Chelsea
Just in case you didn’t get it. This means that Sodom was not destroyed for homosexual behavior. It was because they were arrogant and did not have any charity towards others. Kind of like the government here in Utah.
It ought to be remembered that it is a civil marriage that is being defined by the Supreme Court decision, and as such, has no bearing on what any religious body defines as marriage, therefore should not (in theory) affect religious unions. That being said, how this ruling is going to affect those religious bodies in regards to whether or not the United States will continue to recognize, or allow, their religious unions, remains to be seen. Anybody who has been following this event for any length of time should be well aware of the very real dangers of current and future encroachments on religious marriages by the government.
My guess is you’re talking about polygamy here, Roy. Can’t think of any other religious marriage that the government is gonna care about. If there’s something else, please educate us with specifics…
No, I am not talking about polygamy, ANYBODY, although that is an excellent historical example of where the US government has rightly drawn a moral line in the sand and backed it up with force (although obviously only to a certain extent, as we are all well aware of down here). I think you can see what I am talking about by reading Antonin Scalia’s dissenting opinion, as well as the responses from the Catholic Church here in Utah and elsewhere in the United States. I can’t speak for any other churches or organizations on this matter.
Also, I think it ought to be pointed out that a 5-4 ruling is not a sure sign of total Supreme Court approval any more than it is a sign of total American culture approval. Anybody who wishes to understand the deep divisions on this subject has only to read the dissenting opinion. The opinion of Antonin Scalia is certainly making the rounds in both liberal and conservative circles.
Justice Scalia’s dissenting comments for yesterdays and todays major decisions are spot on. He makes more sense in his dissenting comments than all the other judges made in their decision put together. All the other judges did in both decisions was to re-legislate and make up things with double-speak as they went along. They all knew which way they wanted to vote for, they just had to compile 20-30 pages of garble to try and make their votes sound sensible. And, they followed absolutely no law or constitutional standards to arrive at their decisions ! That’s the most disturbing result of both these cases. This nation is in deep trouble right now if the SCOTUS has lost their integrity and feel the need to make up stuff as they go along.
“Absolutely no law or Constitutional standards”? You’re just spitting out platitudes, and you absolutely cannot back that one up. Given that one has to be a pretty brilliant legal scholar to reach the Supreme Court, and given that the very job of the Supreme Court is to review the law for conformity with the intent of The Constitution—your statement is absolute nonsense. By definition, EVERYTHING they review and/or rule upon is now part of “law and constitutional standards.”
Leviticus 20:13- Speaks the truth. Depending on how you look at it. For example the legalization or marijuana and gay marriage equates to-
“when a man lays down with another man, that man those men should get stoned”- Leviticus 20:13
I thought the truth was an absolute, not a matter of how you look at it.
My mama told me the Christian god put people on earth to test their faith in him and allow us to make choices that will return us to his kingdom. If my mama’s right, the Christian god will allow good, heterosexual people into his kingdom because they didn’t make a choice to engage in a homosexual relationship. I learned from my mama that we shouldn’t try to control others’ behavior but make good choices for one’s self in order to reunite with our creator. Is my mama wrong? Will the Christian god smite me because people in my nation are allowed to marry people of the same gender even though I married a person of the opposite sex? If that’s the case, I don’t trust this Christian god. After reading the Old Testament, I think this Christian god might be a wack job anyway.
If we’re suppose to be created in God’s image, does that mean He/She has a gay side?
For those who are unlikely to read any of the dissenting opinions, here is a short bit on the opinion from Clarence Thomas: “Thomas, echoing a grievance expressed by many conservative politicians, also laments that the Supreme Court’s decision is enshrining a definition of marriage into the Constitution in a way that puts it “beyond the reach of the normal democratic process for the entire nation.”
Thomas additionally warns that the Court’s “inversion of the original meaning of liberty will likely cause collateral damage to other aspects of our constitutional order that protect liberty.” Further, he argues that the decision will threaten religious liberty by creating an unavoidable collision between the interests of same-sex couples and some religious organizations.
“In our society, marriage is not simply a governmental institution; it is a religious institution as well,” Thomas wrote. “Today’s decision might change the former, but it cannot change the latter. It appears all but inevitable that the two will come into conflict, particularly as individuals and churches are confronted with demands to participate in and endorse civil marriages between same-sex couples.”
From this it should be obvious that even the Justices are gravely concerned with the damaging nature of this particular piece of judicial legislation.
Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
I finally find you posting something worth while fun bag. Thank you.
Okay, for all those who want to quote the Bible, here’s my favorite learned in a Mormon Sunday school class when I was a child:
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
To my recollection, it did not say “that whosoever believeth in him, AS LONG AS HE WASN’T GAY AND WANTED TO MARRY HIS PARTNER,should not perish but have eternal life.”
Anybody who believes in a God that loves unconditionally really should stop and make a list of all the conditions they think God has on that love. If God cared so much about people not being gay, I have to think he or she would have put it in the Ten Commandments.
Jesus himself said nothing about homosexuality. Do you think — I mean, he was always hanging out with that bunch of guys and, well…
There are many religions which create their own contradictions, conundrums, and problems. Let me count a few: 1. Most mainstream Christians, Muslims, and Jews believe in an all-powerful/all-knowing/all-loving God, but fail to see the insanity and evil of a God who would damn all people for the sin of two people in a garden (Adam & Eve) for eating a fruit that GOD put there! If God knew the “fruit” would cause the “fall” of all creation (and that would be the “original sin” taught by most Christians), WHY put the tree of good and evil??? 2. If God’s creation (man) was so “good”, why require circumcision? (Wouldn’t that be a mutilation of an “Intelligent Designers” creation? 3. For those who interpret the Bible (and most religious scriptures) literally: the Earth being 6,000 years old? C’mon! etc. etc. I could go on and on. So before you all quote the scriptures (the same Bible which religious slave owners used to justify slavery), be careful. Thanks to “common morality” we’re not required to obey the insane laws of the Bible: killing disobedient children (Deut. 21:18-21), owning slaves (1 Peter 2:18), forcing rape victims, women to marry the men who rape them (Deut. 22:28-29)…etc. etc. I for one am glad we do not base our morality and laws strictly and literally on the Bible! The “cherry-pickers” are hypocrites and guilty of “hell” themselves.
Well said, Izzy…
PS, I do believe there is a God, but I do NOT subscribe to the major “creeds” of mainstream Christians (including Mormons – for those who argue that Mormons are “Christians”), Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc…
I do believe that God can do good and guide all to do good, but I certainly don’t agree with all the hate being spewed out in the name of God, religion, and “holy” scriptures this weekend.
Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve. Speaking of equal rights, what about marijuana. Marijuana should be legal! It never hurt anybody. People don’t OD on it, t makes people happy, it has health benefits. Legalize marijuana! Equal rights for marijuana users! Marijuana should have a flag that represents peace and tranquility with a side of munchies ;).
ANYBODY, just which sect of Christianity are you aiming your hasty exegesis at? I am just curious, because I can think of several denominations who are going to agree with your position, but not your approach, several who are going to disagree with your interpretation on a Sola Scriptura basis, several who will challenge your historical perspective, and several, myself included, who are going to rofloao.
Don’t hurt yourself, Roy.
I’m sure glad I don’t live my life according to a book! “Love, compassion, and tolerance are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it if you have love, compassion, and tolerance. The clear proof of a person’s love of God is if that person genuinely shows love to fellow human beings.”
-Dalai Lama
I hope all you religious bigots sleep well tonight knowing that “those people” can get married now. The sky is falling says chicken little.