We live in a land founded in part on the concepts of religious freedom, separation of church and state, and equal protection under the law.
If I believe, as my religion teaches, that marriage is a holy union between a man and a woman, that’s a belief I have the right to hold, for myself.
However, I do not have the right to impose my religious belief on anyone else. Everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs.
Therefore, people of faith who object to same-sex marriage should stand aside on the issue. To do otherwise is to attempt to impose their religious beliefs on others — which violates the principle of freedom of religion.
To put a prohibition of same-sex marriage into the law also violates the principle of separation of church and state.
Finally, to prohibit people of the same sex from marrying is to deny them the social and economic benefits of marriage, which is to deny them equal protection under the law.
Furthermore, marriage is already not the exclusive province of religion as is evidenced by courthouse and other civil (nonreligious) ceremonies that result in marriage. Therefore, the question of same-sex marriage is a civil question, not a religious one.
Marriage is a right everyone should have — even if they happen to be of the same sex.
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