Religious Exemptions On Gay Marriage Divides Church Advocacy Groups

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/religious-exemptions-gay-marriage-_n_3816097.html?ir=Religion

By RACHEL ZOLL 08/25/13 11:11 AM ET EDT


Same-sex couple Paul Katami (L) and Jeff Zarrillo (R) react after being married at Los Angeles City Hall June 28, 2013, becoming one of the first gay couples to marry in California since the Supreme Court refused to rule on Proposition 8 on June 26. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)


-- The battle over gay marriage is heating up in the states, energizing religious groups that oppose same-sex relationships – but also dividing them.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court gave married gays and heterosexuals equal status under federal law, but did not declare a nationwide right for gays to marry, setting the stage for state-by-state decisions. So faith leaders are forming new coalitions and preparing for the legislative and courtroom battles ahead.

Yet, traditional religious leaders, their supporters and the First Amendment attorneys advising them are divided over strategy and goals, raising questions about how much they can influence the outcome:

_ Several religious liberty experts say conservative faith groups should take a pragmatic approach given the advances in gay rights. Offer to stop fighting same-sex marriage laws in exchange for broad religious exemptions, these attorneys say. "If they need to get those religious accommodations, they're going to have to move now," said Robin Fretwell Wilson, a family law specialist at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Critics reject the idea as a premature surrender.

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[LostOne4Ever]

1. Freedom to marry AND freedom not to be discriminated against!

Exemptions for churches are unnecessary as no-one wants to force any church to accept gay marriage by law (though change from within is a different story). But if it makes them happy and helps lead to marriage equality so be it.

Exemptions for flowershops or other public business is trading the right to marry for the right to be discriminated against. That is beyond unacceptable.

Its about EQUAL RIGHTS. Not partial rights.

[cbayer]

2. Agree. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I'm not even sure where I stand on it, but I feel pretty certain that I would not want to be married in a church or by a minister that didn't want to marry me.

Hopefully the issue will be resolved by the growing number of affirming churches.

But the question of services provided by churches is another thing entirely. I do not think they should be able to discriminate when providing these services in a community.

[struggle4progress]

3. I can't see how anybody could force churches or clergy members to conduct

a wedding ceremony against their beliefs.

[cbayer]

4. There seems to be pretty uniform legal agreement that that will not happen,

but there are questions about other church related social services and how some churches may try to discriminate.