Nationally Legal Gay Marriage Puts Churches at Risk

If Congress legalizes gay marriage, it will do so at the cost of traditional marriage

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Mr. Brown claims we know from experience what happens if we deregulate marriage to allow same-sex couples to enter into a marriage contract. But, at the same times, he claims we have never gone in this direction. So which is it? Do we have experience with marriage rights for all couples or not? Apparently whatever Mr. Brown needs at any moment is what he claims to be true.

Experience doesn't tell us that churches are punished if gay people can marry. Jews can marry but Christians are not punished for failing to provide Jewish weddings in their churches. And tax exemptions for churches are safe if they discriminate. Churches discriminate all the time. Baptists don't hire Rabbi's to preach in their pulpits. In fact, the Supreme Court ruled that a non-profit, the Boy Scouts, can throw out kids who are gay or atheists. So not only were they not punished their right to discriminate against gay kids was upheld. Mr. Brown hints at anti-discrimination laws as a problem, but those laws are not related to gay marriage and his organization often brings up anti-discrimination cases from states where same sex marriage is NOT legal.

Allowing same sex couples to marry no more infringes on the rights of religious people than allowing Jews to marry infringes on the rights of Christians. But then, Mr. Brown really does know this.

JPeron of CA 4:55AM October 08, 2011

wah wah. It still doesn't invalidate and any marriage between a man and a woman. If I were to choose to marry a man, I wouldn't expect the Church (or any religious institution) to perform a ceremony it disapproves of.

This whole debate is based on forcing our beliefs on others and its not for us to decide who lives right or wrong. I think God still hold final sway in that decision.

Holden Kraus of KS 3:16AM October 08, 2011

Mr. Brown, you are stepping the wrong and dark side of history. SSM will happen in the U.S. Watchout! Australia, and the significant number of Conservatives in U.K. are proposing marriage equality. PLEASE, stop spreading lies and BS about gay marriage will destroy straight marriage. REALLY? HOW?????? How's Canada doing these days? are they doomed already? Christians should stick up for the truth, nothing but the truth. And please don't impose your religious beliefs to everyone. Let people be happy and as an American, we should have the responsibility to provide EQUAL American rights to our fellow contrymen, not supress those rights! It WILL happen! A Republican here anyways.

Damien of KY 1:41AM October 08, 2011

what a liar. and he knows it. no church will be forced to marry any couple [gay or straight] that it does not wish to. In fact, the truth is that laws that prohibit gay couples from marrying actually hurt churches. many religious communities, including [but not limited to] Reform Judaism, The United Church of Christ, The Quakers, Unitarian Universalists and individual congregations and/or dioceses in the Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches believe, as an article of their faith, that gay couples' relationships should receive the same blessing [both spiritual and civic] as straight couples relationships. This means that discriminatory marriage laws prohibit these religious groups from fully practicing their faith, while putting a stamp of government approval on the doctrines of antigay religious groups. The Establishment Clause of our Constitution specifically prohibits our government from doing this: no law should prefer one religious doctrine over another.

kirk C of TX 1:18AM October 08, 2011

"Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy" a junk rag that is not in anyway connected to Harvard Law School or Harvard University, and is not to be confused with the well-esteemd Harvard Law Review, which actually is put out by actual law students and professors of Harvard Law School.

AJ Honeylake of CA 11:39PM October 07, 2011

The mere fact that a minority group in America has to even "prove their worth" to people like poster Manuel Little speaks volumes as to the level of discrimination and bigotry present within our nation's laws. It's not about proving worth. It's about basic human dignity and civil equality, as is promised in our Constitution. Civil rights are fundamental, inalienable and inherent and not something given only after being proven for worthiness. ZMr. Little, you did nothing to deserve your rights. They wre given to you by default by mere fact that you are a human being. To demand anything more of any other group is tyranny by any definition!

Brian Brown is a serial liar and he knows it. His "family values" organization cannot win by telling the truth, so they intentionally spread lies and deceit. He worries about gay teaching his kids. I'm more worried about the kind of morality people like Brown would teach ours. If lying becomes mainstream to where even the people who supposedly speak for morality begin to resort to it, then we have surely run upon a lost cause of hope for the next generation.

As far as the comment earlier about "piggy-backing" on the issue of black civil rights. Oh, please! Everyone piggybacks! Even those who were trying to abolish slavery in this country piggybacked off of the biblical tales of Moses freeing the slaves. Dr. King in the 60's Black Civil Rights Movement piggybacked off of Ghandi's movement in India. Ghandi piggybacked off of the many revolutions and uprisings taking place in Africa. Even this great country, America, piggybacked off the liberal ideals of the French Revolution and Enlightenment Era. Do your own historical research before you speak!

AJ Honeylake of CA 11:32PM October 07, 2011

This article is nonsense.

Nowhere, in any of the same-sex marriage laws, or proposed laws, does it say ANYTHING about forcing a religious organization to perform same-sex marriages.

Try telling the truth for once. You supposed to be Christian.

Terri of WA 10:12PM October 07, 2011

NO - marriage as is, indeed is Constitutional. Same-sex marriage advocates attempt to equate a same-sex friendship with civil marriage. After all, it is not marriage of homosexual partners that's literally the issue. It is civil marriage for all adults. Of course, people in prison can have civil married status, but cannot go home at night to be with their family. Same-sex couples can prove their worth to society, separately. Don't piggy-back.

Manuel Little of HI 9:23PM October 07, 2011

It's true, also, that, after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there was much less "room" under the law -- socially, in jobs, and to some extent in churches -- for people who had religious and moral objections to racial equality and integration, or opposed racial equality and integration as a function of ethnic tradition. But, you know, the imposition on the objectors' lives was still far less of a bad thing than than the evil of maintaining racial inequality and segregation.

George of KS 8:13PM October 07, 2011

Mr. Brown:

Just wanted to point out to your readers that the reference you make to the "Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy" is a bit of a disconnect due to the fact that it has next to nothing to do with Harvard Law School. It is, in fact, a group of individuals who are attempting to change the law as it applies to marriage of GLBT individuals and carries none of the weight of an esteemed law school like Harvard. You are very deceptive in it;s use with mention of its background. Is that something that all Christians practice?

Scott Lumry of LA 7:12PM October 07, 2011

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