Seriously, the politics of division are alive and well here, Todd. Keep railing on divisive issues that have no chance of ever reaching a consensus point. Keep the country divided. It's what big government and corporations want. They can push through bills that will make them millions and keep everyone below them tethered as long as we focus on 2 or 3 issues we will never agree on. Woo hoo! All hail the system!
Just freaking let the gays get married and let's move on to keeping our country alive and prosperous, shall we?

Nobody's asking you to ENdorse anything. No one is asking for your religious counsel either.

No, it's not.
It's about being safe to live YOUR life. Just like freedom of religion is about it being safe to practice YOUR religion.
Think about it this way: What if we lived in a society that unequivocally did not recognize Christian marriage as an institution, but you and your wife stood before God, took your vows to each other and thus, in your mind, but not the government's became a family. You have committed your life to each other and the family you will produce, but your do not receive tax cuts that married people have, no benefits for your children or widow's pension for your wife through social security if, God forbid, something happens to you and insurance is left to the discretion of the company where you work, as to whether it covers Christian partners. If something happens to your wife or yourself, neither of you have power of attorney. This is the dilemma of the homosexual couple. Whether your brand of Christianity accepts it or not, there are people who have devoted themselves to other people in the same way that you and I and our spouses are devoted to each other. And what they are asking for is the same protections and rights from our government that we as heterosexuals take for granted. You don't have to approve. Hell, you don't even have to accept its "rightness." You are not obligated to teach your children that their lifestyle is an option for them. But you do not have the right to withhold rights from other people and nobody has a right to hurt anyone else because of who they and how they love. End of story.

How so? A gay couple can no more walk into a church that does not condone or recognize gay marriage than I could have walked into a Catholic church and expected that my husband and I could have be married there. This is purely legal. It would be left up to the churches themselves to decide whether they would perform gay marriages. No church is obligated to marry any couple. And honestly, do you think people want to be married in a church where the congregation is standing in judgment of their life as a couple? Or do you think they would choose to be married in front of a congregation that supported them? This does not affect you or me.

If we're going to get all biblical, I would think you would be all about Polygamy given it's precedent in the Old Testament. So freedom to wear a beard however you like and eat shellfish your heart's content, but no polygamy or gay marriage, huh?

Again, how does this effect you or me or Burl or Craig or bwzubke?
It doesn't. Not one bit. Have you seen gay couples at Disneyland or the grocery store or the mall or the park? Guess what? You still will. Maybe they will be married. Maybe not. Who can tell? When my husband and I go out we do not announce our relationship status at every venue at which we arrive. NOTHING has changed. For US.
Live your life as to your beliefs. By all means rejoice in the peace that your faith brings you and model what a functional working family looks like. Strive for YOUR best. But don't pick apart the morality of everyone that surrounds you based on YOUR individual belief system. It is not your right to condemn others. It is not for you to decide who deserves what. Any more than it is my right to tell you that your faith is wrong because it is not the same as my faith. I may not agree with you, but I will go down arguing for you to have your opinions and beliefs. I just don't think they should be legislation. Any more than mine should be.
And in terms of big government, it's a double edged sword. If you choose to govern based on one interpretation of one religion then what is to stop the pendulum from swinging the other way. Talk about a slippery slope.

how so?

Thanks for the welcome back. I've been around.... I just don't like to post unless I have time to be thoughtful and with kids in the house thoughtful internet responses are not often a luxury I can afford.

Heh!

I'm sorry... that's sounded pretty sanctimonious, huh?
I think I have a bad case of the Howard Zinn affected Election Year Blahs. I feel like a child of divorce.... CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???? LOL
I think the whole point of this thread could be that at some point everyone is a bully, whether it is intentional or subconscious. My job as a parent and a somewhat mature adult is to keep track of my own behavior in hopes that it effects positively my offspring. What everyone else does isn't really any of my business....
Also, in the world of religious and liberal blogging does it ever feel like there's NEVER anything uplifting or positive going on? Or is that just my Election Year Malaise just acting up again? It's kinda like, on one side it's people screaming at you about how Jesus loves you and you're a horrible person so rot in hell or you don't give a crap about the environment/ animal cruelty/GMO's/ air quality/ bike rights/banning plastic bags, you're a horrible, selfish person; rot in hell. Either way, pfffffttt.