Quote:
Originally Posted by christiangirl
Excellent discussion, guys.  So, strictly for S&G, let's say gay marriage is legalized and could be performed at any courthouse, city hall, what have you. However, about 60-70% of America's churches refused to do the ceremony and would not recognize gay marriages and/or families. Would churches still retain the right to offer their services (pre-marital counseling, family ministry, etc.) as they please? I'm not asking if it would be morally acceptable for churches to deny these things to gay couples, just if you think they would still have the right to. Would the protests continue until churches were more open or would governmental rights be enough reason for everybody to go sit down and move on? |
Um, churches already decline to marry certain couples. Some won't marry interfaith couples, some won't marry a couple that hasn't been baptized, many won't marry couples that don't first go through premarital counseling, some won't marry couples they just don't feel should be married (after meeting with them), and some won't marry couples that have lived together. Most also have rules regarding dress, music and decorations if you want to get married in their church, if you want to get really specific. Our society in no way mandates that churches must marry any couple, or that couples must get married in a church, and couples that do marry in a church do not receive any special legal rights as a result. Marriage is a contractual relationship, not a religious state.