The subject of same-sex marriage is very misleading, because the principle of it really is not about religion, but rather about equal rights. Many churches have consistently used “good words” over the years to speak out for and against rights for homosexuals. Some fight every bill that comes up, on the basis that they somehow infringe upon religious rights. Other churches think that ANY two people should be allowed to join in a biblical marriage relationship.

I will leave my personal religious beliefs out of this, and simply state that religions that try to affect the “same-sex marriage” movement in either direction are violating their own desire for religious freedom by undertaking political ordeals, thus mixing state and religion.

Now, what "same-sex marriage" is really mostly about? The gay community got behind the "domestic partnership" union, in hopes of obtaining civil rights equal to those given heterosexuals in regards to taxes, insurance, job benefits, death benefits, etc. California is one state who got behind it quite well, however, many religious groups consistently fought total equality.

The efforts of these groups successfully stagnated the efforts of the domestic partnership movement for equality – it became a farce. Also, they claim to be fighting any mixing of state and religion, and then they spend millions in lobbying federal and state politicians. These efforts are naturally doomed because the various religious groups cannot even agree upon what is right or wrong! (An interesting fact usually ignored is that a "domestic partnership" was not only for homosexuals, but for any combination of two people for whatever reason they chose to live together and share expenses as a heterosexually married couple does.)

The stumbling block in obtaining equal rights for gays is that we have two types of "marriage." One is the religious type, with every religion making its own rules regarding it. The other has unfortunately been the civil union, in which the government adopted the word "marriage" to describe it. This led to the state defining the term marriage based upon religious beliefs, and allowing various benefits and rights accordingly! Therefore, instead of a domestic partnership movement, they are now attempting to define the "civil marriage," not the "religious marriage," as a union of straights or gays, in order to receive equal rights. This eliminates having to pass special bills over the next umpteenth years to accomplish the goal of equality required by our constitution. So now the churches even tried to change the Constitution!

We have gay couples sharing expenses, and raising children properly.

We have gay single parents who are raising their children properly.

We have unmarried heterosexual couples sharing expenses, and raising their children properly.

Our constitution requires that the above should all receive equal tax benefits, insurance options, job benefits, death benefits, etc., and religious beliefs should not determine them. It is the religions that pushed the movement to the extreme limit of having to use “marriage” to obtain these benefits and rights.

This is not about religion!

Howard “Duke” Holtz lives in Lakeport.

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