Leave God out of same sex marriage question

Nov, 09-2009 12:50 pm

To the editor:

God says… I can think of no other two words that seem to immediately ignite a debate between humans like these do.

God is a protagonist character from a book that has no factual basis nor bearing on American jurisprudence. The laws either providing for or forbidding the marriage of opposite sex or same sex couples should, in absolute certainty, be decided upon through the rule of law.

The applicable text on which Americans must base their arguments either for or against same sex marriage can be found in the U.S. Constitution and related judicial findings. They are not found in the Christian Bible, the Islamic Quran, the Hebrew Torah or the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

If the Catholic Church does not wish to “marry” two people of the same sex, then as a private, religious organization, it is certainly within its rights not to do so. The church is entitled to that prerogative.

However, the state (ergo the government) should not be involved in attempting to mandate, regulate or legislate any policy that, by its very nature discriminates against any class of people. The issuance of a marriage license is just that: a piece of paper that recognizes legal rights/privileges that are granted unto two people by the government – and not a religious organization.

I am not demeaning anyone's religious beliefs; millions of people subscribe to their own religious beliefs and that their chosen religion is the “right one.” All too often, those same people try, for whatever reason, to force their personal beliefs upon others. Since the dawn of recorded history this philosophical pretense has been the foundation for nearly every war waged on the planet. “My god is better than yours.”

What I fail to understand can be summarized by this question: What two people (regardless of their sexual orientation) do in the privacy of their own home is somehow going to affect/impact what I do in my home?

Better yet, if those two people wish to obtain the same exact rights/privileges extended to the remainder of the populace, how would extending those same exact rights/privileges that I (or anyone is guaranteed by the Constitution) negatively affect/impact my life? I challenge anyone to provide a rational, fact-based, lucid argument upon the rule of law concerning this topic instead of spouting off nonsensical religious/moral claims similar to those used by segregation apologists for hundreds of years.

What happened to the equal protection clause granted to each American by the Constitution? Oh right, despite this being almost 10 years into the 21st century, some people in this country are (and always have been) "more equal" than others.

No wonder we are the laughing stock of the world. God says so.

Jim Conover

(Not the soccer coach)

Egg Harbor Township