Religion was one of the first established institutions in our world. The first religion ws probably established before the first government was, because science was not yet able to explain very much about the world, and so religion was the primary tool by which people understood their world. Before people first formed together to tribes and villages, it was already likely that they had some version of religion or mysticism.

As far as biblical quotes which list homosexuality as a sin, here are a few, and all of these are in NIV:

1 Corinthians 6: 9-10

9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

This verse is not targeted only at homosexuals. Rather it lists sins which typically symbolize lifestyles. Those who commit these sins don’t usually view them as being such. Since they think they are doing nothing wrong, they don’t repent, and that is why they will be punished.
When have you ever met a homosexual who is actually sorry for what they practice?

Leviticus 18 verse 22
22 ” ‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

Romans 1: 26-27

26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

You are correct in what Jesus said. Once again, if you have read all my comments, I have stated before that I AM ON YOUR SIDE. I think gay marriage is important. I posted a reply up top to another person in which I agree with you. Jesus never once forced someone to do things his way. He never gave the okay to judge another people. I want gay marraige to be allowed, even if I disagree with it. I argue because I think it is important to do so. To properly find a solution to a dillemma, each side needs to set forth a logical argument which explains their side. You have plenty of defenders for your cause. I have yet to see someone step foreward to take the opposition, so in the interest of Justice I will make that argument. You are not the only side, and your opinion is not the only one which matters, no matter how much you wish this was the case. Those who disagree with you are not always bigots. They are not necessarily ignorant, yet this is what homosexual supporters preach. People are allowed to believe what they want, and this will influence their actions. If they are bigots though for disagreeing with you because of their religion, does the same not apply to you? Are you not rebuking them for following their own religious beliefs? You are also accountable to your own words, and you will be judged by the same standard by which you judge.

As for equality, I never said homosexual relationships were equal. I said homosexuals were equal in that they had equal access to the exact same rights that other people enjoy. Marriage has been set forth as a right, and because marriage has a specific definiton, homosexuals do have this right. A homosexual man can marry a woman just like any other man can, so they are equal. They just can’t marry other men because marriage is currently defined as man and woman. And whether you like it or not, they are asking a rule to be changed for them, which means they ARE trying to chang rules to suit them.

That being said, you don’t understand what it means for something to be a given. Slavery was outlawed in the North long before 144 years ago, which means obviously it was contested and it wasn’t a given. Dolly Madison was arguing for women’s rights and the vote as early as 1794. She was the first lady, and her works were studied then and now. A given is something that isn’t contested because it is widely accepted. When did the movement for gay marriage start to gain support? When did the idea of marriage being only between a man and a woman start being contested? I am only 20 years old, yet this movement has only become mainstream within my recollection, which means that it was still considered a given until only recently in our nation’s history. It does not make it right, but it does explain why it was never addressed before, and why the earlier ruling does not apply here.

I eagerly await any and all future responses.

Also, check the constituion. Separation of church and state is never mentioned anywhere in the constitution. It is a phrase coined by Thomas Jefferson in a letter. And the purpose of it is not what you have in mind. The idea behind this separation is that the state was not to have control over the church. The church was welcome to work politically. The church still had more power than the government at this point in time because of social control. Next time you want to make an argument, do your research and get your facts straight.

Nope it hasnt marriage existed LONG before religion existed, so did gay relationships. the government is already involved with marriage on legal terms, by voting no, alls you did is deny gay people their equal rights of protection under the law.

“I just don’t agree with their choice.”

its not a choice, no gay person will tell you that.

“And you can try to argue that it is separate from religion now, but if the voters believe differently, your argument will just fall on deaf ears”

but it IS separate that’s a constitutional fact, anyone who disagrees is lying/wrong, Separation of church and state..

we will have gay marriage eventually, we just have to wait for the bigots to die off, and wait until the new generation can vote.

Please elaborate on what other types of marriage go against morals commonly established by religion. While you are at it, I would seriously appreciate the Biblical verse used to support your position as well as the type of Bible used since translations can differ.

While you are researching that, please also find the verse that declares homosexual marriage is an abomination to God. Many say it’s in the Bible, but for the life of me, I can’t remember where. Since I don’t claim it’s in the Bible, I’d like someone who does to show their research.

My Bible however does include the following (Matthew 22:34-40 NKJV):
But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Last time I checked, loving your neighbor as yourself didn’t include denying your neighbor the same rights to which you are entitled. I personally have never felt that my neighbors are interferring with my ability to worship God either.

Do you really think homosexual relationships have equality? Again, REALLY?! They have no tax benefits (they can’t file jointly), no health benefits (they can’t hold family health insurance), no other insurance benefits (there’s no nifty price-break just for being married) – they don’t even qualify as “next of kin” even if they’ve been in an exclusive monogamous relationship for decades. How would you feel if a hospital denied you permission to see your spouse because the state did not recognize your union? That right there is inequality. That is NOT changing currently rules or making new ones – that is extending current privileges to all consenting adults of legal age who wish to have their relationship legally recognized.

You missed my point on the anti-miscegenation laws. Until a mere 42 years ago, it was a “given” that races should not be mixed in a marriage. Until a mere 98 years ago, it was a “given” that women should be denied the right to vote. Until a mere 144 years ago, it was a “given” that a person of African descent was property. Just because something is a “given” it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

I await your Biblical references. Thank you.

In my ideal world, I would prefer total separation of legal and religious marriage. For example, if the government were to recognize only civil unions, whether gay or straight, then all couples would be equal, while maintaining the separation of church and state. However, realistically, that is not going to happen, because (ironically) the Christian right insists on making marriage into a state function. The next best thing, then, is to mandate equal treatment, but (importantly) to do so via a minimalist approach, one that brings about the least possible expansion of government interference in religious functions, while still achieving equality. The minimal approach is necessary, because (to me, at least) the requirement to separate religion from government is at least as important as marriage equality, and if the two must be in conflict, I want to sacrifice as little as possible from one to achieve the other.

You may find it distasteful to be in a position where you have to plot political strategy, but pure idealism without considering reality is useless. For example, I would never fool myself into thinking that the government will ever entirely end its involvement in marriage, even though ideally that’s what I would like. When you can’t get everything you want, it’s a lot better to get 99% of what you want (and I challenge any gay marriage supporter to argue that my proposal fails to achieve equality).

Basically, I’m saying that if gay marriage supporters would alter their approach, adopt a different strategy, one that shows some faint indication of acknowledging and responding to constructive feedback, but without compromising in any way on the central goal of marriage equality, then it would be enough to overcome the narrow margins that we have seen in recent elections.