Bill To Stop Same Sex Marriage Fails In Senate
[Updated] The Human Rights Amendment 2016 — which seeks to maintain marriage as being defined as between a man and a woman — has been defeated in the Senate, with 6 Senators voting against the Bill, while 5 voted in favour of it.
The Bill had already passed in the House of Assembly, however it failed to pass in the Senate this afternoon with James Jardine [IND], Michael Fahy [OBA], Georgia Marshall [OBA], Jeff Baron [OBA], Lynn Woolridge [OBA] and Kim Wilkerson [PLP] all voting against it.
Yes Votes
- Joan Dillas-Wright [IND]
- Vic Ball [OBA]
- Marc Daniels [PLP]
- Renee Ming [PLP]
- Carol Bassett [IND]
No Votes
- James Jardine [IND]
- Michael Fahy [OBA]
- Georgia Marshall [OBA]
- Jeff Baron [OBA]
- Lynn Woolridge [OBA]
- Kim Wilkerson [PLP]
Update 4.45pm: Audio of the vote count
Update 7.12pm: In response, Tony Brannon — who has been an outspoken advocate of allowing same sex marriage — said, “It is time to do the right thing for same sex couples. It stuns me that so many are against marriage equality. It truly saddens me.
“The vote in the Senate was right as was the arguments made by Georgia Marshall and Jeff Baron,” added Mr Brannon. “Now we await the legal challenge.”
Well done, Senators Jardine, Fahy, Marshall, Baron, Woolridge and Wilkerson!
This make election time very easy.
Next minimum wage bill,since everybody want real change
So with majority PLP against and majority OBA for guess which party is the Progressive one now
Build a Better Bermuda promoting sexual perversion is not being progressive it is promoting sodomy/unnatural behavior and trying to make it appear as if it normal but it is an abomination. YouTube – Gay is the New World Order & The Gay Lie
But at the same you and others like you are proving the word of God to be true. And prophecy is being fulfilled it has been prophesied that mankind will have a debased mind in the last days. Isiah 5:20 – Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! In other words people will be deceiving the masses by saying this agenda is about “human rights” when it is not. Calling a behavior normal which is un-normal.
America has legalized this sexual perversion as being normal and ALL HELL is breaking loose in America. You sow to the wind you reap the whirlwind. You promote ungodliness and try to make it acceptable than you reap what you sow.
Another prophecy being fulfilled Matthew 10:22 – You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. In history this has been proven there is a period in history called the Dark Ages were millions of Christians were persecuted/murdered for standing on the word of God.
Genesis 6:5 – Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
You believe what you like, but belief isn’t equitable to truth. Out of the countries that are repeatedly polled as being the best places to live, 7 of them have same sex marriage, and the US isn’t on that list. Out of the 22 countries that now have full same sex marriage, 17 are in the top 30.
What you see going on in the US is entirely separate from the Same Sex ruling, it is an issue that has been going on for a long time, boiling up once again, as it had before the same sex ruling.
Oh, and by the way, the Dark Ages were a result of Christianity and its persecution of other religions and knowledge that might be contrary to the teachings of the bible. It was during that time that any non-Christians or Christians deemed to not have been devote enough, or anyone trying to teach ideas contrary to what the bible said, were turtured and killed. One of the results of this theological tyranny was the Black Plague. The church declared it was God punishing the wicked amongst them, in many places they were killing cats as they were deemed to be instruments of the devil. The irony being is that cats would have been one of the few protections from the rats that were carrying the fleas that were carriers the disease. In the end, it took science (though it was being done descretely and below the churches radar to avoid the wrath of the church) to determine how to end the plague. So lesson is, if as you say, that God is out to punish the wickedness in this world, history would show that wickedness is in fact theological ideological rule and not liberal social evolution.
But truthfully, the ultimate result of what is happening in the world today, is what you get when you promote intolerance over acceptance. Which one are you teaching your children… oh, you’ve already answered that question.
” but belief isn’t equitable to truth”
Exactly, it’s unfortunate you don’t know what that means though.
More religious argument.
Do you think that everyone should have to follow your religion?
NO need to bring out the Wine Yet……
Unfortunately this matter is not over, and it still has a long ways to go. The Senate merely has delayed the bill passing. A small victory, but do not drink too much wine, as the process is just beginning again.
The following it likely to happen over the next several months:
1. The bill goes back to the HOA and at the end of the year it becomes law automatically.
2. The Bill can be mention in the house in November for Amendments. Once that is done, and if the MPs vote yes, the bill next goes to the Governor for his Signature. back for the Amendment will return to the House in November.
3. The Senate only possible next step is to delay the bill again, but they cannot defeat it.
4. It is possible it can go to the Courts and the Hon. Justice make a decision.
5. But it is also likely the Hon.Justice ruling may not be clear cut, and the bill be pushed back into politicians hands to sort it out.
6. Or The Hon. Justice can make a legal ruling which still might confuse things……and leave things back in the government hands again…….as law is not quick or simple to interpretation ..
So we are back at step 1 once again…..folks….
So not too much wine yet folks. ……the battle is not won. ….it surely is not a victorious victory by a long shot
The debate continues on……..the battle goes on…..hang on change may or may not come, or things can remain the same…..SAME…CHANGE SAME…..
Looks like a never ending debate…..really
It will end eventually as the younger generation are less hateful, less bigoted and more progressive.
It’s not a debate when one side refuses to engage and offer a position that they’re willing to defend.
It may not be time for champagne yet, but this is a good step in the fight against inequality.
Why the sad face? This is a good thing.
This bill was a bad idea because it sought to increase discrimination.
Unless I’m wrong and you’d like to show how?
Respect to Senator Wilkerson for her courage and conviction.
Well done. Thanks for standing up for a minority against the tyranny of the majority.
Liberace was well done . Dragging Bermuda down to the gutter , these senators are a awful bunch !
Jeysus! what about that Daniels……
Western Europeans are pushing hard for this and globally they’re a minority on this cause % wise.
As per usual, you are spreading lies.
Doesn’t your head start to hurt after a while, with all this dishonesty?
Or is it willful ignorance, seeing as you’ve been shown that you are wrong many, many times?
Good for the six of you! You would get my vote! How can we be asked to vote for politicians who don’t believe in a basic human right.
How very sad that this sort of discrimination is still going on in Bermuda in 2016.
Gladys M
It was one of the best sessions I have ever heard in our Senate. Agree or disagree with the outcome, most people spoke very well and showed us who there are and where they stand.
Congratulations to all our Senators for it was an important session today and creates a pathway for many other conversations.
Shame on the five.
Ignoring SSM for a moment, we have to resist Bermuda becoming a theocracy, where the “church” has such influence over political decision making. I want freedom FROM religion not freedom OF religion.
You can resist all you want but the Church will ALWAYS have influence over politics and life in Bermuda and in an increasing way.Freedom from religion here? forget it it wont happen-The great I AM is in control.
And that is just plain wrong, when it is hurting people.
Gods main nature is pure love. Jesus examplified that when he lived on earth.love is kind,i.e. the God kind of love is pure,longsuffering,patient,and does no ill to its neighbour,but it speakes the truth in love.The church or religious people dosen’t hate or hurt anyone but hates any sin that God hates-not the person.
As was said before when you block right of others for no reason what so ever then that is hate no matter how passive agressively you do it.
Your statement is totally incorrect everyone has a reason for doing something even if you dont agree with their reason.If your child or teenager wanted to make a decision that you know was wrong e.g.smoke weed, sell drugs,or get schooled in an art that you knew could destroy or cause harm and you blocked him,according to your resoning, you hate your child,obvously that would not be true would it?
So, what is the reason to block LGBT folks from marrying the people that they love like the rest of us? What is the reason to deny them access to rights and privileges the rest of us share?
I said for no reason, your example has a reason. A perfectly vaid reason really, but as Mike asked and I now ask What’s your reason for blocking people from their rights?
The silence is deafening, innit?
And yet, here they are, hurting people. For no reason.
As if that distinction matters.
We hate the act, not the person. So what do you do? You punish the people!
It’s still hate. Which I think you should be allowed. But you’re not to push it on to the rest of us. The church is not the gerneral public’s moral authority any more. It’s time you stop demanding you be given a voice.
When someone starts defining their belief as pure, and others as implicitly impure, that’s when the state of the nation gets really nasty. This kind of thinking is dangerous, and MUST be opposed!
Think God might have to disagree with you. You are listening to men who claim to speak for God but God saiid beware of those who claim to represent him and speak for him.
Actually the church’s influence is decreasing, and will continue to do so with each new generation..
Thats impossible, that would make God a liar and God is not a man that he should lie,so Id rather believe Him than a human being.There are things happening in the church which affects the world, that your obvously not aware of yet, just like there are invisible things happening in your own body that your not aware of yet but will affect you later on,some for good and some for bad.
Here’s the thing…
Your religion is yours. You are more than welcome to believe in it. Go to.
But please don’t think for a second that your religion should have any sort of effect on someone else’s life.
Im sorry, but what you said is not in the bible you cannot show me chapter and verse for that.Im not listening to false prophets. God said in the last days he would pour out his Spirit upon the earth more and more. This fact has been prophesied and cofirmed by witnesses from the bible and thousands in recient times.
There are many people who dont go church or are in a religion but are naturally inclined to follow nature.
And here we go again.
You’ve been shown to be wrong with this “Against nature” thing, like 100 times.
You are wrong. What you present is incorrect.
You know this because you’ve been shown the evidence many, many times.
Repeating it isn’t going to make it true.
None of that is relevant.
Do you think everyone should have to obey the rules and taboos of your religion?
Quoted, the King James Bible:
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD”
– Jeremiah 23:16
Im sorry but you but just cant lift one scripture out of the bible and build a doctrin on it.you have to have several.God used prophets all thru the bible to speak for him. Moses,samuel,david,isiah,jerimiah,Daniel etc.we read and respect their writings. At the same time there is the conterfiet.God is saying tber dont listen to the false ones.
“Im sorry but you but just cant lift one scripture out of the bible and build a doctrin on it.”
Wow. The irony of this statement…
Remember, the bible was written by man, not God. So perhaps it would be best to focus less on the words man wrote so you can listen more on what God wishes.
Actually you got half of it correct the Bible was written by men who were inspired to write.Have you ever been inspired or moved to create,write,make,or do anything in your life? well over 40 different ppl were move by God to write or become authors of the word of God and this happened over a period of over 1800 years, so very few of them knew each other.Yet amazingly the 50 odd books come together in one large book called the Bible.Thats simply supernatural and amazing!Thats the main way God speaks to us today thru his word.
Harold, that’s what you believe; others disagree. You don’t get to tell others what they can/can’t do based on YOUR beliefs.
Again. It’s irrelevant. Your religion shouldn’t have any sort of effect on someone else’s life, ESPECIALLY when it is hurting them.
How much of those original inspirational writings do you think remain in the book today as from when they were first written. How much has been edited or adapted to suit the new inspiration as history has passed. The oldest bible is only dated from around 400 years after Christ, and the oldest Torah is even younger. Though the Torah as it is now believed to be is widely recognized as having come into this form sometime around 600 BCE. As Judaism is believed to be around a 1000 years older than that, what inspirations were they following then. You cannot say what the original scriptures or gospels God inspired actually said, just what those that came after were inspired to say. And those 50 odd books still don’t always say the same thing as a single book.
God is certainly not an idiot.he is going to judge us by what is written in that book and in his infinate wisdom he has not allowed his book, the word of God to become polluted,corrupted or otherwise, to the extent that it us practically useless or undependable to his creation.You can rely, and trust in the word of God it wont fail you. Heaven and earth will pass away but the word of God lasts forever!
That’s your belief, you are entittled to it, but you are not entittled to use you belief to deny legal rights to others. This is our democracy and not your theocracy, and the primary promise of a democracy is that first and foremost its citizens must be equal under its laws.
Over the centuries a lot of people have claimed to know what their god or gods wish. How do you decide which (if any) of them are right?
What people perceive to be God’s wish is more a reflection of their own, that is why I choose to believe in tolerance and acceptance for progress forward, rather than intolerance and discrimination.
The lord our God is one God his name is Elohm or jehovah
You get to him thru his son jesus Christ.Whosoever calls upon the mame of the lord shsll be saved.if you call to him in sincerity and truth he will cone to you.
And if you’d been born in India you would be Hindu or Jain. If you were born in Saudi Arabia you would be Islamic. If you were born in Sweden 2,000 years ago you would have believed in Wodin. There is nothing special about any one religion. They are all equally right amd equally wrong. They are brliefs in superstitions and supernatural.
Again, you are welcome to believe that. No one is stopping you.
Just don’t demand that anyone else do the same if they don’t want to.
This means not forcing people to abide by the rules and observe the taboos of your religion.
Well if the great “I am” is in control perhaps he wouldn’t mind sharing some of the costs of being in control like ie having the churches pay land tax etc – amazing that religious conservatives have so much political influence without any of the burden that the rest of us have to shoulder!
The fact that between 2000 and 2010 in the census, Christian affiliation dropped by 12%, while unaffiliated or none increased by 34% determines, that is a lie…
O.B.A. needs to get out!
This issue is not an OBA exclusive matter. Most of the OBA voted for the bill in the House. Get over your hatred for the OBA.
Nothing to do with the OBA, this is to do with a court case and human rights.
What has the OBA got to do with the bill?
quite surprised the bill did not pass, but happy with the result. I am against any discrimination and see it as ridiculous to write something based in discrimination into the Human Rights Act.
Thank you, Senators who voted ‘no’. Now an education campaign should begin soon!
Why do you have to educate me to accept what my beliefs state are wrong? My mind won’t change. I’m sure I’m not alone either.
Question for you…
Do you believe a gay or lesbian person is
a) Inferior to you as a person
b) Equal to you as a person
or
c) Superior to you as a person?
A
wow, you honestly think someone is an inferior person to uou just because they are Gay or Lesbian?
Ok, so now we know you’re an ignorant bigot. Thanks for the background.
@hmmm, you are mixing water and oil here, let stick with either water or oil , issue is sexuality as we know it to it form of our humanity not humanity (black white, etc or simply our race )
No one is stating that your beliefs are wrong, you can believe what you like. What they are saying is that your beliefs do not matter when they prohibit human rights like this. You do not need to change your mind, but either way it is someone else who cannot live their life with dignity….it doesn’t effect yours.
It’s not about your beliefs. No one wants to change your beliefs. You’re welcome to continue believing whatever you want.
It’s about your personal beliefs being used to deny equal access to rights to Bermudians for no reason. That’s not ok and it needs to stop. We, as a society, shouldn’t be hurting people for no reason.
Ok. Stay ignorant.
wow – there speaks an “open minded” person – unwilling to listen or consider the other side
so what happens now
Now, we keep working towards equality.
Finally a glimmer of hope in Bermuda, the Furbert hate bill and the shameful 21 crusaders might learn something today .
I like that……the Furbert Hate Bill. That’s what it should be referred to as forever.
Or the Furbert Sharia bill. Because that’s the real fight here, to take religion out of politics. Flip Flop is too dumb to see how dangerous his bill was.
Daniels should be kicked out of the Senate for bringing religion into his argument. Quite shameful. You know why he did yon’t you…he is votemongering….you watch him turn up for a PLP seat in the election.
If he does, just remember he was looking after himself in the senate today, not the impact of the bill on the law of Bermuda and the abuse it would have on the HRA.
All these theologians all of a sudden!
Review all of the tapes of his other debates in the house and 5:1 says that God was absent from the text of those ones!
Just like the SSM crowd hasn’t given up neither have the PM crowd.
“I hear the whispers of the fat lady
& The only reason she ain’t singing right now is
God got His hand on the volume baby,
Real patient ain’t He?
But don’t take His kindness for weakness
Cause we livin in the time of divine sweetness
Cause there’ll come a day when He says, ‘Enough meekness!’
And men will scatter to the hills like the horses running the Preakness”
Yeah, but the difference is that we’re fighting for equal rights and fairness, using honesty and reality and the PM crowd are fighting for discrimination and hurting people, using dishonesty and stuff they made up.
Nonsense because the last days as the bible bashers call it have been happening so cr the days of the Renaissance! !!!!
I have just heard the wonderful news, well done Senators who voted No to this aggegious bill. definitely a glimmer of hope, I heard only a portion of Sen Daniels speech, can’t wait to hear the full debate.
SMH. Am I the only one that sees what this is?
For those who dont understand, the bill was blocked. Now that it has went to senate, all the NO votes is basically saying Yes, they want SSM. They are not voting NO to SSM, they are voting NO to the block of SSM.
I just want to clarify that for all the people saying YES its a good move.
um. Most of us get that and think that it’s a good thing to block a bill that puts discrimination supreme to the HRA.
Maybe they actually think voting NO to legalised discrimination IS a good move, and you’re the one who’s confused…
What?
Please provide a reasonable argument for why Yes would be a good move. Leave religion out of it, as we live a democracy, and therefore we have Freedom of Religion, so those churches who wish to marry same sex couples should have equal right to do so as their faith dictates them, just as those churches who don’t believe in it don’t have to.
I actually believe that a lot of voters that did come out to vote on the referendum did so thinking they were voting to stop homosexuality. This whole process will educate folks because we are here we are queer get over it get used to it . GLBT Lives Matter too.
I don’t think that Peter because they have been living with the lgbt community and you haven’ heard a peep from anyone on the issue. When asked to vote on SSM or CU, the no no’s voted against a man being with another man in the same way he would be with a woman and against a woman being with another woman in the same way she would be with a man. The yes yes’s didn’t care either way. That simple….no one was confused on the voting. The people that didn’t show up, had better things to do.
If that’s what they voted for, then they WERE, in fact confused, as Peter said.
They weren’t voting “against a man being with another man in the same way he would be with a woman and against a woman being with another woman in the same way she would be with a man”, they were voting against allowing a couple to get married and share in the same rights and privileges the rest of us have.
Someone can already be with someone of the same sex as them “in the same way he would be with” someone of the opposite sex.
Even if the referendum was valid, that wouldn’t change.
The yes/yes’s voted to allow Bermudians to share equal access to the rights and privileges that marriage conveys.
I think you may be confused about what’s actually going on here, just as you were when, on another thread, you implied that folks could go overseas to get married and then come back to Bermuda and have their marriage recognized.
I’m sure there are many people that would be willing to have a chat with you to clear this up, if you wanted.
No, it’s you this is confused in what I said. It was yes to live here and no to marrying here BX it’s not legal. I said nothing about a marriage being recognized here if they lived here. That’s your warped conclusion
But… huh?
So… they should have to leave here if they want to get married?
They can live here, but only if they have no expectation of sharing in equal access to rights. If they want to get married, they have to leave?
That’s just wrong.
And we know it’s illegal. That’s what we’re trying to change, because it being illegal is unjust and unequal and needs to be fixed.
“They shouldn’t be allowed to get married here “BX it’s not legal”" is not really an argument, is it. You’re literally saying “We shouldn’t change the law because it’s the law.”
Odd that you didn’t address anything else that I said in my post, showing where your thinking is wrong and that, if people voted for what you said, they were, in fact, confused.
I wonder why that is…
does it now go back to the house to sit for another year than become law or what
through all this Bermuda has forgotten god and god is watching over Bermuda
prepare for the wrath of god
Nebulous threats are all you have now?
As you’ve been told repeatedly, your religion is yours and should have no effect on anyone else’s life. At all.
Like those Countries who have recognized SSM ? If anything they have prospered since, so God maybe approved of loving all that he creates.
Maybe the wrath is left for the haters of his work???? Just Saying.
Your first part is right. It delays for probably a year. Your second conclusion is however incorrect.
Nonsense again. The wrath you speak of would have long since meant our destruction.
Bob Marley said it best……heaven is on the earth!
And Sauron! We mustn’t forget the wrath of Sauron. Heathens beware. The fiery eye sees all!
ummmmm – if god is in control – then didn’t god then cause the no vote to succeed?? Or does god only get involved in good stuff?
You’ll be one of the people standing outside the ark when the rain starts LOL
How will this play out? In the next year will the courts have determined a way forward? I hope so as I would hate to see this go through automatically a year from now.
BERMP BERMP #SmashDatBill
LOVE US HINDI KAMI NAHIHILO!!!
Thank you most of the lower house respects Human Rights , the message should ring loudly in those of the Upper house
Thank you
Love your comment, but isn’t the Senate the Upper House?
Wow ! Thank you to those senators that voted to defeat this hateful bill . I can’t tell you how much my faith in this country has recovered after the passage of the bill last week . I myself am a heterosexual man happily married more than 25 years . Just for the record .
Any comment from Wayne FUBAR?
He tried to safe face and his position in the PLP by throwing out race based nonsense.
It is a very good day when reason prevails over mythology. We progress as a society.
Sensible people 6 The bible 5
A very close match!
Furbert Hate Bill. Catchy.
The Senate (well 6 of them) showed why they are the upper house and the hateful 20 should remain in the lower house…or no house of government at all. This is a great result for all Bermudians. Separation of church and state is the right result (sorry Mr Daniels) and this is a glimmer of hope for equal rights for all Bermudians (sorry Furbert and your hate).
Seems Baron is the leader and Dunkley the sidekick. Baron leads, Dunkley abstains.
Two to one,love it,there is still some strong morality left in Bermuda Parliament.win win for Bermuda.Bye bye for Homosexuality.Peace.
You know this does nothing like “goodbye homosexuality”, right?
You lot are so confused about this whole issue, it’s amazing.
NEVER forget the Shameful 21 and the Furbert hate bill when you go to VOTE Ever ,how easily they wanted to cast Our people aside, Equality for ALL Bermudians
We now know who to vote for in the next Parliamentary election. All the O.B.A.Members members Who Voted for Same sex Marriages just killed their parties, chances of ever being in power again.The people spoke at the referendum ,and People Power will stand again.Power to the People.
Again, no. They didn’t. The referendum was not answered. That literally means that the people DIDN’T speak. You are, as per usual, wrong.
And the other party ain’t no bed of roses ,nothing progressive going on there either but I agree the current party needs voted out they should only be allowed one term each .
Meanwhile back in the mainstream…… There has been an announcement that Emojis that are depicting jobs (construction worker, teacher…etc), which have until now been gender specific- construction worker a male emoji, teacher a female- emoji, must now have both a male and female representative in the emoji world. VERY sad when emojis have more rights than some Bermudians!!! (This story was on the CBS morning news this am)
We do still have leaders who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and for what is right. I am so proud that what was witnessed yesterday from our Senators was the understanding that the Human Rights Act is just that! We should never weaken this for the majority, after all it is the minority that needs to be protected. Marshall, Wilkerson, Woolridge, Fahy, Baron, Jardine, you all brought tears to my eyes. You all stood up when so many stood down. I have a respect for you all because I truly believe that if one has the guts to do what is right, when so many do what is wrong, be it out of fear or whatever reasons, you 6 Senators will go down in history as truly, standing for something. And for that, I will always be proud! What a historical moment!
It is amazing how many people are calling others hateful just because they hold a different viewpoint.
Holding a different view isn’t inherently hateful… using it to deny equality under the law to a minority for who they are born as and love is. The LGBT community harms no one in society, same sex marriage has overturned zero social orders, but what is noticeable is that most of those countries that have adopted same sex marriage or equal options are repeated ranked as been some of the best places to live in the world.
How many times does this have to be explained to you?
It’s not about people’s viewpoint. People can believe whatever they want.
It’s about the fact that they seem to think that their viewpoint, their personal choice of religion, should have some sort of effect on someone else’s life.
People can believe that gay people aren’t worthy of equal rights. That’s fine. It’s when they ACT on that and actually stop them from having access to those rights that there’s a problem.
As has been said many, many times before, marriage equality won’t affect your life in any way, unless you are one of the people currently denied equal access to the rights that marriage affords.
Or will it? Can you explain how marriage equality will affect your life? How will it harm you in any way?
On this page, we have someone saying that they think that gay people are inferior to them as a person…
Yet, you remain silent on that.
Why is that?
Marriage is a contract between an eligible man and woman. It must remain between male and female because the primary purpose of marriage is to generated and educate children. Two men or two women cannot conceive a child together. Because marriage pertains to civil society or the state, the Church does not claim authority over unbaptized persons nor does the Church claim jurisdiction over marriages of non-Christians. It is up to the government to regulate marriages with regard to age, health and so forth, provided it does not command something that is contrary to divine law. A human law that mandates something contrary to the law of God cannot be followed by the Church. Marriages between Christians will be governed by the Church and will follow God’s laws. There needs to be separation of Church and state in this decision. The Church should not be mandated to perform SSM because it goes against the divine law; however, if the government wants to allow people of the same sex to have the same privileges as married couples, then a civil union of some sort can be pronounced, giving all the legal privileges of married couples, yet not being called a marriage, since the definition of marriage is between one man and one woman.
Nope. Not true. Procreation is absolutely not a requirement for marriage, nor is the ability to “conceive a child together”.
“It is up to the government to regulate marriages with regard to age, health and so forth, provided it does not command something that is contrary to divine law.” is not actually a thing. “Divine law” is part of your religion and does not and should not have anything to do with the law of the land, when your “divine law” hurts citizens of this country.
An no one is “mandating” the Church to perform same sex marriages. That is a specious argument and needs to stop. Also, the Church doesn’t perform marriages. They perform weddings. There is a huge difference. One is the ceremony where the couple, basically, signs the contract. The other is the contract itself and describes the relationship going forward. The church doesn’t have anything to do with the latter, unless the couple decides to do that.
And, while I thank you for supporting the equal access to rights for our LGBT brothers and sisters, I don’t understand why it can’t be called a marriage. Marriage is not a church thing, it’s a legal thing.
Why not just let them get married? It’s not going to affect the existing, “traditional” marriages in any way?
Why the big deal over the name?
I’m not a Christian and I am married. Why can’t they be? Why does the definition have to stay “between a man and a woman”?