Dear Abby - You're Nuts

I see Abby has finally weighed in on the issue of gay marriage. She has no problem with it. While she is entitled to her opinion, her opinion is wrong, and here is why. First, let me state unequivically that I strongly believe all persons - gay or otherwise - are entitled to all the same rights and protections offered by law. But marriage is not a right - it is a RITE. In fact, marriage is a rite founded in religion and supposedly endorsed by God and is a sanctified union between a man and a woman. It is only in recent times that the state got involved by requiring a license. The purpose for the involvement of the state was purely health related - by licensing marriage, they could require a physical exam to insure that venereal diseases would not be spread, and that the participants were of legal age. The licensing does not change the simple fact that marriage is a religious rite, and not a Constitutional right. Religions around the world all agree that homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God, which means a "marriage" between them would also be an abomination, and therefore cannot be sanctioned. Yes, I believe that God loves us all - even gays. But just because God loves the sinner does not mean He approves of the sin. He does not. Therefore, gays should be allowed to enter into a legal bond (civil unions), sanctioned by the state but not God. They should be entitled to all the same legal rights and protections as married people. But they must not marry, as marriage is still, first and foremost, a religious rite in the eyes of God. Frankly, I believe that all couples who wish to legally unite should enter into a civil union, and not a marriage. And then, if they choose to do so, and if their union is not an abomination in the eyes of God, they may then choose also to enter into marriage - a union blessed by God, and not just the state. The reason? Because not all heterosexual couplings should be blessed by the church, either. Take the case of people who are atheists. Obviously, atheists neither want, nor can they expect to receive the blessing of God. So, for atheists, marriage can be nothing more than a sham. For them, the solution is a civil union, bestowing upon them the same legal rights as marriage, without the religious aspect or connotation. Let's stop the rhetoric, the spin, the lies and the deception. Marriage is a religious rite, period. While licensed by the state, it is not a state function, nor a state purpose. We should grow up, and realize that the legal bonding of a couple is separate and distinct from a marriage in the eyes of God. We should keep them separate. So this begs the question: why are the ACLU and other liberals on the wrong side of this? Those are the very same people who insist there should be a wall of separation between church and state. But on this issue, they are willing to ignore that wall, and combine church and state. Seems to me that they really do not care about the Constitution except when it helps them push their agenda. But they ignore it when it hinders their agenda. There is a word for that - hypocrisy.