Angela Bacca

Nearly 2 weeks after the state of California approved same-sex marriages, a new poll has been released today saying that for the first time in the state’s history the majority of Californians approve of same-sex marriage.

Message boards online are cluttered with babble about God and what He wants, or would want.

“There are serious scriptural problems with “gay” marriage…I am surprised that God has not destroyed America over the murder of 40 million baby’s..do we really want to give Him reason to send His Son back to destroy the earth by giving rights to “gays” that God never intended?” – Cindi LaFontaine, www.washingtonpost.com

( I left the mispellings and incorrect grammar in that on purpose)  

This is frightening to me on many levels. First of all, one of the greatest things about America is our foundation on the ideals of the Enlightenment, perhaps the most revolutionary of those being a separation of church and state.

It is unconstitutional to deny same-sex marriages. Whether or not gays and lesbians should have the right to marry is an issue of both moral and legal relevance. As far as legalities go, it is a tax issue and a family issue. There is no reason the government should discriminate these basic rights of marriage to anyone. A piece of paper stating the legality of this marriage closes tax loopholes, and allows for privelages only appropriate that a partner to have.

The moral question of the rights of gay couples should be handled where all moral issues are handled- IN A CHURCH. Our separation of church and state implicitly imposes the rights of a church to deny same sex marriage and implicitly denies the church from having say in the legalities of the matter.

Why is this an issue? Shouldn’t the devout be morally opposed to the killing of innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan at the hands of our government? The Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religions ALL state that killing is wrong.

When are the extremely right-winged religious voters going to stop picking what they want out of the Bible and start understanding that it is inappropriate to infiltrate the government in His name. No one here has a direct communication with God, and he is not going to come down and create Armageddon because people like to have sex with the people who have the same genitalia.

Two weeks ago, Castro Street in San Francisco was flooded by gay and straight people alike, all with the same look of sheer joy in their faces. It was a validation of people, not a victory for the left wing. This is not about politics, it is about people, about families, and not about a God.

As a 15 year Catholic school student, I can say that I have read the Bible many, many times. I am not religious but I do have a favorite passage in the New Testament; 

 Matthew 7:3-5

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.