How can homosexual get equal rights without infringing on the rights of religious people?

Question

I ask the question in all sincerity. I want to hear serious answers, not bashing. I pose the question myself, but also will answer it my own way. Feel free to answer with your own opinion. (Try not to spew hate, just express yourself without resorting to name-calling)

Some Christians think that in order for gay people to get equal rights under the law, it is infringing upon their religious beliefs. I don't think this is the case. I think that a person's faith and the law of the land don't have to go hand in hand.

I don't believe in the same God as Pat Robertson or Fred Phelps. I'm willing to suffer hearing their comments so they have the freedom to express their beliefs though, because I believe so strongly in our freedoms in America. I don't want to silence them. I want them to speak. I want them to have free speech rights. I just think Christians can have their beliefs without making them national laws. Minorities need laws to protect them agains the majority.

I know it should be "homosexuals", I just can't go back and change it.

I think the BIG problem here is exactly what MikeSpike said: "Sodomy is a disease...u need help."

I think some Christians simply believe that homosexuality is on the same level as murdering, pedophilia, rape, and beastiality. Therefore, they see it as giving equal rights to criminals, not just ordinary citizens.

I don't want to change their beliefs. If that is what they believe, then that is absolutely their perogative. However, I think that human rights should not be delegated by who you sleep with in the bedroom. They may believe it is a crime against God, but it doesn't actually *hurt* anyone else. It's two consenting adults.

That's why I think separating the "religious" from the "religious right" is so important. National law should not be created based on religious beliefs. To try to amend the constitution to include a single religious belief is as un-American as anything I've ever seen. It goes against everything the forefathers of this country tried to build.

Don H - I stated "some Christians" for your exact point. I know and love many Christians who are absolutely wonderful people and some of my best friends. I try to never use the general "Christians" or "all Christians". :)

I don't speak for all gays, but the majority of the Gays that I know (myself included), don't want to get married. We don't want to get married, we want a civil union. We just don't want the constitution amended to take away a groups' rights. That is just the first step down the road to taking away more rights.

Give homosexuals a chance to legally unify under the law, and I thinkt he Gay Marriage issue will subside very quickly afterwards.

Answer 1

Alrighty, let me take this question out for a spin...

The problem with gay marriage as I see it is that we have not determined, as a society, whether marriage is solely a religious institution or solely a legal institution. The reasons are, I think, pretty clear; it's both, unless you don't want it to be. Going back historically doesn't actually help much as marriage was originally a co-invention of both church and state.

Some people getting married is almost purely a religious experience and registering their marriage, to them, is simply to inform society that they are now married. For others, marriage is purely a legal process and they have changed their vows to remove any reference to a 'god' at all.

If marriage is a religious institution, then the religious people should have the final say on who is allowed to get married or not. If marriage is a legal institution, then the law should make the final call. Because it is both, we have a problem. You have the same problem in feminism today. Define feminism. Troublesome isn't it? The powers that be in that movement have allowed everyone and anyone to form whatever definition they like in order to serve their cause better. Same with marriage - society has pretty much let everyone form their own interpretation of marriage because a married society was better than one in which single parents were raising children everywhere. Yes, yes, I know we have that anyway - but to restrict marriage in any way is only going to exacerbate that problem.
Since gays can't breed, this rather limits the whole 'societal fiscal responsibility for a child born out of wedlock' problem. So now society wants to take it's head out of the sand and take a look at defining marriage.

Answer 2

You're right, this issue is important. Kerry lost the election on this issue alone.
I am a Christian. I believe like other Christians that homosexuality is a sin. Yet, so is sex outside of marriage, etc. Most true Christians know not to cast the first stone. What this means is tht we should not condemn you even if we believe sodomy is a sin. God is the only one that can condemn or redeem you. That being said, gays should not seek to be legally married. Marriage is an institution established by God between a man and a woman. It is the cornerstone of society.
I have to agree with dragondoug, call your living arrangements something else. Have a living will set up or something, but don't call it a marriage. Live your life and don't try to influence or change mine by changing the laws of the land. I think that's why Christians pushed back at the elections.
Please don't compare gays to minorities. That really irks me. Homosexuality is a choice, race or gender is not. Take responsibility for your choice. If you were born that way, God would not call it a sin.
Most Christians want to live in peace. Christ commands us to. Just don't try to change my way of life. Don't try to teach gay sex something normal to my children. Medically and physically it's not.
Live your life in peace.
**As far as changing the laws to accomdate "two consenting adults", what about three consenting adults? What about a woman and her pet? Where do you stop? Please look at the troubles in Amsterdam. They have allowed same sex marriages and now have a political group lobbying for legal pedophilia (btw,not the same as gays). The first step down the road is what we don't want. Please!

Answer 3

I don't think homosexuality infringes on any particular religious groups' RIGHTS; it infringes on their BELIEFS, which are two very separate concepts. The law is required to defend rights, not beliefs. The rights of the minorities should be the same as the rights of the majorities, in the grander scale of human rights, which should be protected by the law, regardless of gender, race, religion and/or sexual preferences.
If this was the case, no religions would be able to exist since, in some way or another, they would infringe on the beliefs of a certain group. E.g.: Banning Judaism because it infringes the beliefs of Christianity (or viceversa).

Answer 4

No infringement? Are you kidding?
You don't want religion crammed down your throat and yet that is what's happening with the Gay Agenda.

What about the GLBT Youth Centers, and their ties to GSAs that expose impressionable pre-teens to the homosexual lifestyle.

What about NEA's promotion of homosexual and, "other diverse" types of marriage in the public school system.

What about the libraries and schools throughout the country that observe their "Banned Book Week" where "selection committees" purge conservative or serious Christian material replacing it with left-wing porn. This year, the American Library Association is making a special to-do about the "dangers" of objections to "gay-themed books" especially those for youth.

Schools allow observance of October “Coming Out” day, April “Day of Silence,” homosexual-themed films, a special assembly, and the distribution of posters/flyers. Try distributing Bibles and see what happens.

We may no longer have a choice in being exposed to it's promotion but it will never be right or accepted. It is wrong. It will always be wrong. Not my words but God's. Romans 1:22-32

Soon, expressing this opinion may be considered a "hate crime" ?
I don't hate the sinner. I hate the sin.

The US is in serious moral decline and will pay dearly for it.

Answer 5

First of all, we all have the right to believe any religion that we want, but we don't have the right to coerce others in to believing what we do. So there is no law that infringes on our religious beliefs (like gay marriage, abortion, drinking alcohol, the right to have premarital sex, etc.) unless that law forbids people to believe the way they do.

Some Christians say that gays shouldn't have sex without marriage, but then they say that they can't get married. It is a Catch 22. My step-daughter is legally married in Canada to another woman, and they have a one year old girl now through artificial insemination. They haven't infringed on anyone beliefs.
If people want to believe that gay marriage is wrong, they can still believe it. Some religions believe you shouldn't eat pork, or drink caffiene, or dance. Just because I choose to do all three, doesn't infringe on their religious beliefs.

Answer 6

Equality doesn't infringe on anyone's rights. Christ didn't say love God and persecute your neighbor until they give in. Pat Robertson is a moron! Were not supposed to try and take over governments, were supposed to be an example of God's love, while praying that God will change the hearts of many (actually all) so that our society can advance itself in becoming more moral and obedient to God.
I heard a stat the other day 60% of Christian men (US stat but probably true everywhere) have an addiction to porn. That is just as sexually immoral as homosexuallity.

Answer 7

How? By Christians realizing that all have sinned and fallen short of the Grace of God. Homosexuality is a sin. So is being fat, swearing, cheating, lying and many other things.

Man's law and God's law should dovetail, but often do not.

I have no problem with gays receiving equal treatment under man's law. God will judge, not me.

I do have major problems with man picking and choosing which of God's laws to put into force in man's law. Gays are one example. If we intend to make one of God's law a man's law, we should do it across the board. Make everything which is a sin in the Bible and does not bring malicious harm to another illegal or leave it all alone.

But on the issue of gays, as long as they continue to insist it is an acceptable lifestyle, I will insist it is not, just as I insist that anything sinful is not an acceptable lifestyle when someone says it is.

Answer 8

I think that they should be allowed to marry if they want to. But, to me it would make more sense to invent another "marriage" catagory specifically for them, like "life partners" so that they can have legal certification and legal recourse with eachother like a typical married couple would. But called life partnership instead, so people will know the difference instantly on paper, if need be.
And, as far as religious people getting offended, oh well, they need to learn that America is the land of tolerance, where anything is acceptable as long as it doesn't hurt anyone or expose children to indecent behavior. If America is getting to racey for you, move to a country that doesn't allow such freedoms. You'll be back, if they let you. Calm down and live your life how you want, and let everyone else do the same. Who died and made them sex-police, or relationship-regulators? nobody

Answer 9

I don't think it's possible to divide things between law and belief; our laws come from things that we believe.
We believe that no one should be allowed to kill another, thus we have laws in place against that act. My state still has a law against sodomy- so then homosexuals are breaking the law. Many of our present-day laws came from the Bible and from the God-fearing people who believed it a long time ago. You just can't separate the two.

Answer 10

Very simply, homosexuals having equal rights does NOT infringe on the rights of religious people. As soon as we all realize that, the better everything will be. Give them time, they will eventually try to outlaw even the simplest things, based on religious intolerance. Which is funny, because I am sure being such a stick in the mud really helps them to attract more people to their cause.