If one religion says something is right and one religion says it is wrong, then whose religion wins?

Question

Gay marriage is completly accepted and embraced in my faith. But not in others. I live in America with "freedom of religion" so why can't people in my church be legally married if other churches can?

Ah I agree that it is church doctrine. But lately it seems to be a debate in the law. You all are contridicting yourself. It's about whats "right and moral" but that is YOUR faith, not everyone's.

Newsflash! Christian Churches aren't the only churches out there!

Answer 1

I think I need to remind a few people who have answered this question of something very important:

The Constitution of the United States of America
Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

By making a law that prohibits something due to religious reasons, it is violating the first amendment. It has nothing to do with who is right and who is wrong, and it has nothing to do with what anyone's religion says is right or wrong. The constitution says that the government cannot make any law in regards to religion, and that includes prohibiting something because a religion says so. Making a law to ban gay and lesbian marriage, because a particular religion says that being homosexual is against their religion. When we start limiting the rights of people because one religion or another says so, we ALL loose. Personally, regardless of what any religion or law says, my religion says that there is nothing wrong with gay marriage, and I will marry and sign a marriage liscense of ANYONE who comes to me to get married, regardless of what sex the two people are.

Americans need to start realising that if we create laws that limit the freedoms of the people in this country, especially the freedom of religion, then this country is in serious jeapordy. Some might agree with it right now, because their religion says that this particular thing is wrong, and the law has banned it because your religion does not agree with it, but what will you do when the law bans something that your religion believes to be right? What will happen when the religious freedoms of ALL Americans come into jeapordy because we started making laws based on the religious beliefs of certain ones? We all loose!

Just as a note, this rant was in no way towards you, Daughter of Isis, but rather towards some of the people who also answered your question.

Answer 2

Short answer is I think neither side wins when people stop acknowledging people have the right to different faith based beliefs.

This is an example of religious discrimination. If one church has beliefs that prohibit it than they should not have to marry gay people of course. Not everyone is this country is a conservative Christian (I know its shocking and awful). This country is supposed to have religious freedom for people of diverse beliefs. It is wrong for one group's beliefs to deny the rights of a different when it would not obstruct their own rights to live as the wish. Add to this that marriage can be completely secular and occur with no church or religious ceremony at all. I got married on a beach by a notary in a secular ceremony and I am legally married. So why can't gay people get married since marriage can occur completely outside a religious construct?

Answer 3

Unfortunately, it is because we don't follow the "separation of church and state" amendment here. However, many right-wingers will claim other wise. Personally I am extremely pro gay-marriage so this upsets me. The religion with the highest population is the one which doesn't allow gay marriage which happens to be the one President Bush supports the most.

Answer 4

You do know that the Pagan religions were even more misogynistic than the monotheistic religions that survive today.

I'm very interested to hear about your beliefs, you don't meet much Pagans around nowadays.

To get back to your question, the battle of religious ideas operate in much the same way as secular ideas, accept you could say that group dynamics are more vivid and partisan in the case of religiously supported ideas.

Answer 5

Depends on your point of view. Most of the time, it's the bigger religion with the most followers that win in a democratic society such as ours. That doesn't make them right, it just means that the stupid people out-number the smart people, as is usually the case.

Oh my non-existent god, did Steve-b actually say something intelligent, instead of something biblical? Did I just agree with him? Is this a sign? A sign that some christians can actually have rational thoughts? Oh, just read one of his last answers... this is an anomaly. He's just as insane as before.

Answer 6

Now isn't this the problem! People forget what 'religion' is supposed to be about; your personal relationship with your Living Presence. Period. If everyone were as busy with this PERSONAL relastionship as they are splattering their ideas of it around, smearing it upon others, fighting over whose is right or wrong, etc., etc., etc., then there would be no conflicts whatsoever! Making your 'religion' more important than your 'relationship' is far off the tract, wouldn't you say?
My analogy : Rats are put in a maze to get the cheese at the end of it. Sole purpose for being in maze.Humans are in maze to get to their Living Presence (connect with it), or for Atheist - to get that cheese that taste like there is no chesse (yummy too) - Instead of racing in and out of right and wrong corriders, on purpose to get that cheese!, they stand at a crossroad arguing about which way is the right way, "This is the right way! No, it's that way. I'm sure it's this way. No, you're wrong and that way leads to hell! Blah blah blah blah." The rats who do not engage in this useless arguement fumbles their way in and out of right and wrong corridors until it gets to the cheese. Would you rather be right? Or would you rather get the cheese ( or 'Chessus Chrisps')? And then there are those rats who try to kill others who go it on their own, own way, own ideas, own courage. Their intense about the right wrong game. And I love to splatter and smear this in their face. Payback's a beah. I just can't help myself!!!
Blessed Be
I respect all religions, everything IS right, but.........got no respect for the tyranny of forcing it upon another!!!!
I don't hear us Pagans forcefully smearing our Goddess upon another with the threat of damnation to a hell ( burning, torture, imprisionment, starvation, etc,). Yikes!

Answer 7

I am italian and I am catholic and I know that catholic church have its law (indipendent and free) like every state or nation same as other religions in the world. Catholic people want to follow that law while for other people is optional.

Answer 8

The majority rules. All people have equal rights and those equal rights say nothing about marriage, so then, a law is put into place, quite simple really. The majority does not want gay marriages so the majority rules.

And, again, as to your last question, when your views are held by the majority of the people, then you get your way.

Answer 9

Your question is a fair and valid one, it really is. Even more than that, your question goes to the very heart and soul of what is wrong with so-called "religion" today:

Its NOT THE CHURCH LEADERS who are
to be saying anything, and its not the Church leaders who the people are to be listening to. The Church does not belong to you as a parish member; it does not belong to them - ITS GODS HOUSE. What man has to say means squat; whats important is what does God have to say about it?

If a Church decides to kill people on Sunday afternoons, does that mean its now religious to do it? If another Church steals
from people, should your Church now be expected to follow suit and do the same thing? Of course not. Why? Because its not their House, its not their set of rules, its not their "words" you should be listening to.
If you are gonna go to the ski slopes, by all means listen to the ski instructor.
When you go to Gods House, LISTEN TO GOD; thats what you are there for.
Freedom of Religion in this Country means that if you want to change Church systems and join a different one, you are free to do so. But you are missing the point here.
The Church is where you go because you are interested in what God has to tell you.
It sounds like you belong to just one more of the thousands and thousands of churches in this Nation who are what God calls a "Beth Aven". That means "House of Nothing", and God says He's not there anyway. You may as well go to a good baseball game - you'll get as much out of it as you would either of the churches you've mentioned. If its mans nonsense you want your ears tickled with, heck, you can even get that in your local tavern.

"religions" have no say in what is accepted by God and what is not. In fact, if you want to know a bit more about what God has to say about them, he says on the day of Christs return, he plans to visit those pulpits FIRST and that judgment will start THERE.
He plans to take the center support beam of the building and crash it right down on the heads of the congregation who is satisfied with listening to this man or that man; whichever man tells you what it is you want to hear. You want to belong to a church who has a man there who will tell you what is soothing to your ears; what it is you want to hear. I'm sure you can find plenty to do just that for you, but quite frankly it would be better for you to tie a cement block to your foot and jump into the ocean. If you don't care about Gods Word,
what difference does it make what church you attend or where you go to hear nonsense? Go anywhere; go nowhere.

Answer 10

neither one wins. They continue to argue about it and never agree, and it doesn't matter because we all die and go back to the Earth, and She thinks it is pretty silly that we all waste so much of our limited time here arguing about stuff when we should all live and let live and just not hurt each other.