New bill would separate civil and religious marriage in Minnesota

Can anyone tell me why separating the religious and civil aspects of marriage isn’t obvious? If marriage is just a religious ceremony, then religious organizations can define it how they want, and the government need not tell them how to recognize it any more than the government has a say in communion or confirmation, while everyone is equal under the law.

I like it. This cuts the gordian knot very nicely.

I don’t like the idea of, and don’t understand why the meaning of my marriage should be deminished. Marriage was instituted in the Bible by Jesus. Rleligious meaning can not and should not be changed by the state. Same sex couples should not be allowed to marry under state law. Put it up to the people for a state wide vote if you really want to know how Minnesota citizens feel about it.

Joel –
Did you read this article? The state is not diminishing your religious marriage – simply wanting to, in the eyes of the Minnesota government, allow all couples – regardless of makeup – to enter into a “civil union contract” – you can still “get married” in the eyes of the church. It’s just that legally, everyone will be in a “civil union” not a “marriage” in the eyes of the state. It’s actually a great compromise – giving everyone equal rights/protection, but still letting “marriage” be a church word (or sacrament or whatever you want to call it)

Joel-

1. There was marriage before Jesus. So it follows it’s not an exclusively Christian institution.

2. As a straight hetero-sexual male, my relationships are in no way diminished by same sex relationships. How do they affect you?

3. Discrimination by referendum is no less violent.

Making ALL Unions “CIVIL”…is the ONLY Fair way to do this….and IF a straight cpl wants thier church to MARRY them ..then after they get thier CIVIL Licence they can go to the church of thier choice and get Married. (its simple really) Just as LGBT people,can GET Married after THEY get thier CIVIL union,from a Gay Affirming church….NO ONE IS FORCING ANY CHRUCHES TO MARRY ANYONE! wise up America, its the 21st century!

I think taking the “Marriage Right” away from 90% of the population is politically stupid and has less of a chance of passage than the Freedom to Marry bill which grants it to 10%. If it passes though…GREAT! Progress on this is LONG overdue. The LGBT community will be asking hard questions of its next gubernatorial candidate. One would think they would rather have this accomplished now instead of having to explain the empty promises and proceedural delays used over the past 35 years.

-D

Del Jenkins
Chair, Stonewall DFL

“I … don’t understand why the meaning of my marriage should be deminished.”

When your marriage is not recognized in others states, and when you have your next-door neighbor (who claims to be “Christian”) slandering and slamming your marriage/family, pronouncing it immoral and illegal, and campaigning for its demise… then and only then would you have any understanding of what it means to have the meaning of your marriage diminished.

Joel,

Thank you for the big laugh you gave me today by crediting Jesus with instituting marriage. I love you guys who want to impose your beliefs on others and you can’t even get your own beliefs straight. Reminds me of the Republican Senate candidate in Wisconsin who claimed that the Bible quotes Jesus as saying “If you give someone a fish they eat for a day, if you teach him to fish he eats for life”. Or the ever popular “God helps them that help themselves” that so many “Christians” say is from the Bible, but which is not.

Why can’t republicans and religious wingnuts learn to spell??

“deminished”….sheesh!

What would Jesus do? He’d learn to freakin’ spell correctly!

No one is more bible-illiterate than those who take the bible literally.