"At least 16 states likely will wrestle with same-sex "marriage" in 2006 as the issue enters its third year at the forefront of national debate since Massachusetts' high court ordered the state to become the first in the country to "marry" homosexual couples," writes Cheryl Wetzstein in her article Gay ‘marriage' battles rage on into third year .

The states that could see marriage amendments on the ballot are Alabama, California, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee — although Tennessee may find a court challenge — while petition drives to include a marriage amendment on the ballot may be likely in Arizona, Florida and Illinois too. Wisconsin and Virginia lawmakers are likely to approve marriage amendments according to Wetzstein.

Finding their way in court over same-sex marriage will likely be California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington as there are lawsuits already pending.

Needless to say, as we approach the third year — and a mid-term election — we can expect the gay marriage debate to heat up considerably as the summer months wind down.

I’m sure the conservative "religious right" already consider themselves the victors for the most part. All they have to do is stir up mid-western and southern folks (both religious and irreligious) by vilifying homosexuals as destroyers of traditional marriage and family values.

Of course, to make gays and lesbians appear as evil as Satan opponents will have to invoke the Bible and use their (mis)interpretation of scriptures to do this.

Unfortunately, liberals are impotent and progressive Christians have no scriptural backbone. And fundamentalists and conservatives know this. Nonetheless, they look forward to the challenge.

It's estimated that approximately 2/3 of U.S. citizens (mostly in the ‘Bible belt') are against gay marriage, regardless of the apparent inequality of denying gays and lesbians marriage rights.

But consider this: how many living in those states would change their point of view on gay marriage if they were to learn the truth regarding homosexuality not being a sin, and therefore understand that "better to marry than burn" applies to all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity? How many could conscionably deny gays and lesbians equal rights if they knew to so was a mortal sin?

You can find this article posted in Gay Marriage , Queer Religion , Social Injustice , News & Views . It was posted on December 26, 2005 by VL Carey . Number of Comments: . Link to this article. Fair Use Statement.

"For years we’ve haggled over things like the meaning of to’evah or what Paul meant by arsenokoites – and along you come with a theory that beats them all and doesn’t require us to go through a bunch of contortions."

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