So gays can marry? So what? Why does anyone care? I'm straight and I take it for granted that I can marry who I choose so why would I feel it's okay to deny this right to others just because they choose to marry someone of the same sex?

It's none of my business anyway. Gay people should enjoy the same rights as everyone else. Period. We are a free society and some people may have a religious objection to gay marriage. So be it. Churches do not have to allow gay marriages but denying the right to others because of your beliefs is simply wrong.

Don't like gay marriage? Don't have one.

Because they are terrified of their own little lives. They have to put others down to make themselves feel better. Denying others benefits they think only they should be entitiled to makes them feel somehow better than those 'other' people.

Remember, it was only 30 or 40 years ago that people were finally allowed to marry people of other races. Now that you can have an Asian spouse, or an African American spouse, or a Hispanic spouse... the only thing left for these people to latch onto is to deny the right of people choose the gender of their spouse.

And since there is no reasonable, rational reason why people shouldn't be allowed to marry whomever they choose, these people will claim it's because God told them so.

Polygamy is perfectly fine with God, and strewn throughout the Bible, but somehow is not OK with most Christians...

As far as I'm concerned, that makes using the Bible's advice on marriage a pretty much null and void argument.

I really think that marriage was not designed for Mr.&Mr.,and Ms.&Ms., do you?

marriage was "designed" to join two people who love each other, who are hurting no one, and certainly only bettering themselves together...

it doesn't matter what their name is, or the color of their skin, or their religion, or who their family is. All those things used to matter.

why does this one still matter? Marriage isn't just to procreate. If it was, the world would be over populated and everyone would be fertile and people who chose not to have kids couldn't get married.

Look, in the bible it says gluttony is a sin..overweight people can marry and no one bats an eye...get over it.

I agree that we all make mistakes and we all need forgiveness of our sins, that's a key message in the Bible.

The reason why this matters is that marriage is designed by God to be eternal. We can be together with our families throughout all eternity. Marriage is important because it is part of our eternal destinies. This isn't about me wanting you not to have something, it's about something much bigger.

This is what I believe regarding Families:

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society

Being overweight does not preclude people from being heterosexual.

It really shouldn't matter should it

but alas it does to some ignorant people who think its "preverse" and "unnatural" and "immoral"

So the gays don't get married because they're not allowed. Thats not going to make them not gay. and letting them get married is not going to cause mass choas or world wide starvation or a drop in the economy.

If we are in God's image, then God must be an obnoxius ignoramus at times, no?

it's not going to make them less gay, but it will not reward freakish behavior.

you assume everyone's christian right? i'm sure everyone in this forum believes in God.

Jakery,

With all due respect to your beliefs not everyone believes in the Bible and even fewer people believe in the Mormon version.

I am not a Mormon or a Christian, though I was raised as a Catholic, but I truly believe in the principle of freedom of religion. You have the right to believe whatever you want as long as that right does not infringe on the rights of others.

What this means is that no church should be forced to perform gay marriages or even to recognize them but they cannot deny people of the right to marry outside of the church just because their religion says that it's wrong.

Finally I know that Mormons believe that marriage is eternal but even most Christian religions have the couple pledge to marry until "death do us part." In other words marriage is only something for this world, not the next if there is one.

You can believe what you want to believe. That's your right. That right does not extend to denying freedom to others.

Re: Why does anyone care?
by Undefinable Is What I Am 05/16/2008, "Because they are terrified of their own little lives. They have to put others down to make themselves feel better. Denying others benefits they think only they should be entitiled to makes them feel somehow better than those 'other' people." Same sex marriage is an issue that even fundementalist morons and racist scum can get their limited minds around. The real issues of today take more brain power than they can muster. This allows the Republicans to use them to hold power while they loot the treasury with all the wrong policies.

@ Undefiable is what I am------------ I think I'm dumber now, thanks.

It's silly emotion.

It's the sense of loss, of bitterness at seeing their lives, dreams, and their parents, grandparents lives too, ridiculed and insulted,being crushed politicly and economicly, our government dominated by rich foreigners and run for the benifit of rich foreigners and 'individualist' rich americans, who to enrich themselves further bring about the slow and 'gentle' genocide of the once american population, brushing them aside for new waves of immigrants with no personal or cultural ties or political expectations, who just came for the job anyway, and brought their own culture along.

Societies (plural) need to adapt in some fashion to accomadate to the type of Universal Society demanded by "forces for globalisation", or they will be broken and rearranged anyway.

We are a multi cultural society. Have always been in a way,. But we officially decided that in 1965 with mass immigration, I guess, right?? Everybody is now a immigrant, no Americans, or a American race or civilisation.

That means many different conflicting cultures, with conflicting values. Who is right? They all are. People have freedom of choice, of self determination, are they to be denied their freedom?

Multiple, different societies living side by side, with many different languages, religions, all of equal value, each requiring its own special accomodations.

The government needs to serve all the people here, while not interfering with the different cultures and societies and their internal values and dynamics.

This is going to take time for the societies to evolve. The Jewish example is probably the best model, as they have successfully maintained their separate identity and civilisation while living in as minorities among many different foreign cultures, empires, and civilisations while never integrating. The Chinese, and Gypsy cultures also have a similar record. We are all familar with the Amish, the Hopi, and others?Other societies should study them and adapt themselves to reality, or be washed away by histories tides.