Originally posted by Enosekel
If certain religions, or sects of religions, want to declare that their religion won't recognize gay marriages, who cares?
Exactly.

There are two levels of marriage basically. There's the legal part and the religious part. A great number of marriages between a man and a woman don't qualify as "official" marriages within the religious part, so why should between same genders be any different. Legally, why restrain it? A gay marraige should be allowed in the eyes of the law, in the eyes of whatever religions have no constraints against it, etc. Who cares? Laws are made by man.

Now, if a gay marriage within, say, the Catholic church, was desired - that's a different thing, as that touches on people's beliefs in what Kianier said. A marriage within the church according to their catechism would be considered wrong... and so are plenty other things. Just like a divorcee from a non annulled marriage cannot get married within the Catholic church - i see it as no different. Those are the laws of the church as handed down by the catechism, and to their beliefs, God. Let each religion keep their beliefs - if a religion believes Bob and julie can't get married within the church because Julie has blue eyes and Bob has brown, then Julie and Bob can still get married legally (and quite likely within another religion)