MasterP said:
Lemm said:
I really think that the government messed up by defining a marriage. That is a religious term. I think if they defined a mate, committed relationship or some other term other than marriage the whole same-sex marriage problem would go away and a lot less people would complain.
They’d still find some reason to complain, people like that always do. For example, in states where same-sex marriages are allowed, many churches have been threatened to have their tax-exempt status revoked if they didn’t perform the ceremonies. This is essentially suing someone because they don’t believe the way you do and sadly they often win.
If the state mandates that something is no longer a religious-oriented ceremony then they shouldn’t then be allowed to demand that it be performed in a church under penalty of massive fines.
You’re exactly right. The state has no authority to punish a church with taxes for its beliefs. I haven’t heard of that before, but I’m surprised those states haven’t been sued over it.