Utah Rep. Pushing For Religious Exemption To Gay Marriage

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

CAITLIN MACNEAL – JANUARY 2, 2014, 11:22 AM EST

A Republican lawmaker in Utah introduced a state constitutional amendment in December that would exempt religious institutions from performing same-sex marriages even if the state is required to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, and he hopes that a court ruling against the state's same-sex marriage ban will help push his amendment through the legislature, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

"The truth is, the main reason I'm proposing this is that I just want people to relax," Rep. Jacob Anderegg (R) told the Tribune in an interview published Monday. "If they know they have their federal religious guarantees in writing, I hope they will just relax."

Anderegg said that while he has had the legislation drafted for about a year, he thinks that the timing for his constitutional amendment may be in his favor right now.

:::snip:::

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/utah-same-sex-marriage-constitutional-amendment-religious-exemption

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[PSPS]

1. I'm not aware that any religious organization is required to perform gay marriages.

Marriage, after all, is a secular contract. It isn't a religious rite.

[skepticscott]

9. They aren't...this is just more fucking religious victimology.

He knows that by introducing this amendment, lots of his brain-dead fundy sycophants will believe that someone MUST be forcing churches to marry same-sex couples, because otherwise, why would the amendment be needed??

Also left unanswered is the question of why any non-dysfunctional same-sex couple would want to get married in a church that thought they shouldn't be allowed to get married at all.

[marble falls]

2. What a useless amendment. As if a gay couple would try to get the LDS to officiate their wedding.

[KansDem]

3. Fine! I'm for a Constitutional amendment that exempts Americans from paying tax...

...to fight holy wars! No more trillion$ for the MIC!



So, America out of the mid-East...NOW!!! If the Holy Rollers want to fight Islam, they they can do it themselves without American taxes. So grab your Bibles and get your asses over there!

I'm sick of this shit!

[Humanist_Activist]

4. This is a smokescreen or the guy is extremely stupid, religious institutions, churches and etc.

are considered a type of private club, hence exempt from civil rights provision and equality provisions.

[DonViejo]

5. I'm betting he's extremely stupid and doesn't know jack shit about

how government works.

[yuiyoshida]

12. Add me to that bet...

I want in on easy money!

[Bryce Butler]

6. From page 49 (of 53) of Judge Robert J. Shelby's ruling:

"Although the State did not directly present an argument based on religious freedom, the
court notes that its decision does not mandate any change for religious institutions, which may continue to express their own moral viewpoints and define their own traditions about marriage. If anything, the recognition of same-sex marriage expands religious freedom because some churches that have congregations in Utah desire to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies but are currently unable to do so."

[theHandpuppet]

7. Excellent rebuttal to ignorance

" If anything, the recognition of same-sex marriage expands religious freedom because some churches that have congregations in Utah desire to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies but are currently unable to do so."

[broadcaster75201]

8. Quite frankly, I applaud his reasoning

You don't get much more Liberal than I, and I've had it with these TeaBagging, knuckle-dragging, bigots ... but he is doing this to get those same people to back off, even just a little. Read what he said. Will they, probably not, but it can't hurt.

To that extent, I like this move even though it is redundant.

[Bradical79]

11. Yeah

The way he worded his reasoning, that he just wants people to relax, makes me think that he's just tired of idiots calling him over this issue thinking they'll be forced to perform gay weddings.

[weissmam]

10. kind of a waste ofd time, isn't that like demading that a catholic priest perform a jewsih wedding

Duh!