When there HAVE been those abuses, Marcos, THEN lodge a complaint. But not before any such thing has happened. There have been NO court martials, no discharges on the basis of being Christian. What dg is describing is typical behavior of some Christians, NOT the other way around. Barber is speaking in WILD conjecture, NO basis in facts or evidence. "The potential for abuses in the other direction" is extremely rare. Atheists only act when believers pull exactly what dg's co did. Christians pull rank all the time. Invoking 'God will punish you if you don't obey' routine to complete strangers, and demand accommodation in everything. Public schools are still the battleground for MANDATORY prayer and religious monuments. Well, why? Believers have any number of venues in which to pray, congregate on private or church property, or to quietly do so in public parks even. But when you start carrying signs, screaming at people, scaring their children or demanding your tacky and obnoxious monuments be anywhere you want, it's CHRISTIANS who offend. Atheists do NONE of that. They don't say Christians can't pray, just don't force others to engage in it, or your monuments in spaces that aren't necessary for you to. Atheists have no reason to make YOU NOT believe in God or Jesus. THEY just don't want to. You can tell how easily a Christian will take offense when someone doesn't believe, whether they've said there is no God or not.

They are established whether the couple has a child or not. And gay adults are raising thousands and thousands of children too. What about THOSE children? Shouldn't THEIR security through marriage be a fact of life too? This is where you contradict the phony concern for children. All children being raised lovingly and responsibly don't matter if their parents are gay. Those children don't deserve to have the security and stability that marriage brings. So why SOME children and not ALL the children whose parents WANT to be married? Well? You have no restraint of an opinion. I'm waiting for an intelligent and legally established reason for denying couples to marry because they don't have children, or the children you think they shouldn't be raising.

Apparently, gender IS a matter of morality in religious communities. Females being worthy of inferior social status, violence and subjugation. And males and females that don't adhere to the narrow and rigid standards of gender that's ARTIFICIALLY defined and enforced, are horribly punished for it. Even though gender is a neutral aspect of morality. As is sexual orientation too. Getting moral cues from a brutal, primitive and violent culture that stoned women to death for minor or imagined offensive apparently is more respected than the social justice we have now. But that's only because the people who want to think that way, feel assured no stones will come at THEIR heads.

That is one of the more patently dumb statements that can be made. No amount of bigotry against a person that restricts their ability to be fully realized, productive citizens even though they still are participating on all the responsibilities as such, would ever be right. Deciding another person is inferior on the basis of a single distinguishable feature that doesn't render them dangerous or incompetent is wrong. And such thinking becoming civil law is something you should have learned about of recent history as a serious negative on society.

First of all, no one cares if YOU affirm homosexuality or not. It's not a lifestyle. It's a sexual orientation. And everyone has one. And there isn't any reason to not accept it as such and only that. Nobody SHOULD care about what YOU think when it is ignorant and lacking in facts. What does require affirmation, is that gay citizens are responsible, law abiding, and productive. When they commit to another person and especially the children they are raising together, THAT is what the gov't and society would applaud. It's punishing gay people for accomplishing the same things that het people are supported in that's not right. The plumbing isn't what matters because anyone can lose function or their reproductive organs. It's the heart and soul and potential for self reliance and contributions in other aspects that should as well. If not more.

45 cal: do you realize what you just wrote? Do you? Especially the last paragraph. You're not forced to change the laws of your religion at all in ways not already accepted in this country. Because your religion isn't required or enforced, EVEN BY YOU let alone the gov't. You have NO divine rights whatsoever. Your defense of your position is not only legally and Constitutionally inaccurate, it's without merit to force gay people to adhere to YOUR beliefs because most specifically NO OTHER CITIZENS are required to either. Gay people are universal to ALL human life and history. A stable and constant part of all human cultures without exception. Unique only be gender based factors. Your religious belief about them, is irrelevant to the fact that gay people are still law abiding, responsible and productive citizens.Your religion can't have any influence on denying gay people that ability or protection from religious abuse. The same way women must be protected and Jews. Any other group that's endured a legacy of brutal enforcement for what they are, that has nothing to do with their functions and obligations, public or private. Gay people need to be married to meet their responsibilities the same way they are compelled to participate in the general welfare of the nation, the nation has to recognize the rights and freedoms that go with them. YOU are not forced to do anything you don't already do. Respect the privacy of others and THEIR rights, who don't share your beliefs, nor can be compelled to.

He doesn't have to trivialize them, the arguments against marriage equality are already INDEFENSIBLE. Why do gays want a legal marriage? Because they have responsibilities to each other as committed couples and parents. THAT'S why. In a crisis, they will be enabled to maximize that responsibility for their family. They have a right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and take care of who they choose to, or must. THAT is not a PROBLEM, only someone with a fat sense of entitlement would think it is. So, it's your imaginary problem that doesn't deserve any accommodation from the gov't. YOU don't EVER have to accept that. But the gov't does.

No argument from me that there might be a God. However, the God I believe in created immense diversity and a treasure of many things for us to discover, enjoy, create, invent and participate in collectively. We are all unique, and all different. God, didn't want to be bored with us, or us bored with each other. However the God of some other people's invention is wrathful control freak, and an instrument of violence, revenge, retribution for sometimes petty and misunderstood offenses. Even though, the only people entitling themselves to judging and punishing other human beings, are mere mortals themselves. Kind of takes the joy out of trying to be at peace with God, with all these busy body violent ninnies interfering all the time. One thing is for sure, not a one of us, is God, nor is in any place to speak for God and do anything in God's stead. Only treating another as you'd be treated has been a bedrock and most important way of getting to the heart of what ETHICALLY matters among us flawed human beings. When you don't do that, and think you know the truth already, you're not open to learning what actually might be what you need to know. It's been using fear, ignorance and threat of violence, and the exploitation of all of the above is employed more often instead. Believers have done it and still do. Only barbaric people lacking in emotional and mental intelligence DO foment fear and ignorance to reach their goal. When believers break that kind of trust, they are in no place to keep demanding they deserve it.

And nobody excels at self righteousness and victim hood like some Christians who think they are smarter and better than other mortal human beings and think they know God and God's intentions for the way others deserve to and should live their lives. They are our always present busy bodies.

The concept of marriage came from tribes and clans requiring IDENTITY. Hence the requirement for virgin marriages to assure correct lineage and property disbursement with the expansion of that clan. Consent, was hardly a part of it least of all. Don't confuse MATING with marriage. Mating doesn't require marriage to produce babies and vice versa. However, having a family to claim you is MORE important to assure your survival AFTER you're born. Marriage has changed to be more egalitarian, especially when it comes to inclusion, consent and autonomy in gender. For you to mention animals, gives your attitude about gay people away as if they are no more moral or responsible than animals. A myth formed around blacks too, in order to keep THEM from marrying and being in mixed relationships. That is how when comparing YOUR defense to that of discrimination in the past, that is why your comments CAN be compared to that of bigots. And the defenses that gay people have, can be compared to enlightened and ethical people who supported SOCIAL JUSTICE. It's legal for gays to adopt in 48 states. And each state is overwhelmed with abandoned, neglected and abused children that the gay adults didn't produce, but are employed to take care of anyway. Better these are married parents to ensure the safety and survival of these children who'd otherwise have no one. Not even the man who wrote this article has adopted to cared to look after a child that is a ward of the state.

Keep telling yourself that anderson. And what EVIDENCE do you have of 'thousands of former homosexuals?' And in what purpose does it matter if someone is heterosexual? Being hetero is no indicator of character, morals or any other social competency. So being hetero isn't important at all. It's not an ACCOMPLISHMENT, it's a sexual orientation. Homosexuality isn't a species killer, barbaric violent behavior, and egomaniacal behavior is. You couldn't care less about the 'species', but only those who fit into your narrow definition of your tribe. Gay men and women offer mankind a level of compassion, civility, courage and other talents that civilizations need too. Making babies is something even ANIMALS can do. It's enlightened people that look for the potential in EVERYONE regardless their gender or expression of it. The enlightened enable talent, they don't restrict on the basis of anything superficial. And the enlightened don't exploit fear and ignorance. But then, you're not THAT enlightened, and you rely a LOT on fear and ignorance to make the outrageous CLAIMS you make. And exploiting fear and ignorance is ALWAYS the sign of bad intent. Sorry pal, your references have little basis if FACT, but a lot in ignorance. And are well established in the supremacist diatribe.