Gay Marriage? No!

I don't believe in Gay marriage. Marriage is defined by the Church as being a sacrament, between a man and a woman. Two people of the same gender cannot marry sacramentally.

That said, I do not believe that people married in a sacramental marriage should be afforded any special civil rights. Marriage is a religious institution and should not have any standing in secular society. What I believe is that there should be secular civil unions, open to anyone regardless of gender, that affords rights to property ownership and transference, income tax filing status, etc. If two people want these rights, there should be a mechanism for filing a civil union contract that would bestow these rights upon them. Religious status should have nothing to do with this civil union.

Then the churches can decide who does and does not qualify for a marriage according to the teachings of the churches without government interference. If a couple get married in the Church, they are then free to file for a civil union to receive the secular benefits of a union.

Look at it this way. We don't receive any special secular benefits from Baptism. We aren't allowed to vote because we've received Confirmation. We certainly aren't excused from secular crimes because we've received absolution from Confession. Why then should we expect preferential treatment by secular authorities because we've undergone the Sacrament of Marriage? Let the secular government decide what's necessary for a civil union, and let the Church, as its right, decide what's necessary for a valid sacramental Marriage.