I was getting my haircut today at my regular barber – all the barbers are black (or African-American if you have to) and the conversation moved to President Obama’s stance on gay marriage. Another one of the customers (also black) said it shouldn’t matter what people do in their bedrooms, if they love one another that should be all that matters. One of the barbers said that there was a black preacher from SC on TV and he said it should be up to the states to decide. There was a lot of head nodding at that…

But it can’t be up to the states to decide – that’s simply ridiculous. Loving gay couples will be discriminated against in different states, the Federal government wouldn’t bestow partner benefits to survivors, taxes couldn’t be filed together… these are some, non-religious based, rights that gay couples don’t have. Letting each state decide would be a disaster – its one thing to say in this state you can drive 85 MPH and quite another to say in this state if your partner dies you’ll be left penniless and without a say in what happens to his (or her) legacy.

Our President has stood up and declared he believes gay people should be allowed to get married. That’s pretty amazing for a guy to say in an election year. I’m very proud of him for saying so.

A lot of folks get all up in arms about the word “marriage” and state that marriage has always been about one man and one woman. I say it used to always be that people of different races couldn’t marry and sometimes still frowned upon when couples of two separate religions get married.

This isn’t about religion, this is about equal rights.

Our country supposedly has this thing called “separation of church and state” we aren’t a country that’s run by the church, but it seems like our politicians spend a lot of time worrying about what the church may think and what’s right “according to God”.

Can you imagine our country if we let churches of all religions dictate what our laws should be?

• No work on Sunday? Some religions no work on Saturday
• A Tithe: 10% of your income goes to the church
• Women are less than, like the Catholic Church where they cannot become priests
• No naming your teddy-bear Mohammed or drawing your god as a cartoon
• We’d all have to wear silly hats or headpieces
• Child molesters would no longer go to prison, just be set up in a new town with access to fresh meat
• Mormons would allow us to have multiple spouses, as long as they weren’t of the same gender as we
• Some religions ban dancing
• Some ban drinking
• Some religions would teach us that Superman is teaching the use of witchcraft

This list could go on for quite a few pages I’m sure, but the point I want to make here is your religion – my religion anyone’s religion should have no say on laws and basic civil rights of others in our country.

I want you to consider what it would be like for you if someone wanted to limit your rights based on their religion or beliefs. I want you to consider what Jesus said about gay marriage:

” _____________________________________” Jesus Christ

Keep your religion out of my laws and hope we keep our laws out of your religion.