A gay rights activist runs out of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, June 26, 2013, as rulings were handed down that impact on same-sex relationships.
A gay rights activist runs out of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, June 26, 2013, as rulings were handed down that impact on same-sex relationships.

As a religious person, I don’t believe God ever legislates laws through direct oral or written communication with humanity.   As some noteworthy theologians have observed, it’s rather arrogant and presumptuous of people to assume that they can literally speak the same language as the Creator of the Universe and be 100% sure they know the Divine will.  The only things we can be sure of is that God wants every person to do their best and pursue justice.

Throughout history, people with noble intentions have tried to perceive the will of the Creator.  The end result of that effort is organized religion, sacred books such as the Bible, clergy and religious scholars committed to studying and spreading the teachings of their respective faiths.

Among the many traditional brachot, (blessings) this religious Jew recites every morning is one that states:  Praised are you Lord our God who GIVES Torah.  (Torah is defined as ‘the’ guide or teaching.) The blessing doesn’t say who gave the Torah, it’s in the present tense to make the point that every generation not only has the right but the responsibility to study and endeavor to understand God’s will.

I believe that 3,000 years ago God was genuinely pleased that people of good-will wanted to put to paper values, ethics and laws that could help civilize humanity.  Crediting God with the authorship of religious doctrine inspired obedience and continuity.  But is it intellectually honest to assume that every word of our written and oral religious traditions were dictated by that Higher Power whose very essence is beyond our comprehension?

With every fiber of my being,  I believe that God celebrates and blesses the loving relationships  between two people, regardless of gender or regardless of what our ancestors understood about what constitutes normal human sexuality.

As civilization’s sophistication and understanding of the human nature has evolved, so must our religious values and teachings.  After all, isn’t the whole point of religion to promote civility and love?  If quoting the words of a scribe or prophet who lived thousands of years ago promotes disharmony, don’t we owe it to God to reconsider those words?

In reacting to the SCOTUS decision, Michele Bachmann said: "No man, not even a Supreme Court, can undo what a holy God has instituted."
In reacting to the SCOTUS decision, Michele Bachmann said: “No man, not even a Supreme Court, can undo what a holy God has instituted.”
My thoughts on the SCOTUS ruling that determined that same sex marriage is okay: "Jesus wept."
Mike Huckabee: My thoughts on the SCOTUS ruling that determined that same-sex marriage is okay: “Jesus wept.”
The DOMA ruling has now made the normalization of polygamy, pedophilia, incest and bestiality inevitable. Matter of time.
Bryan Fischer: The DOMA ruling has now made the normalization of polygamy, pedophilia, incest and bestiality inevitable. Matter of time.
The Rev. Gary Hall of the National Cathedral: “We are ringing our bells at the cathedral to celebrate the extension of federal marriage equality to all the same-sex couples modeling God’s love in lifelong covenants," said the Episcopal church's Rev. Gary Hall. "Our prayers for continued happiness are with them and with all couples who will be joined in matrimony in the years to come."
The Rev. Gary Hall of the National Cathedral: “We are ringing our bells at the cathedral to celebrate the extension of federal marriage equality to all the same-sex couples modeling God’s love in lifelong covenants,” said the Episcopal church’s Rev. Gary Hall. “Our prayers for continued happiness are with them and with all couples who will be joined in matrimony in the years to come.”

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Addendum:  In the June 28th edition of the Washington Post, Rabbi David Wolpe wrote a column on Judaism’s response to same sex marriage that is definitely worth reading!

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And the best response yet to Michele Bachmann: