A new Gallup poll indicates that religion is a major consideration for Americans who oppose legalization of same-sex marriage. Answering an open-ended question, 47 percent of those who oppose marriage equality say religion and the Bible are the top reasons. Supporters of same-sex marriage cite equal rights and personal freedom to explain their choice, and make no mention of God or religion.
The poll notes that a majority of Americans support marriage equality, with young Americans, Democrats, and those who don’t attend church most in favor. “Seven in 10 weekly church attenders are opposed to same-sex marriage, while seven in 10 of those who seldom or never attend church are in favor. This dramatic difference in position on same-sex marriage based on religiosity underscores the power of the relationship between religion and attitudes toward moral and values issues in America today,” Gallup reports.
See Gallup’s story here.
With the Episcopal church moving to bless same-sex unions (albeit only in dioceses that are open to doing so), it seems that a stronger case must be made that our faith is the motivating factor to promote this equality. We are not abandoning the Bible or God’s law, but following Christ’s directive to “judge not” and love our neighbors as ourselves.