Desperate, anti-gay preachers spread lies about legal effects of same-sex marriage
”The idea that we would be forced as clergy to perform a marriage that was against our conscience, or that a church would lose its tax-exempt status, is ridiculous…. I have not heard of a single Catholic church forced to marry someone who has been divorced, or a rabbi forced to perform an interfaith marriage or an evangelical church forced to marry a couple who has been living together.”
Karen Sapio, a minister at Claremont Presbyterian Church, offering a grain of logic against the barrage of untrue advertisements being put forth by Focus on the Family’s Tony Perkins and other religious groups. An orchestrated set of fear- and anger-inducing arguments are being spread that claim churches which refuse to marry same-sex couples will be sued and have their tax-exempt status taken away, along with other far-fetched and unfounded legal ramifications like jail time for pastors and removal of parental-rights. (NY Times)
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