Some California religious institutions offer same-sex marriages
”I believe the family is a cornerstone for a strong society, and I’m all in favor of everything we can do to build up the values that make strong families…. I think the values matter more than the gender of the people making up the heads of those families.”
Rev. Susan Russell of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena who has already been blessing unions of same-sex couples for 16 years. (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
”One of the ongoing confusions is the fact that the difference between civil marriage and religious marriage is very blurred in American society. The fact that clergy can act as agents of the state regarding marriage licenses just contributes to that blurring.”
Jay Johnson, an Episcopal priest and a director at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, regarding certain clergy that support gay marriages but not sign state marriage certificates. (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
”Most of us at the very least are very open to this whole idea that marriage rights should be granted, certainly on a secular basis…. But a rabbi will have to decide what they are going to do based on their understanding of the tradition, what they feel comfortable doing.”
Rabbi Robert Ourach, of the Temple Beth Israel of Fresno, who is reported to agree with the court ruling but is undecided on wether he’ll officiate over ceremonies. (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
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