Gay marriage: where's the threat?

Can someone explain the thinking behind the idea that gay marriage somehow threatens or detracts from marriage between a man and a woman? Where is the conflict? Why does one take away from the other? I've yet to hear any anti-gay-marriage point of...

view on this that makes any real sense. Thoughts?

I think it's fine... for gays to be lawfully wedded...Marriage is, after all, a legal contract more than anything else. It's the hang up on the word marriage that seems to have the religious right in a dither...

Marriage: 1) the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

So why not a different word for gay unions?? That'd take some of the wind out the religious right's sails...and it wouldn't mess with Websters either...LOL...

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I have no idea, I think its perfectly fine to love who you want to love, and to do whatever you want with whatever gender you want... I think people are just close minded, and they dont want to see anything different than the 'man and women' relationship

think about what happened to those poor kids that get sh*t kicked out of them in school for all that crape you know how it would be to walk into a church where it says that is wrong and get a married yeah its wrong cus its messed up and gross 2 guys no thank you

I personally am straight, verry straight.. but I still think it is fine for people to love who they want to love, and be with whoever they want.. people need to mind their own buisness and let people do what they want to do..

The thing about gay marriage is that it could cause a lot of lawsuits against pastors who will refuse to wed a gay couple because of moral objection. It is expressly forbidden to most faiths and will be called discrimination and their free taxation status will be lost.

as phrannie stated, marriage is a legal act, not a religious one.
Pastors would not be forced to wed anyone. Just as they are not forced to wed anyone now.
I believe that all adults should have the legal right to wed. period. and I don't think there needs to be a different name for a homosexual marriage.

***The thing about gay marriage is that it could cause a lot of lawsuits against pastors who will refuse to wed a gay couple because of moral objection.***

Its religious objection... apparently... even though their religion doesn't actually FORBID gay marriage, they like to think it does. Part of freedom of religion, is also freedom of interpretation. They aren't legally obligated to defy their own religious beliefs.

*** I've yet to hear any anti-gay-marriage point of view on this that makes any real sense. Thoughts?

...and you still haven't. It really is just rooted in bigotry.

the word marriage when it comes to all NON-RELIGIOUS people should be banned...it just causes discrimination.

I am gay.

I desperately want to be married, someday.

I have heard the argument, multiple times, that it would cause lawsuits against pastors. I understand this. My best friend in the entire universe is a priest and is very fundamentally opposed to it. He insists it is an explicit statement in The Bible and that it is something he will never endorse. I understand and I accept that he will not be the one to marry us because I realize how far this is against his belief.

Pastors should hold every right to refuse because there is a separation of church and state, much like it should not be illegal in the first place for the same reason. My friend will not do this for us, so when the time comes, Roger and I will just have to find someone else. That is fine by me.

If everyone would open their eyes, they would see that most gays don't want to change the world. We just want to make ourselves happy, much like everyone else.