Iowa Pastors Fight Marriage Equality 

It’s so nice to hear from Mullah and Sheik leaders of the Christian faith and how they are protecting the Christian faith from the secular boogie man once again. I hear they want to bring back stoning of people they don’t like too and do away with that pesky “do unto other as you would want them to do unto you” golden rule thing Jesus Christ said… And how dare Christ say you’re to “Love your neighbor as Christ has loved you”! Christ should have been put to death for saying that! Wait a minute, I think he was. What did Christ and St. John know! That’s why these fine outstanding Christian Mullah and Sheik leaders want to stay safe with the big Ten Commandments on every court wall. You can kill 6+ million people with those ‘special’ religious laws, and still have warm special feeling for yourself, knowing your ‘god’ only love you, your skin color, and your brand of faith. There’s nothing like going back to the religious dark ages. What’s next? Making sure people of different skin tones don’t marry too? Selling your daughter into slavery? Having your son killed for practicing witchcraft because he disagrees with you? Legally killing your neighbor because he worked on Sunday? Over turning the 13th Amendment and the Bill of Rights because you don’t want to pay the hire help like in Arizona? It’s like Mullah Jerry Falwell, Mullah Pat Robertson and Sheik Jim Crow and Sahib Bob Jones University turning our world back to the 1395? Don’t like your 20+ wives from Utah: beat her, stone her, what’s the difference? You just can’t have a husband if you’re a man. Isn’t that special!?! I can’t wait for them to tell us that the oil spill is ‘god’s way of telling us not to eat shell fish, and is a punishment for all those who wear fabric of different blends. Just think of what they will say for the wrath of ‘O’ ‘god’ during hurricane season. Damn all those liberals who can read above a 4th grade education, think outside of a wet paper bag, and question authority, reject magical thinking of the Christian text’s 3 different versions of creationism; they’re called elitist! We just can’t let people marry who they want, without our ‘god’s approval and our ‘god’s permission! Now can we? Who says we can’t turn our country into the next backwards Iran or Taliban and live in the third world dark? Who says we can’t use religious dogma in the disguise of Christianity to do it? Note: If I didn’t offend you, you weren’t paying attention and/or hooked up on to life support.

Freedom of Religion, as defined by the constitution only grants you freedom to your own belief... what it does not grant you is freedom to force that belief on others, which is contradictory of freedom of religion.

Yes to me these types of initiatives are really no better than the Phelps people with their 'God Hates Fags Signs'. In fact, I prefer Phelps. At least he's got the balls to be honest about his overt hate of gay people. I can deal with honesty. He doesn't hide behind 'marriage' or 'freedom of religion'. Because that's all this is--an expression of outright hate dressed up by the only two antigay platforms left that can be cleverly legitimized--Marriage and Religious freedom. It's no longer politically correct to go out and bash us Anita Bryant style. Oh the good old days.

Isn't it wonderful how these 'christians' continue to show 'Gods love' in the world... Now if they would only practice what they preach....

I agree with some of the other comments -- too many GLBT people are too passive. We need to get out and become involved in our communities -- openly as GLBT people. Study after study has shown that people's attitudes toward our issues improve when they know somebody who is openly gay.

Heterosexuals don't need the approval of any church to get married. Marriage is granted entirely by the government. Insist on the separation of church and state and equal interpretations of law. Homosexuals cannot be held to a different standard. Someone's religious beliefs must not trump the legal rights of citizens in general. No one religion has the right to force their beliefs on other religions, non-believers, atheists and everything between. Give 'em the boot; and if they have a tax-exempt status challenge it.

Is this what Jesus would do?

Never fear, here in Iowa things are a bit different. These clergymen have very little chance of getting anything done. You see Iowans for the most part dont care anymore....its a non issue. I have many republican friends who think nothing of it. Not to mention that the political chance of this ever getting to the voters is so remote that the soonest it could come to the ballet is 2014. This is just some right wingers way of keeping the issue fresh.

Groups like HRC, Lambda Legal, etc need to start demanding from the IRS serious investigation of these hate groups posing as religious organizations and pulling their tax-exempt status!!!!! Come on LGBT community, get some balls on stuff like this and take these people to task!

You do not represent Jesus. You represent bigotry, hypocrisy and pompous self righteousness. The constitution and this country have something called separation of church and state. Your religious views should not dictate the freedom and equality deserved by this discriminated minority. The vote of the “people” should also not determine these freedoms. Back in the day, if the peoples vote was the determining factor whether to end slavery or not, it would not have come to an end. I and others like me will no longer support you and your delusional view point.