Maine voters repeal gay-marriage law

[Revmitchell]

PORTLAND, Maine - Maine voters repealed a state law Tuesday that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed, dealing the gay rights movement a heartbreaking defeat in New England, the corner of the country most supportive of gay marriage.

Gay marriage has now lost in every single state — 31 in all — in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine — known for its moderate, independent-minded electorate — and mounted an energetic, well-financed campaign.

With 87 percent of the precincts reporting, gay-marriage foes had 53 percent of the votes.
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"The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation," declared Frank Schubert, chief organizer for the winning side.


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[KenH]

Glad to hear it. Now if we could just get the government out of the marriage business all together so that a God-ordained institution was not a political ping pong ball.

 

[Johnv]

I had predicted this trend around the time we in CA voted on Prop 8. That said, more and more people are sharing KenH's view, that marriage is a private matter, and should not be a state entitlement. There's a lot of logic to that position.

 

[carpro]

Doesn'tmatter.

Some activist judge, or court, will take care of that minor problem.

 

[Johnv]

No so, carpro. CA is notorious for having some of the most liberal state supreme court judges, and they have so far upheld Prop 8. As long as the states in question have a solidly written law, then it they won't be overturned.

 

[Aaron]

Glad to hear it. Now if we could just get the government out of the marriage business all together so that a God-ordained institution was not a political ping pong ball.

Marriage is a matter of law. Government can't be out of it.

 

[billwald]

Every place the word, "marriage," appears in a law, replace it with "personal contract."

 

[Johnv]

No, replace the word "marriage" in current statutes with "civil unions".

 

[KenH]

Marriage is a matter of law.

Which is a relatively recent happening in human history. Marriage belongs to God, not Caesar.

 

[carpro]

No so, carpro. CA is notorious for having some of the most liberal state supreme court judges, and they have so far upheld Prop 8. As long as the states in question have a solidly written law, then it they won't be overturned.

Hide and watch. To some activist judges, state laws are not worth the paper they are written on.

It's been done before.

 

[Nonsequitur]

Glad to hear it. Now if we could just get the government out of the marriage business all together so that a God-ordained institution was not a political ping pong ball.

Agreed!
There is a reason that it is called 'Holy Matrimony'.
Only the government decided to call it a 'civil union'.
PING....................................................PONG.

 

[Aaron]

Which is a relatively recent happening in human history. Marriage belongs to God, not Caesar.

Caesar has the responsibility to protect marriage.

 

[Johnv]

Caesar has the responsibility to protect marriage.

Legal marriage is not biblical marriage, and never has been. Legal marriage is nothign more than a legal contract. Biblical marriage is a sacred covenant. Ceasar can only enforce a legal contract. Ceasar cannot enforce sacred covenants. In fact, Ceasar has no business whatsoever enforcing sacred covenants.

 

[Aaron]

"Thou shalt not steal" is no less a Divine institution than "thou shalt not commit adultery." Caesar is charged by God to protect marriage.

 

[Johnv]

"Thou shalt not steal" is no less a Divine institution than "thou shalt not commit adultery." Caesar is charged by God to protect marriage.

"Thou shalt not covet" and "Thou shalt not worship a graven image" are no less a divine institutions, yet no reasonable individual would advocate legislating those. Caesar is not charged by God to protect marriage, nor is Ceasar charged by God to enforce any other law found in scripture.

 

[Marcia]

Every place the word, "marriage," appears in a law, replace it with "personal contract."

Whether it's called a contract or civil union, it is essentially marriage and will be seen that way and treated that way legally. I cannot support any legal se*ual union of homose*ual partners, which is what it would be.

And if we take marriage out of the law and just have churches, so what? Where does that leave us? Unitarian churches, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, liberal Methodist, Bapitist, Lutheran, and many, many other churches will perform marriages for same sex couples.

 

[Johnv]

Whether it's called a contract or civil union, it is essentially marriage and will be seen that way and treated that way legally. I cannot support any legal se*ual union of homose*ual partners, which is what it would be.

A civil union IS a contract already, and no, it's not marriage (marriage isn't a contract, it's a covenant). It gets the governmetn out of peoples' private lives, and gets them out of the marriage business.

 

[Aaron]

What of divorce, child custody, and property?

The state has a vested interest in protecting marriage. You wouldn't want to live in a state that didn't.

 

[Aaron]

"Thou shalt not covet" and "Thou shalt not worship a graven image" are no less a divine institutions, yet no reasonable individual would advocate legislating those. Caesar is not charged by God to protect marriage, nor is Ceasar charged by God to enforce any other law found in scripture.

The status of divine institution is not the determining factor on whether the government can enforce or protect a thing. Government itself is a divine institution. He is the minister of God.

 

[Johnv]

What of divorce, child custody, and property?

Civil unions deal with property (in fact, it's a major reason to have a civil union). Parental rights aren't determined by civil unions.

The status of divine institution is not the determining factor on whether the government can enforce or protect a thing.

Legal marriage isn't a divine institution, so it's apples and oranges.