Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxel
I don't doubt that, if same-sex marriage is legalized, there will be many who try to tread this path. Unfortunately, I can see the general outcome of the business-related suits being in favor of the gay person/couple and not the business owner. However, the First Amendment would protect the religious institutions (including the Church and the temples) from harm as long as those in power continue to honor it. I think the thing we need to be worried about (in regards of losing our right to worship how we want) is an outright attack on the First Amendment- an abolishment of the First Amendment coupled with the legalization of same-sex marriage could lead to the disenfranchisement of the Church and the confiscation of the temples.
I don't think that's going to happen, though- not anytime soon, anyway.
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I don't know, Maxel. The pattern in this country has not been to outright revoke rights; it has been to redefine them until they become meaningless while carefully maintaining the illusion that our rights remain unfettered. That's why we still believe we have the right to private property (even though, after
Kelo, pretty much anyone with enough clout to sway your city council can take whatever they want from you via eminent domain), the right to speech (as long as you say the right things), the right to raise your own children (as long as the local school board approves of your course of instruction) . . .
ad nauseum.
I don't fear action against the Church itself--at least, not on an Edmunds-Tucker scale (though I think more subtle actions like the loss of tax-exempt status; difficulty in obtaining visas for foreign missionaries; and loss of state recognition of temple marriage ceremonies are certainly on the horizon).
At least on the libertarian legal blogs I frequent, there's already a strong sentiment that while we can't do anything about churches, we can do a heck of a lot about those pesky church members. That's what I'm most concerned about. Satan won't turn on the Church institutionally until he has silenced the church members who might be able to defend its interests in the civic and political arenas.
I think we'll be seeing a two-pronged effort to stigmatize those who view gay sex as sinful, and indeed religious people in general: a political prong classifying such persons as "bigots" and a medical prong that identifies them as somehow unstable. This will set the stage for the re-education, if not the outright removal from home, of religious and/or conservative children. Meanwhile, we'll see more--much more--hysteria about the social damage inflicted by religion (religion is the cause of all wars!) and traditional family values (suicide! depression!), which will lead to broadened definitions of "hate speech" and toughened criminal penalties for those who openly condemn homosexual relationships.
Kids who aren't raised religious won't vote in favor of religion. And felons don't vote at all.