The following is cross-posted at On Faith

Whether or not there a religious or scriptural basis for gay marriage depends entirely upon who is answering that question as well as the religious background of the respondent and the methodology of his/her scriptural interpretation. One of the great blessings of the religious freedom embraced and guaranteed by the United States Constitution is every person’s right to believe or not to believe when it comes to religion generally and, if one believes, to decide specifically in whom or in what to believe.

Lisa Miller has provided a thought-provoking analysis of the Bible’s take on gay marriage from the perspective of one interpreter. Undoubtedly, her words will provide great comfort to many in the GLBT community who have often found themselves alienated form faith communities because of more traditional interpretations of what the Bible says about homosexuality. At the same time, Miller’s analysis is no more or less valid than one that opposes gay marriage.

When it comes to the question of gay marriage, the goal should not be to demand that people change their theology. A far better goal is to ask people not to attempt to impose their theology on those who hold a different theological point of view. Marriage–gay or heterosexual–should be a right available to every citizen, but never a legal act, ritual, or formal ceremony that any house of worship, denomination, or religious leader should be required to perform in contradiction to their beliefs.

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