Do you support The Marriage Amendment, which would ban same sex marriage?

On what do you base your definition for marriage?

While this amendment may seem to be about the right of two men or two women to legally marry it is really about defining what you actually call marriage. I see many comments tying this back to a Biblical base and rightly so.

The institution of marriage as a union of a one man and one woman was clearly defined by God in the Bible in the book of Genesis.
Throughout the Bible there are many references to the union of a man and woman. Levitical law which was the basis for morality defined in the Old Testament prohibited same sex relations and even ordered the death of those who participated in such.

Many in our culture today like to point out that the New Testament introduces a freedom from the Old Testament laws and that we are now under the dispensation of grace. This is true however, because God chose to provide the mediator for our faith through Jesus Christ he also holds us responsible for what we do with that faith and freedom. He even cautions us that if we take for granted the grace given to mankind by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, then there will be no hope for those who abuse the privilege of freedom provided by the grace.

While I am burdened for the souls of those who participate in same sex relations I see it as pointless to attempt to argue that their behavior is wrong. Again I take my viewpoint from the Bible. In the New Testament which is accepted by all who believe in the dispensation of grace, the Apostle Paul addressed this in Romans Chapter 1 verses 18-32. It says in verse 24 that God has given them over to the lusts of their hearts. In verses 26 and 27 it says God gave them up to dishonorable passion. In verse 28 it says he gave them up to a debased mind. Essentially it is saying that because those who choose to practice this behavior refuse to follow God's natural plan for mankind that he has given them over to a way of thinking that cannot be reasoned with.

I am sorry if it makes some feel uncomfortable to point out that God is displeased with their lustful unnatural behavior, but this issue is not about whether they should have the right to proclaim themselves as legally married. This issue is about whether they accept the Bible as the Word of God and as the basis in their life for establishing their morals and beliefs. If one does not have a basis for establishing their behavior then anything is acceptable to them.

I would like to also point out that Romans 6:23 and Romans 10:9&10 is very clear that God will not turn away the person who has a truly repentant heart. It says he will forgive them of their sins. It also says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if they will repent and accept the work of Christ as the basis for their life that will be a new person.

I respect those people in North Carolina who are afraid that the religious institution of marriage that they thought only involved their Church and their personal traditions is being questioned. Unfortunately this is not exclusively a religious issue being voted on. What the N.C. Constitutional Amendmendment is involving is the laws of North Carolina not the Religious practices of North Carolina. When the N.C. Legislature placed the Constitutional Amendment on the ballot for all North Carolina registered voters to consider is are we in North Carolina going to define the legal definition of Marriage for all our people not the Religious definition of Marriage for our various Church groups. When we are making the decision to vote against or vote for this Constitutional Amendment over the next few days, what we will be doing is affecting the equality rights under our laws for everyone as individuals not as Religious Practices or Traditional Beliefs, for the future way beyond us. When we consider what we all believe is our strongest asset that has held the United States and North Carolina together since the founding of our Union as a Country it is the belief that everyone is Equal under the law and that each and every one of us is equal to each other. When a law is enacted, enforced or applied toward one, we want that same law to be enacted,applied and enforced toward all in the absolute same way, without exception. We do not like anyone haveing an exemption or privialge under the law above or different from anyone else. Marriage is a legal matter, not a religious matter. When religious people, political group leaders and some radical elected individuals speak to attempt to tell you that the N.C. Consitutional Amendment is perserving some societal marriage tradition or religious marriage tradition, they are misleading the public. What they are really saying is that they want to stop everyone from being treated equally under the laws of North Carolina and the United States. Marriage allows for various rights and responsibilites that are granted by government to individuals who decide to join together to form a permanent Union and join their lives together for the benefit of each other. In the historical past our government has wrongly allowed discrimination toward otherwisw legal citizens and has not allowed those certain people to obtain a Marriage license, interracial couples, same sex couples, Native Americans and the list goes on. The only reason in our history that some people were not allowed to chose a loving partner and then obtain a legal marriage, again was not because of religion, it was because of varying forms of hate or varying forms of one group not wanting another group to share in the equality under the laws of our Country and State. Fortunately most of the good law abiding legal citizens of our Country and State who in the past were not allowed a marriage license, because of the catagory that they were placed in are now able to equally marry under our laws, because the legal rules that were at various times in place stopping those marriage agreements from taking place were rightfully found to be unconstitutional and they were overturned and discarded. Now, here we all are again, facing the social and legal challenge of attempting to stop another group of loving people from joining together legally under the laws of our State and Country, by possibly changing the rules and creating a priviledge group and barring others from the ability to be equal under the law. As citizens not as church members, we are being asked to change the our N.C. Constitution to codify / allow only one portion of our citizenry to be able to exercise the freedom to choose who they wish to live their adult life with and then be allowed to marry them under the law of the land and receive the rights and priviledges and responsibilities that we all allow to be granted to people who marry. We are being asked to possibly discriminate once again toward a portion of our legal social structure, who a majority of voters do or do not want to be equal citizens. Is this what we really want, one group of people to be allowed to have a special priviledge under our laws and another to be told that they can not be treated equally or receive equal application of the law. Think for yourself, do not take us down another road of discrimination based on hate, and prejudice toward others. Lets make North Carolina a State that is truly "First In Freedom" for all it's citizens not just a few. This is about Equality for all under all laws of the Constitution of our State and Country without exception. I ask you to Vote Against the N.C. Constitutional Amendment because it is the correct legal decision to make ... make a personal decision that Equality for all matters in this State and Country the way our Constitution was written to provide for. .

People need to understand the harms this amendment causes. It effects heterosexual couples, not just homosexual couples. If people would take the time to educate themselves on the facts, they'd learn such a far reaching and hurtful amendment should not be added to the state's constitution. It isn't about what you believe, right or wrong, spiritual or personal. It's about the good people of this state and the children of North Carolina that will be in harms way if this were to pass.

Don't be blinded by faith. Reach past the personal and look at the overall problems something like this creates. Put yourself in the shoes of others and, for once, act like the Christ so many of us follow.

And remember that if the amendment does not pass...nothing changes. Why add hate into our state instead of leaving well enough alone?

Gay marriage is already banned in NC, this amendment just hurts unmarried couples and children!! Stop the hate.

Nothing is being banned. The gays and lesbians don't have that right in NC already. The amendment simply defines marriage as it has been done traditionally for thousands of years.And there is no need to change that.

I do not agree with same sex marriage, I am sorry but I was brought up in the house of GOD. It is Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve! Marriage is between a man and a woman and that is how it should always be!

The way Amendment One is written, it goes so far beyond banning same-sex marriage that it risks penalizing all couples. There are plenty of people who might want to define marriage as between a man and a woman but not, for example, remove domestic violence protections for unmarried women, which is just one of the many ways Amendment One will hurt North Carolinians if it's enacted.

This question is highly omissive, as Amendment One bans not only same sex marriage, but indeed all types of recognition other than marriage, including domestic partnerships for straight couples as well. The Amendment reaches far beyond how it is posed here.

The bible never change and God's word never change - only people.

To be otherwise is not only against nature and the order of things, but against God. Of which I seriously doubt that those opposed to The Marriage Amendment have little knowledge of either.

J.W. Hammond

Buncha bigoted people trying to push their religion on others in this state - makes me ashamed to be a native North Carolinian. Why should a gay or lesbian couple not be able to be married by a magistrate? They're not asking for your church to marry them. The way it stands now, the gov't is already discriminating gays/lesbians via NC law, now the Republicans want to add it to the constitution as well?

The last time the NC constitution addressed marriage, it was to ban mixed-race marriages back in the 1800's. This wasn't ruled unconstitutional until the 1970's. Seems to me we're moving backwards in our thinking.

Even the sponsor of this initiative said he thinks it will be overturned with the next generation of voters, who are more open-minded.

Marriage is between a man and a woman now and that wouldn't change if this is voted down. I don't understand how people can be so bigoted and ignorant. I guess you can't change stupid.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you might want to verify some things on the headline of this vote. There is already a law in NC that bans same-sex marriage. This amendment if passed could have ramifications on everybody who is not married. It states that the only recognized union is the legal marriage between one man and one woman. So what about the heterosexual couples in a common law marriage, or the victims of domestic violence that would be ignored because the abuse was not from their spouse. Not to mention all of the people that will lose health insurance because their domestic partnership is not recognized in this state. It could result in the inability for anyone to have joint accounts of any sort (car insurance, bank, home loans) with someone who is not their spouse or immediate dependent. There are several companies stating they would leave the state if their employees rights were taken away. If this amendment passes it changes a lot of things, if it doesn't, nothing changes. All this amendment does is take away rights, it doesn't give same-sex couples any advancement towards legal marriage.