CA OK's gay marriage...

"Traditional meaning of marriage"...according to religious beliefs? The two should be mutually exclusive.

I think so too. All citizens, hetero and homo, should live under civil unions in the eyes of the govt. Marriage's should be consummated (i looked up the spelling this time) in a church, synagogue, etc.First, and I can only speak for Christians here, well, most Christians haven't always seen marriage as a good thing.  But, well, when Paul writes that it is better to burn in marriage than burn in hell, well, that's no ringing endorsement.  The 'traditional' notion only arose with the Protestant Reformation and the importance of transferring property.  Even today, the higher one's social class, the higher rate of marriage.  So, that's why I'm not comfortable talking about 'traditional' Christian notions of marriage. 

But, I would agree with you about the seperation between the two.  Two of my friends had two seperate ceremonies - one at the Polk County Courthouse in Des Moines, the other at her church.  And, yes, her church would have done the religious part for same-sex couples, which is part of why she's continued her involvement in that church.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn56sIX5KWE

People need to consider their own salvation; I can't do that for them, and so I would refrain from moralizing on behalf of others who may or may not share my religious beliefs.

Besides, the marriages in California have been sanctioned in a LEGAL sense; not a religious one. So in essence you could have a Justice of the Peace administer the vows without religious constraints - but the marriage would have all the rights and privileges of one marrying through a minister in a church. I have absolutely no problem with that.

Besides, there are gay people who have given their lives in the military since the beginning of this republic; not only that, but they are our lawyers, teachers, doctors, waiters, engineers, hospice workers, etc., etc. As active members of our communities, I would feel very wrong denying them equal rights.

Josh: that is Asne Seierstad, an author I discovered this year. So far, I've read two of her books. She's a reporter who covered the beginning of the Iraq War in Baghdad in 2003, as well as the U.S. attack on Afghanistan the previous year. She was also in the thick of the war in Bosnia. IMO she's an excellent writer.