California moves forward, churches continue to show they are behind

California becomes the second state to legalize same-sex marriage, joining Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex couples.

It's clear to anyone with a brain that the ruling covers the legal aspects of marriage, not the religious. The separation of church and state is firmly upheld in this ruling, as no church or minister is forced to recognize or perform a ceremony against their faith. However, the religious crowd continued to show their ignorance and fan emotional fears in their followings:

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, issued a statement on behalf of seven bishops Monday, saying the Catholic Church "cannot approve of redefining marriage."

Marriage "has a unique place in God's creation, joining a man and a woman in a committed relationship in order to nurture and support the new life for which marriage is intended," the statement said. "The meaning of marriage is deeply rooted in history and culture, and has been shaped considerably by Christian tradition. Its meaning is given, not constructed."

Newsom said the issue "is about civil marriages, not about religious marriages. ... We're not telling religious institutions what to do. They can continue to do what they've done."

Religious conservatives make this issue of panic within their followers, spouting nonsense about how this is somehow "harmful" to them...yet it's clear that nothing for churches has changed. The state cannot intrude on what a church sanctions, it is only allowed (now) to perform civil marriages. Marriage has always been a two-part institution, one civil/legal and one (optionally) religious. It still is, only now the civil/legal portion extends to all couples, not just heterosexual ones.

It's a non-issue for churches, yet they continue to make it an issue. Maybe the Archdiocese of Los Angeles could better spend it's energy assisting the rest of the Catholic church in stamping out child molesters and pedophiles in the ranks of Catholic priests, and leave consenting adults in peace.

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