The argument about religion and marriage took a new turn on Tuesday when California's Assembly passed a bill saying that "marriage is a personal relation arising out of a civil, and not religious, contract."
The bill, SB 1140, will go back to the Senate for a conference vote before heading to Gov. Jerry Brown. Its sponsor, State Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, argues that the legislation would remove objections to same-sex marriage because it protects religious groups from losing their tax-exempt status if their leaders refuse to perform ceremonies for gay couples.
Opponents say religious leaders' right not to perform ceremonies for same-sex couples is already protected by the First Amendment, so the bill will just cause confusion.
The larger debate about religion -- particularly Christianity -- and marriage continues to roil. Leaders on opposite sides of the same-sex question squared off Aug. 15 when Seattle columnist Dan Savage invited Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, for dinner. Here's the result:
Savage is known for “It Gets Better,” a campaign to stop anti-gay bullying. Brown was one of the leaders of the campaign for Prop. 8 in California, which bans same-sex marriage.