Why do conservatives feel that holding back the rights of other individuals is somehow holding up a standard. Same-sex marriage is an inevitable trend that will make its way through the 50 states within the next 15 years. It is a tidal wave that cannot and should not be held back. Voters under the age of 30 overwhelming support same-sex marriage. Conservatives that believe they are standing up for decency and withholding rights of others are simply on the wrong side of history. They are presenting themselves and subsequently Republicans and conservatives in general as intolerant religious bigots. This attitude disenfranchises new voters and socially moderate voters. There is no perceived upside to maintaining this posture.
Let's use common sense when making decisions. Religion is certainly a framework for making decisions. It provides a moral compass and basis for making decisions. For government officials this is a starting point for discussions and decisions on policy. A religious framework is just one example of a framework that should influence decisions. The bias and background of all Members of Congress come into play when making decisions (as it should). This includes backgrounds and frameworks associated with black, female, homosexual, Hispanic and other minority Members.
At no point, should any of these frameworks be used to exclude, denigrate, or de-legitimize American citizens. I say this without reservation as it applies uniformly to both sides of the aisle. If any of the above frameworks is used for that purpose, the Member or coalition using these tactics should lose credibility and suffer an overall loss of voter support. This applies to religion as a decision making process and also Congressional Black Caucus frameworks for making decisions. Decide based on your moral background, your individual upbringing, but discrimination or alienation of a constituency is not acceptable.
The government should not force churches to perform same-sex marriage. That is the jurisdiction of the church. There will be churches that will perform the ceremony, so no individual church should be forced to compromise on its religious belief.
Conservatives do not have to abandon their beliefs, but they do need to stop imparting their beliefs on others. Similarly, supporters of same-sex marriage should not force their lifestyle into the public discourse in order to gain acceptance. They demean their own cause by being militant about needing to be accepted. A perfect example is a recent "research" study about Disney films that only portray heterosexual relationships. Warning: A push to change Disney films to be homosexual will inherently cause harm to the Gay Rights movement. Moderates that might accept same-sex marriage will be turned off by this militant approach to changing mainstream pop culture toward homosexual positions.
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The corollary to the above is that conservatives should embrace anyone from any race, sexual orientation, religion and gender. The key factor is acceptance of these backgrounds from each of the groups. Militant feminists, militant gay activists and intolerant religious right members need not apply.
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