"...by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Did you ever think there would come a time when husband and wife would not mean 'man and woman'? Well, that day is upon us. Outrage, debate, and, oh yes, do I dare say it, a proposed amendment have all come about because of the issue of gay marriage.

Gay rights have long been a debate by itself and people who live the lifestyle have often side stepped the issue of marriage by entering into a civil union. However, a civil union, by some in the gay community, is viewed as second class citizenry. You do not get many of the perks associated with marriage such as tax and health benefits, but the biggest difference, in my opinion, is that you do not get the same respect. Marriage is something that is revered by almost everyone throughout the world. It means that the person you marry is someone you want to be with for the rest of eternity, or at least the rest of your life.

So, should they or shouldn't they be allowed to participate in the most honored ritual of both religious and secular belief in humankind? If you ask either side, you will get two very different, and often heated, answers to a question that neither side will ever win (trust me I've tried).

Religious people (including those who are quasi religious) will very quickly point to the Bible. First they will state that the homosexual lifestyle is a sin and that marriage of two homosexual people is an abomination that GOD does not approve of. They also might go on about how it will affect other areas in our society such as a child's perception of what a "real" family is and how it will only be a matter of time before gay issues will be introduced into the educational process.

Secular (wordly) people talk about rights. They talk less in terms of religion and rely more on what the Constitution has to say. They complain that First and Fourteenth Amendment rights are being violated, choosing to ignore the Bible (and GOD) where this hallowed institution of marriage and the words "...what GOD has joined together, let no man put asunder" got its beginning. Also forgetting, what is obvious to religious minded people, that GOD'S LAW, or anything else HE says, trumps man's law. Instead they insist that all people, even homosexuals, deserve and are entitled to the rights and privileges that come with being married. Eventually, it will be decided and most likely by the Supreme Court. So much for the separation of church and state.

My views on the subject are much more convoluted than those for or against gay marriage but I think my logic is clearer and more practical than either side. I am a christian by birth and I believe I am still one to this day although I do not attend church or read my Bible on a regular basis. However, I do believe in GOD and I try to behave in a manner that would be acceptable to him not everyone else.

With that being said, I am tired of each side thinking that they can pick and choose what they want from the Bible and the Constitution and not seeing the hypocrisy of it all (by the way, I am well aware that I am a hypocrite, thank you very much).

Religious people complain about the possibility of gay marriages, yet there are many of them who have violated those same vows that they profess to care about so much. These same people, who do go to church and read their Bible on a regular basis, and who can quote verses off the top of their heads, still cannot open up their hearts and minds to people who are different than they are even when JESUS clearly states, in Jn 15:12 of the Bible, "love one another as I have loved you". And, no matter how you take that, it still does not mean hate someone who is different from you.

And, what about secular people. They forget all about the Bible and religion until they also have a need for it. Gay people want to circumvent what the Bible says and still be able to get married but marriage is clearly a religious institution. True, the word may be generic but we all know that the principle behind it is founded on holiness (they don't say united in holy matrimony for nothing). Then secular people try to use the Constitution and man's law to overrule GOD'S WORD which is the LAW. These same people during good times never utter a "praise GOD" or "thank you LORD" but as soon as things get bad, it is "help me LORD", praying on their knees, and in some cases going to church after years of doing without it. Whether religious or secular, we all are guilty of this. But, we still are ready to persecute anyone who does not walk the straight and narrow... as we view it.

I believe that being gay or lesbian is wrong and immoral, but I have no contempt for a person who chooses that lifestyle. I believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. This is what I believe. So, I will never "turn" gay and I will never marry another man. However, since we do not live in an all religious or all secular world then, in my opinion, a decision about gay marriage cannot be made soley on the views of a certain population but only with respect to the population as a whole.

As a black person, I have personally experienced prejudice and, at times, racism first hand. I have also heard and seen it via television, radio, books, etc., as it has happened throughout American history. After all this, I cannot in good conscious be against gay marriages. To me, it is discrimination, plain and simple. What I believe is irrelevant and is only between me and my GOD. There have just been too many incidents in the history of the United States where black people have been discriminated against simply because they were different to just ignore or overlook what is happening now. Incidents that led to beatings, maimings, hangings and murderings of men, women (many who were pregnant), and children. And, this is without mentioning all the injustices that were done to other races and genders in this country such as Indians and women.

We live in an imperfect world and until it is again perfect, and if I can, I will not allow discrimination to rule as it has in the past. I believe that GOD, not me, is the ultimate judge and everytime I think I want to be judge, jury, and executioner, I remember the WORDS of JESUS CHRIST "...judge not, that ye be not judged" and I am cured.