Written by Don Byrd
In a special Hollman Report column, Baptist Joint Committee General Counsel Holly Hollman addresses the complex relationship between religious liberty and the same-sex marriage case being heard today in the U.S. Supreme Court. It is “not a First Amendment case,” she explains, but notes the strong interest faith traditions have in marriage.
She reminds us, however, that religious voices do not fall on just one side of today’s debate. Here is an excerpt from her column discussing the briefs filed in the case by religious organizations.
They reflect the broad diversity of religious thought in America about marriage as a religious and civil institution. The briefs share a common concern with the political and cultural divisions in our society, divisions that were magnified by Indiana’s recent legislative session.
The Obergefell briefs filed on behalf of religious organizations and individuals raise various religious concerns within the same-sex marriage debate. Some religious groups filed briefs supporting the petitioners, asking the Court to strike the state bans on same-sex marriage. They assert that, because of their religious belief in full equality before God, the state burdens their religious liberty when it treats marriages differently. Numerous religious groups also filed briefs supporting the respondents, asking the Court to uphold the state same-sex marriage bans. These groups assert that their religious beliefs inform their definition of marriage and that judicial voidance of the state bans will generate religious liberty conflicts.
Read the whole thing.
Related blog post: Three things to know about religious liberty and the same-sex marriage cases
