Religion is used to support the marriage amendment. Some people believe that any union other than a heterosexual one is condemned by God. Following this logic, allowing gay marriage threatens the establishment of Church in America. A homosexual relationship is considered sinful and by nature should not be legally validated. According to Rom 1:26-27, "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error" (The Holy Bible).
The clause of the Virginia Constitution that grants freedom of religion should nullify any argument that religion is a reason to limit the rights of individuals. It states, "all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain their opinions in matters of religion, and the same shall in nowise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." Thus, biblical phrases used to support the amendment are not legitimate. Love between two people should afford the same opportunities, rights, and responsibilities regardless of gender. Banning legal approximations to marriage will not prevent homosexuals from holding their own religious unions anyway. The attempt at preservation creates an effect of inferiority.
