Maine’s governor has signed a bill legalizing homosexual marriage. Notably, the bill includes language that explicitly protects the rights of religious institutions to refuse to perform marriage ceremonies for homosexual couples:
3. Affirmation of religious freedom. This Part does not authorize any court or other state or local governmental body, entity, agency or commission to compel, prevent or interfere in any way with any religious institution’s religious doctrine, policy, teaching or solemnization of marriage within that particular religious faith’s tradition as guaranteed by the Maine Constitution, Article 1, Section 3 or the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. A person authorized to join persons in marriage and who fails or refuses to join persons in marriage is not subject to any fine or other penalty for such failure or refusal.
This is an excellent compromise as it grants homosexuals full access to the secular institution of marriage (with all applicable rights and responsibilities) while simultaneously protecting the freedom of religious groups to administer (or refuse to administer) the sacraments as they see fit.
People, this is how it should work. No court-forced decisions. Protection of religious freedom included with a change in secular policy. If only the remainder of the states were this intelligent.
(In case anyone wants to see the text of the bill, it is available here.)