Our laws are man-made

Steve Massey (May 12) advises President Barack Obama to read his Bible more closely to see that it condemns gay marriage. Read your Bible closer, Massey. Marriage is prescribed for a rapist and his victim if the victim is a virgin. Many biblical holy men had dozens of wives. Abraham married his half-sister, whom God then caused to become pregnant. Why not demand we uphold these biblical marriage traditions?

Massey and those like him are judgmental, choosing those parts of the Bible that affirm their own bigotry. Dressing their homophobia as God’s will seems to make it more palatable for them, but it is no different than any of the other religiously based intolerance prevalent in our world.

If we accept Massey’s and other fundamentalists’ arguments that marriage is a purely religiously defined institution, then we should get the state out of it, overturning the tax subsidies and legal rights enjoyed solely by married couples.

We do not award or deny rights based on other religious orientations such as affiliation or baptismal status. We make our laws, not God. Whether pertaining to marriage or any other social contract, we should make them with an eye toward liberty and justice for all.

Timothy Pellow

Davenport, Wash.