The US Supreme Court has today imposed same-sex marriage on every state in the USA.
Five of the nine judges backed the move, while four disagreed.
Before the ruling, individual states had been free to decide on the issue of same-sex marriage for themselves.
God’s gift
Commenting on Twitter, Christian leader Albert Mohler said: “Marriage remains what God designed as his gift to humanity, the union of a man & a woman. Our society will now call something else marriage.”
“The challenge for Christians now is to speak the truth in love & to speak love in truth. Love of neighbor means we cannot lie about marriage”, he added.
The challenge for Christians now is to speak the truth in love & to speak love in truth. Love of neighbor means we cannot lie about marriage
— Albert Mohler (@albertmohler) June 26, 2015
Marriage remains what God designed as his gift to humanity, the union of a man & a woman. Our society will now call something else marriage.
— Albert Mohler (@albertmohler) June 26, 2015
First Amendment protection
According to one Supreme Court news website, the ruling also “makes clear that the First Amendment protects religious institutions’ right to have their own view of marriage”.
Family Research Council’s President Tony Perkins commented: “Marriage is rooted not only in human history, but also in the biological and social reality that children are created by, and do best when raised by, a mother and a father. No court ruling can alter this truth.”
“We will not lapse into silence but will continue to speak uncompromisingly for the truth about what marriage is, always has been, and always will be: the union of one man and one woman”, he added.
The decision, which was handed down at 3pm UK time, said: “The court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry.”
Free speech
Social commentator Ryan Anderson said: “Redefining marriage to make it a genderless institution fundamentally changes marriage: It makes the relationship more about the desires of adults than about the needs—or rights—of children.”
He added, “we must work to protect the freedom of speech, association and religion of those who continue to abide by the truth of marriage as a union of man and woman”.
Earlier this month pastors representing over 16 million Americans said even if the Supreme Court supported same-sex marriage, they would hold to the biblical definition.
Love for all people
“What the Bible says about marriage is clear, definitive and unchanging”, the current and former presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention said.
“While we affirm our love for all people, including those struggling with same-sex attraction, we cannot and will not affirm the moral acceptability of homosexual behavior or any behavior that deviates from God’s design for marriage.
“We also believe religious freedom is at stake within this critical issue – that our first duty is to love and obey God, not man”, they added.
Free speech
In April more than 60 groups expressed their opposition to same-sex marriage in a legal brief given to the US Supreme Court.
They warned that opponents of same-sex marriage have been silenced in the past and argued that nationwide redefinition would lead to “additional violations of free speech rights”.