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If marriage is to be defined by religious organizations, then the government should have absolutely nothing to do with it: no benefits, no penalties, nothing. It should have exactly the same recognition from the government that Bar Mitzvahs, First Communions, and Circumcisions have.

If marriage is to be defined by the government, then religious definitions, limitations, or arguments must not be used. And every non-religious argument against homosexual marriage has counterexamples in currently-recognized situations. Not their own kids? Lots of heterosexual couples adopt. Lacking a role model of each sex? Single parents.

Marriage is indeed love, and in the spirit of providing maximum freedom to the most people with no harm to others whatsoever (except maybe their sensitivity), I fully support the right of any N people to be recognized by the government as a “married entity”, with all the rights and responsibilities given by the current marriage license.

I’m an atheist, and have been for a long while. I was raised Catholic, however, and I recognize that there is a lot of wisdom in the Bible, in between all the hate and xenophobia. Here’s one of those passage that most people raised in the western tradition will likely recognize:

1. If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. 2. And if I have the gift of phrophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, 5. it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, 6. it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. 7. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. 9. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, 10. but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. 12. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully as I am fully known. 13. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
— Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 through 13. New American Bible, Catholic edition. Emphasis mine.

Which — in addition to being one of my favorite and (IMHO) one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible — would indicate that a true Christian cannot deny love between any two or more people, no matter how much they might personally object to their lifestyle. Unless they think they know more about love than a man who knew Christ personally.

So. I started out this post thinking that I didn’t agree with this quite enough to paste it, but I’ve changed my mind.

Good luck, guys, gals, and everyone in between and beyond.