You might wonder just why the debate over same-sex marriage is so charged on the pro side. For the antis, after all, this goes to God and the human soul and the origin of the universe and whether we’ll all burn in hell because Ted and Kumar up the street got to have their ceremony and a nice certificate.

Whereas for those of us supporting the right to same-sex marriage, the practical effect is really quite small, especially with that so-very-reasonable compromise some of the antis keep suggesting of creating a sort of I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Marriage!, where lesbian and gay couples would have all the rights of straight couples — just not that marriage moniker. Right? Right?

Well, no, actually. In a very real way, our souls are on the line, and Cathie from Canada spells it out brilliantly by reprinting a news article on same-sex marriage. She simply replaces one word with another throughout the piece…

[Justice Minister Cotler said] it’s beyond his legal reach to protect provincial marriage commissioners or religious organizations who turn away Jewish couples … “That’s right,” Cotler said, when asked if his hands are tied by jurisdictional limits. Ottawa has the authority to define marriage, but provinces have the power to solemnize weddings.

A range of conflicts has already emerged. Human rights challenges are underway in cases where religious groups refused to rent halls for Jewish celebrations. Marriage commissioners in several provinces, including Manitoba and B.C., have stepped down after receiving provincial orders to perform Jewish weddings against their beliefs. A couple in Prince Edward Island shut down their bed-breakfast rather than rent a room to a Jewish couple.

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