Gay-Marriage Gains Create Fault Lines Among Faith Groups

A string of legislative and courtroom victories for supporters of same-sex marriage is energizing religious organizations opposed to gay unions but also creating divisions over how best to pursue their goals on the issue, writes the Associated Press.

While many faith leaders and conservative groups continue to oppose legalization and advocate for states to uphold a traditional definition of marriage, some religious-liberty lawyers and experts are urging faith organizations to take a more pragmatic approach. They counsel churches and religious charities to lobby instead for broad faith-based exemptions in gay-marriage statutes.

Most of the states that have legalized gay marriage protected faith groups from government sanction for refusing to host same-sex weddings. A few have approved religious exemptions related to services such as housing or counseling for homosexual married people.