Agreed...but its the last 3 words that cause such consternation....
The last three words only cause consternation to gays.
There have been a couple of “churches” that tried establishing themselves on a “gay friendly” basis in Indianapolis in the past few years. One of them started an advertising campaign based on “would Jesus discriminate?” They were clearly trying to push an agenda that Jesus would not discriminate against skin color, so of course he would not “discriminate” against sexual orientation, too. To me, it was clearly a case of trying to get you to accept an invalid premise, that homosexuality is not sin, but rather a “lifestyle choice.”
So in addition to the economic benefits of being able to categorize your gay partner as a legally married spouse, there is also a religious component. If you are “married,” you are not an adulterer, and therefore not a sinner. But as has been pointed out by other posters, it is clear from the body of Scripture that there is no “marriage” between persons of the same sex, and sexual relations between such persons is sexual sin.